Modern English Bible translations

[1][2] With regard to the use of Bible translations among biblical scholarship, the New Revised Standard Version is used broadly,[3] but the English Standard Version is emerging as a primary text of choice among biblical scholars and theologians inclined toward theological conservatism.

The RSV gained widespread adoption among the mainstream Protestant Churches in America and a Catholic Edition was released in 1962.

In the late twentieth century, Bibles increasingly appeared that were much less literal in their approach to translation.

In 1966, Good News for Modern Man, a non-literal translation of the New Testament, was released to wide acceptance.

The Living Bible, released in 1971, was published by its author Kenneth N. Taylor, based on the literal American Standard Version of 1901.

Taylor had begun because of the trouble his children had in understanding the literal (and sometimes archaic) text of the King James Bible.

His work was at first intended for children, but was later positioned for marketing to high school and college students, as well as adults wishing to better understand the Bible.

Despite widespread criticism due to being a paraphrase rather than a translation, the popularity of The Living Bible created a demand for a new approach to translating the Bible into contemporary English called dynamic equivalence, which attempts to preserve the meaning of the original text in a readable way.

A further process that has assisted in greatly increasing the number of English Bible versions is the use of the Internet in producing virtual bibles, of which a growing number are beginning to appear in print – especially given the development of "print on demand".

A significant aspect in translations from the latter half of the 20th century was much greater use of the principles of dynamic equivalence.

They are distinguished by their policy of transliterating Hebrew-based forms for sacred names, such as "Yahweh", "YHWH", etc.