The Transliteral Bible (TRLIT) is an English translation of the Bible that transliterates key words in the King James Version text. It allows readers to be able to read the Bible in a format closer to the original languages.
Purpose of the Transliteral Bible
To read the Bible in the original languages without the need to learn the Hebrew and Greek alphabets or grammar.
To assist in learning Hebrew and Greek by focusing first on vocabulary instead of grammar.
To read in a closer format to how the Bible was originally written.
To have a deeper understanding of the Bible.
Translation Methodology
The translation methodology used is a mechanical method. It replaces most English words in the KJV that have a Strong’s number with the transliteral equivalent. It replaces most nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Words in italics are also removed.
Since the methodology used is a mechanical process, it is independent of any translator and no translational bias is introduced. Anybody who uses this methodology would achieve practically the same result, even if they do not know the original languages.
Since this Bible is not hampered by having to decide how to translate words into English, there is no dynamic vs formal equivalence problem involved. Instead of translators interpreting the meaning of words, it pushes the responsibility of interpreting what the original words mean to the reader.
Limitations of the Transliteral Bible
When transliterating, only the base words are used, so it strips the words of grammatical information.
The Transliteral Bible is intended to be a study Bible and is not meant to be a natural reading Bible.
This translation is not intended to replace any Hebrew or Greek critical text. The ultimate way to read the Bible would be read it in the original languages.
Open Source
The Transliteral Bible text is released as open source under the Apache 2.0 license. Everyone is free to use this Bible in whatever way they want as long as they abide by the license agreement.
Contributing
Errors in the translation exist, so people are encouraged to submit corrections. Also, the Old Testament is currently being translated so contributors are welcome to help translate it.
The Transliteral Bible is available on GitLab at https://gitlab.com/otseng/transliteral_bible
FAQ
For more information, see FAQ.
Feedback
Issues, suggestions, or questions can be submitted at https://gitlab.com/otseng/transliteral_bible/-/issues