Translation Landscape
Translation Landscape
Existing Japanese Bible translations
Shinkaiyaku 2017 (新改訳2017), the most recent revision of the evangelical-standard “New Japanese Bible,” is this Language Package’s baseline for established theological vocabulary. Shinkyoudouyaku (新共同訳), a Catholic-Protestant joint translation, is common in ecumenical and some mainline contexts but uses somewhat different vocabulary choices in places; this package does not follow it. Older Bungoyaku (文語訳), a classical-literary-register translation from the early 20th century, remains historically significant but is too archaic in register for this curriculum’s target audience.
Where existing translations fall short for this curriculum
- No settled glossary for teaching against secular dilution: Shinkaiyaku translates Scripture itself and can rely on surrounding context to carry doctrinal weight for a word like 復活 (resurrection) or 契約 (covenant); a teaching curriculum for a largely secular audience has to actively work to restore the doctrinal weight these words have lost to everyday pop-culture and commercial usage.
- Assumes more background than a secular reader has: existing Japanese Bible translations are written for readers with at least some church exposure; this curriculum’s audience skews far more biblically illiterate, requiring more first-principles explanation than the translation text itself provides.
- Historical-political vocabulary requires generational bridging: terms like 神の国 carry associations for older readers (via State Shinto history) that younger, more secular readers won’t have — existing translations don’t address this gap since it’s a teaching/explanation issue, not a translation issue.
Readiness assessment
Japanese is in an unusual position for this curriculum: a century-plus of settled, careful evangelical Bible translation (Shinkaiyaku) has produced doctrinally sound vocabulary, but the surrounding society’s biblical literacy is low enough that vocabulary correctness alone does not guarantee comprehension. The translation task here is as much about restoring meaning to correct-but-hollowed-out words as it is about avoiding wrong ones.
Bible Translations Available in Japanese
| Translation | Publisher / Society | Year | On YouVersion? | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新改訳 (Shinkaiyaku, “New Japanese Bible”) | New Japanese Bible Organization (新日本聖書刊行会) | 2017 (series originated 1970) | Yes (NJB, id 4637) | https://www.bible.com/bible/4637/JHN.3.16.NJB |
| 新共同訳 (Shinkyoudouyaku, Catholic-Protestant joint translation) | Japan Bible Society (日本聖書協会) | 1987 | Yes (新共同訳, id 1819) | https://www.bible.com/bible/1819/JHN.3.16.新共同訳 |
| 口語訳 (Kougoyaku, Colloquial Japanese) | Japan Bible Society (日本聖書協会) | 1954/1955 | Yes (JA1955, id 81) | https://www.bible.com/bible/81/JHN.3.16.JA1955 |
| リビングバイブル (Living Bible, JCB) | Biblica, Inc. | — | Yes (JCB, id 83) | https://www.bible.com/bible/83/JHN.3.16.JCB |
| ERV訳 (Easy-to-Read Version) | Bible League International | — | Yes (ERV訳, id 3802) | https://www.bible.com/bible/3802/JHN.3.16.ERV訳 |
| 聖書協会共同訳 (Kyoukai Kyoudouyaku, 2018 interconfessional revision of Shinkyoudouyaku) | Japan Bible Society (日本聖書協会) | 2018 | Not on YouVersion | Free online reader at bible.or.jp; print and dedicated app widely available |
| 文語訳 (Bungoyaku, classical-literary register) | Japan Bible Society (predecessor societies) | 1887/1917 | Not on YouVersion | Digital editions via EPWING/other Bible-software distributors; print archival editions |
| 新世界訳 (New World Translation) | Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) | — | Not on YouVersion | Free digital/print via jw.org (not a source for this Language Package’s doctrinal vocabulary) |
Note: the YouVersion page for NJB does not itself state which Shinkaiyaku edition year it carries; based on the publisher (New Japanese Bible Organization, the body responsible for the 2017 revision) it is presented here as the 2017 edition, consistent with this Language Package’s baseline, but that specific edition year was not independently confirmed on the version page itself and should be spot-checked if precise-edition fidelity ever becomes load-bearing.