Translation and Performance

PC-BOAT sessions at SBL 2024 in San Diego

In her 2023 SBL Presidential Address, Musa Dube called for a scholarly focus on the Global Translated Bible. Consistent with that call, the Performance Criticism of the Bible and Other Ancient Texts (PC-BOAT) has three sessions focused on Bible Translation and Performance and there is a Networking opportunity too! Read more below!

Translation Theory and Performance (S23-139)

Saturday 11/23/2024 9-11:30am
Room: 31A (Upper Level East) - Convention Center

James Maxey will help us to explore contemporary translation theories and performance criticism to facilitate synergy between these two approaches and to contribute to the advancement of both. Concrete examples in theory and practice of Bible translation will be discussed, which have an impact on Bible translation for various communities, academia, and church use. Gerald West will explore the relationship between translation and performance based on his research on community-based praxis. Two invited respondents will interact with these scholars. After a panel discussion, the whole audience will be invited to participate.

Clifford Barbarick, Abilene Christian University, Presiding

James Maxey, Seed Company
Global Bible Translation Studies (30 min)

Kelly Iverson, Baylor University, Respondent (10 min)

Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal (by Zoom)
Translation and/as Performance: The Poetic Cadence of Resistance (30 min)

Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Virginia Tech, Respondent (10 min)

Sign Language and Performance Criticism (S23-234)

Saturday 11/23/2024 1-3:30pm
Room: 29C (Upper Level East) - Convention Center

There is much for biblical scholars to learn from the deaf community about performance as a critical lens to analyze biblical texts. For many scholars, performative issues such as tone, spatialization, and emotion are considered optional. However, in sign language, these elements are not optional. We are honored to have Mr. Noah Bucholz, a PhD candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary and a lecturer at Princeton University, as our primary speaker. Noah Bucholz is a profound Deaf scholar, well-known as a Bible translator and a trainer of deaf translators. His presentation will delve into the interplay of performance criteria in Sign Language linguistics and how Deaf epistemology can provide a different perspective on Bible texts, benefiting both the Deaf and hearing communities in exegesis, hermeneutics and translation praxis. Three panelists who are involved in Sign Language Bible translation projects in various capacities will respond with their own examples. This will be followed by a time of interaction between the presenter, panelists, and the audience.

Mark Penner, United Bible Societies, Presiding

Noah Buchholz, Princeton University
Learning from the Deaf Community about Translation and Performance (30 min)

Isela Trujillo, United Bible Societies, Respondent (15 min)

Marlon Winedt, United Bible Societies, Respondent (15 min)

Teri Miles, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Respondent (15 min)

Open Session on Translation and Performance (S24-141)

Sunday 11/24/2024 9-11:30am
Room: 30D (Upper Level East) - Convention Center

Different translation theories have emerged over the past decade, marking the strong rise of Translation Studies as a distinct discipline. This field encompasses various aspects of translation practice, training, methodology, and heuristics. Translation Studies has evolved from being interdisciplinary to becoming a transdisciplinary field that intersects with disciplines such as linguistics, text analysis, anthropology, cognitive studies, and philosophical hermeneutics, to name just a few. Simultaneously, Performance Criticism has developed as an independent field, delving into text delivery and embodiment in the Ancient World. “Performance” is viewed in the broadest sense, encompassing any form of embodied communication or expression of traditions for an audience. Performance Criticism reevaluates biblical materials within the context of oral and scribal cultures of Judaism and early Christianity, considering the performance event, performer, audience, context, and text. It employs diverse methodologies, including the construction of scenarios for ancient performances and seeks to draw lessons from contemporary performances through translation, preparation, and actual performance.

U-Wen Low, University of Birmingham, Presiding

John Hobbins, Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Gambella, Ethiopia)
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing: On the Value of Singable Translations of the Psalms of the Bible (20 min)

Nathan Esala, Seed Company
(Re-)translating Contestation in Ruth 2:7 in Ancient and Contemporary Versions of the Tradition (20 min)

Isela Trujillo, United Bible Societies
Performance in Sign Language Bible Translation (20 min)

Marlon Winedt, United Bible Societies
Multimodal Engagement: Creole Bible Translation and Cultural Dynamics in the Caribbean (20 min)

Jonathan Robie, Biblica
Using GPT for Scenes, Imagery, Focal Points, and Emotional Flow (20 min)

Networking Luncheon on Performance, Embodiment, Memory, Translation, and Other Related Disciplines

Monday 11/25/2024 11:45am-12:45pm
Room: Aqua Salon E (Third Level) - Hilton Bayfront

Come to this BYOL (bring your own lunch) luncheon to make and deepen relationships with other scholars working on topics related to Biblical Performance Criticism. We encourage anyone, from seasoned scholars to students to come and share their wisdom, enthusiasm, and insights into where BPC has been and where it may be going. Anyone is welcome, and particularly those interested in the topics listed above, as well as orality, multimodality, theatre, the role of media in performance (ancient or modern), social location and performance, rhetoric, scribal performance, and more. Ample time will be given to getting to know each other, sharing about the work we’ve done and are doing, and getting a feel for the current landscape of performance and the Bible.