Comparing translations for fun, not profit

When I can't sleep, I think about Mishnah translations. Actually, translation itself, which is such an unspeakably interesting thing. Let us consider two basic approaches. One is to render the first language into the other as literally as possible. If there are 6 synonyms for a word in English, but only one term in Hebrew, then the translator will probably try to see one of them as the primary equivalent, let's say choosing "light" for "אור" rather than "luminescence." The second basic approach is to transfer meaning, but not doing so literally or slavishly. Let us suppose that in the first method a back translation into the original language is more likely to produce the original than the second. And to anticipate someone pointing this out, Maimonides favored the second method in a letter to his personal translator Ibn Tibbon.

One of the things which I find interesting is that the languages evolve so that regardless of which approach a translator takes, even the more literal one, they cannot fail to produce different translations at different times.

Here are some examples taken from English translations of the Mishnah, ranging from the early 18th to the late 20th century. The Mishnah I have chosen is Shabbat 6:6.

To make things easier for casual reading, I will first give only the first line of the Mishnah, with the year, and then at the end post the entire Mishnah. I have also included only translations taken from sources which translated entire Massekhtot, or substantial portions; I have also included sources like Rodkinson and Soncino, which are really a Talmud translation, but of course they include the Mishnah.

1. 1718. Women may go out with a Piece of Money ty'd to a Sore. (Wotton)
2. 1843. Women may go out with a coin fastened on a swelling in their feet. (Raphall & de Sola)
3. 1878. A woman may go out with a coin on a sore foot. (Barclay)
4. 1896. Women may go out with a coin fastened to a swelling on their feet. (Rodkinson)
5. 1927. One may go out [on the Sabbath] with a sela on a corn. (Oesterley)
6. 1933. They may go out with the sela that is put on a bunion. (Danby)
7. 1935ish. She may go forth with the sela on a zinith [callus]. (Soncino)
8. 1963. A woman may go out with a sela upon a corn. (Blackman)
9. 1982. She may go out with the sela that is on the wound [on the sole of her foot]. (Artscroll)
10. 1991. She goes out with a sela coin on a bunion. (Neusner)
11. 1996. [A woman] may go out on the Sabbath with a sela that is bound upon a tzinis. (Artscroll)
12. 1999. A woman may go out with a Sela on a bunion. (Haberman)

I'm not sure how illuminating this is, but here you go. The Mishnah itself, of course, actually says:

יוצאה בסלע שעל הצינית

We can see that some tried to be more literal. Literally it is in the singular, yet four chose to give it in the plural - capturing the correct meaning, but not what it says, and one of these ignored the feminine form altogether. Artscroll's second attempt (in its Talmud) is literally correct that it does not say "a woman," but has no way of indicating the feminine in English, so it included this information in the bracket, and in bold, to indicate that it is in the text. Eight chose not to translate "sela" - and all of them are in the 20th century. Only two did not try directly to translate צינית.; and as you can see, one of the times Artscroll called it a "wound [on the sole of her foot]." Many more differences and similarities as well as matters of language can be pointed out or deduced. Really, the best thing is to compare them all, a Mishnah Hexapla, or to choose let us say the 7 or 8 that are not in copyright, a Septapla. 

Here are the complete translations:

1718. Women may go out with a Piece of Money ty'd to a Sore. Little Girls may go out with Neck-laces and round sticks in their Ears: The Arabian Women go abroad with little Bells ; the Medes with their Veils folded up ; and so [may] every Body. By which the Wise Men understand the present Usage of every Countrey. (William Wotton, Miscellaneous Discourses Relating to the Traditions and Usages of the Scribes and Pharisees in Our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ's Time: In Two Volumes. The First, Containing, I. A Discourse of the Nature, Authority and Usefulness of the Misna. ... The Second, Containing, Shabbath. A Title of the Misna Concerning the Sabbath. Eruvin. A Title of the Misna, Concerning the Mixtures Practised by the Jews in Jesus Christ's Time ...)

