Beibl.net

[tangnefeddwr]

Hi all,

Has anyone downloaded the free ZIP of the welsh bible onto their phone from beibl.net? I feel at liberty to ask that since the bible is an invaluable resource for the Welsh language whether one is christian or not. I've downloaded a 2004 version which is described as a 'colloquial welsh version'; translator Arfon Jones, and I think it's terrible! I'm in no position to be snobbish about language but I really love the old 'bibl cyssegr-lan' as a learning resource and this translation contains so much 'bratiaith' (debased language) and unecessary borrowing that i just want it to go away again. Does anyone have this application? Is there a formal language or updated version? Or any other webplace for bible zip downloads?

Cheers galore,

TF

[sianco]

Interesting!

I like beibl.net for personal use - the written version for the internet. (Is yours written or spoken?) I think it's especially good to help me understand some of the more complex concepts in the Epistles. We use it quite a lot in our chapel - it's good in Bible Study to compare the various versions - from William Morgan, through BCN + BCN(D) to beibl.net.

The previous versions, even the latest Beibl Cymraeg Newydd Diwygiedig, can be a bit stiff - with the pluperfect sounding particularly strange to us today - "eisteddasant", "gwyliasant" etc.

But, for reading out loud, as I have said in a comment on my latest blog posting, it can sound a bit 'clonking' - the use of the long form of the verb, several words to explain one word in the previous versions etc can make it sound wordy and not as streamlined as the previous versions. Personally, I don't like the use of "dych" and "dyn" for "ydych" and "ydyn" - it sounds like learners' Welsh to me. If you want to read it aloud in a service, you really need to go through it carefully and adapt it to use the verb forms etc with which you are comfortable.

I think, if you are going to provide a new translation of the Bible to be used today, you need to be sure people will understand it. Here, being understood has taken priority over literary merit - which is quite understandable!

[tangnefeddwr]

Hi Sianco

I have the written version and I like it for convenience more than anything. I'm not certain whether or not we have the same versions, but this is definatley a more streamlined translation of the bible. It could be compared to 'the message' translation of the English bible. From what you've said I can see why it would suit you; It reads like a transcript of a conversation in welsh which like you say does simplify concepts in the epistles. But I'd be ashamed to read out anything in Welsh that has borrowings like 'cynsidro', 'ffanatics' and 'sortio mas', because I wont be responsible for reducing the already minimal respect non-speakers have for that language anyway! When W.Morgan translated the bible into Welsh, one of his ambitions was to demonstrate that Welsh was a medium capable of conveying the message of the holy bible.

[sianco]

Yes, I understand what you are saying. Those words do seem to be unnecessary.

However, I've just been to a funeral. The lady who had died was a staunch chapel-goer but many of her relatives and friends are not. Although they are fluent Welsh-speakers, I don't know to what degree they could follow the Bible readings.
With beibl.net, the meaning would be much clearer for them.

The Psalms will be interesting. We're so familiar with some of the words that we assume we know what they mean. It will be good to have a version which gives the meaning clearer - even if it means sacrificing the poetry. We can always choose which version to use for various purposes.

[tangnefeddwr]

Although they are fluent Welsh-speakers, I don't know to what degree they could follow the Bible readings.
With beibl.net, the meaning would be much clearer for them.

Most likely. Wht I am protesting is the uneccesary borrowings in this version, not the relaxed language, if anything I appreciate that. I am dreading what beibl.net are going to do to the old testament. It's going to be sad to see more old welsh words replaced after being deemed archaic.

The Psalms will be interesting. We're so familiar with some of the words that we assume we know what they mean. It will be good to have a version which gives the meaning clearer - even if it means sacrificing the poetry. We can always choose which version to use for various purposes.

True! The psalms are known for their transferability because of Hebrew poetry's reliance on content and theology rather than sound. I read that on the back of a book so it must be true.

[boatmanckp]

The Revised New Welsh Bible is available as a free download from www.e-Sword.com CKP