Translations: "adieu" in the Book of Mormon

I wrote a post about Reformed Egyptian and Japanese at Mormon Matters last summer (http://mormonmatters.org/2009/06/27/japanese-a-modern-case-for-reformed-egyptian/) and commented on the use of “adieu” in that thread. In order to not derail the current Book of Mormon geography post, I will paste that comment here as an example of why I don’t get worked up over many of the word choices in the Book of Mormon, since I believe each of them must be considered in light of ANY translation/transmission process. I then will add a note about words that critics charge are anachronisms in the translation.

One note only: I did not read this anywhere. This is my own observation. It is not meant as an “apologetic argument” – but simply something I observed as I read the Book of Mormon. It focuses, as usual for me, on restricting “critiques” or “criticisms” of the Book of Mormon to what it actually says – and on insisting that the same things that are allowed in ALL translations be allowed with regard to the Book of Mormon.]

“Adieu” has MUCH more root meaning than either “farewell” or “good-bye”.

dictionary.com is a good example of how the original meaning has been lost in the English translation. The first definitions there simply are “good-bye” and “farewell”. However, when you go further down the list, you find

“I commend you to God,”

and, critically,

“originally said to the party left; farewell was to the party setting forth.”

It is absolutley vital to understand that distinction between “farewell” and “adieu” in order to understand the use of “adieu” in the Book of Mormon. Re-read the definition before going on, if necessary.

This fits exactly the context of Jacob 7:27 – in which “farewell” already has been used to the “party setting forth”. The verse reads:

“And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu.”

In this context, “adieu” can’t be a synonymn for “farewell” – especially when space was at a premium. That verse would be ludicrous if that was the case. If, however, Jacob was saying “farewell” to the reader who reads and departs but “Brethren, adieu” (“I commend you to God” ) to those who were left as HE was getting ready to depart from them – (which is exactly how the overall passage reads) . . . “farewell and “adieu” are the PERFECT choices as they were used in their original meaning.

There simply isn’t an English word that fits the overall context better than “adieu” and is that concise – especially with the use of “farewell” in the same verse.

I have no problem with Joseph using words he knew to transmit meaning, even approximate meaning – since that is what EVERY translator does throughout a translation process. It’s an impossible standard to expect someone to use words they don’t know in a translation – and it’s easy to assert that there is no such thing as a “perfect” translation of a complex work. “Adieu” is perfect for its placement to convey the meaning of the rest of the passage.

“Steel” as an incredibly stong metal substance – “elephant” as any form of tusked animal (like the mammoths that are found commonly in Native American oral histories) – “chariot” as a vehicle pulled by harnessed animals – even “horse” as an animal that was ridden – these are great examples of what happens all the time in translating from one language to another. It is instructive to note also that there are words that were NOT translated into English within the Book of Mormon, presumably because there was no word with which Joseph was familiar that could convey or approximate the meaning adequately. (It’s also instructive that most, if not all, of these words deal with units of money, crops and animals – areas where it’s easy to understand why approximations would be really hard to use.)