1843. Women may go out with a coin fastened on a swelling in their feet ; little girls may go out with laces on, and even with wires in their ears ; Arabian women may go out in their large veiles, and Median women in their mantillas: so [indeed] may any one ; but the sages adduce their instances from existing [and known objects]. (M. J. Raphall and D. A. de Sola, Eighteen Treatises From the Mishnah)

1878. A woman may go out with a coin on a sore foot. Little girls may go out with plaits and even splinters in their ears. Arab women go out veiled, and Median women with mantillas; and so may any one, but, as the Sages have said, " according to their custom." (Joseph Barclay, The Talmud)

1896. Women may go out with a coin fastened to a swelling on their feet; little girls may go out with laces on and even with screws in their ears. Arabians may go out in their long veils and Medians in their mantillas; so may even all women go out, but the sages spoke of existing customs. She may fold her mantilla around a stone, nut, or a coin (used as buttons), provided she does it not especially on the Sabbath. (Rodkinson, New edition of the Babylonian Talmud)

1927. One may go out [on the Sabbath] with a sela on a corn ; girls may go with ribbons [on the Sabbath], even with threads in their, ears; Arab women veiled, and Median women with head-kerchiefs; and [so, indeed,  may everyone], only the wise men [when speaking of these things] speak of that which is customary. (W. O. E. Oesterley, Tractate Shabbath Mishnah)

1933. They may go out with the sela that is put on a bunion; small girls may go out with threads or even chips in their ears; women of Arabia may go out veiled and women of Media with their cloaks looped up over their shoulders; and so may any one, but the Sages spoke only of actual custom. (Herbert Danby, The Mishnah)

1935 or so. She may go forth with the sela on a zinith [callus]. Young girls may go out with threads, and even with chips in their ears. Arabian women may go forth veiled, and Median women may go forth with their cloaks thrown over their shoulders. Indeed, all people [may do likewise]. But that the Sages spoke of normal usage. A woman may weight [her cloak] with a stone, nut, or coin, providing that she does not attach the weight in the first place on the Sabbath. (Soncino; The Babylonian Talmud; I don't recall who translated Shabb., which is the 1st volume of Mo'ed, and the second volume which appeared.)

1963. A woman may go out with a sela upon a corn ; little girls may go out with threads or even with chips in their ears; Arabian women and Median women with cloaks thrown over their shoulders; and so may every one, but the Sages spoke just of actual custom. (Philip Blackman, Mishnayoth)

1982. She may go out with the sela that is on the wound [on the sole of her foot]. Young girls may go out with the threads or even with the slivers that are in their ears. Arabian women may go out veiled, and Median women [may go out] with their cloaks fastened over their shoulders. [Indeed] all people [may do so], but the Sages spoke of the actual custom. (Artscroll, The Mishnah, Tractate Shabbos)

1991. She goes out with a sela coin on a bunion. Little girls go out with threads and even ships [sic?] in their ears. Arabian women go out veiled. Median women go out with cloaks looped up over their shoulders. And [so is the rule] for any person, but sages spoke concerning prevailing conditions. (Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah: A New Translation)

1996. [A woman] may go out on the Sabbath with a sela that is bound upon a tzinis. The young girls may go out on the Sabbath with threads, and even with splinters, that are passed through holes in their ears. Arabian women may go out on the Sabbath wrapped in headcloths, and Median women with their cloaks fastened on stones or nuts. And this is actually true of any person, however, the Sages spoke in regard to the prevalent custom. (Artscroll, The Gemara, The Schottenstein Edition)

1999. A woman may go out with a Sela on a bunion. Young girls may go out with the threads or even with the slivers that are [placed] in their ear lobes. Arabian women may go out veiled; Median [may go out] with their cloaks fastened over the shoulder; and so, too, may any person: the Sages were speaking in terms of what was common practice. (Daniel Haberman, Illustrated Mishnayoth Shabbath)