For translators: on translating works
Translating foreign works into one's own language is important work and must meet certain requirements.
A good translation is faithful to the message and content of the original text, is theologically correct and is written in language that is easy to sing. A bad translation will soon be forgotten, but a good translation can give a song a whole new life, allowing it to be spread and used by others, inspiring even more people.
- Anyone is free to translate a work, but please check first whether there is not already an approved translation of the song you want to translate.
- It is not permitted to use a translation that has not first been approved by the publisher. This is important partly for copyright reasons, but also to ensure that different versions of the same issue are not distributed.
Do you want to translate a work?
If you want to submit a translation, the process is as follows:
- First check that Small Stone Media represents the publisher whose translation you want to translate. If in doubt, feel free to contact us.
- Download us translation template (Microsoft Excel document).
- Name the file after the original title + the language in which it was translated.
- Write the original text in column A, the translation in column B and a word-by-word translation back into English in column C.
- E-mail the document to [email protected]
We will try to process your request as quickly as possible, but please allow 1-2 months for a response, as we need to consult our translation groups and the original publishers.
Tip!
Making a good translation takes time and it is often useful to involve several people in the process. We recommend that you have your translation checked by others before you e-mail it to us. Think for example of someone who has a lot of Bible knowledge and can look at the text from a theological perspective. Also, try it out and assess its singability.
