College tuition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

College tuition - Research Paper Example This paper attempts to investigate the economic costs and benefits associated with college tuition. The research will also help administrative bodies and students to identify the key factors affecting the effectiveness of college education. Finally, the conclusion will suggest effective measures to minimize the benefits cost associated with college tuition. COSTS AND BENEFITS OF EDUCATION The Opportunity Costs of College Education A number of opportunity costs are associated with college education. When a student decides to get admission in college instead of earning on a job, the lost earning is the opportunity cost. Since there is large number of applicants than the available seats, the rejection of more deserving students account for opportunity cost to that college. If the enrolled student is not utilizing his capabilities efficiently, the rejected student might have proven more successful to college and the society. Furthermore, the qualified student directly suffered emotional stress and tangible loss. The Economic Costs of College Education The tuition payment made for college education is an investment in student’s future. The cost of college education is increasing with every passing year as illustrated in figure 01. Figure 01. Increasing Trends in College Pricing Source: The College Board, 2010. However, the college tuition cost considerably varies depending on the choice of college. Around 47% of the fulltime undergraduate students are enrolled into four-year colleges with tuition fees less than $9,000 per annum. Comparatively, the private four-year colleges charge students with more than $35,000 per annum. Sometimes, these colleges also offer partial scholarships and financial aid programs attracting more applicants. The average tuition and fees at a two-year college stands around 2, 713 per annum. Few of the colleges may also offer to cover all tuition costs in full scholarships. In the year 2009-10, around $154 billion was spent in providin g financial aid to college students. Benefits College education is quite beneficial investment in terms of developing human capital. The lifetime income potential of a person far increases with education and training. These days, it is vital for a person to be prepared to work in modern economies by getting reasonable education. College tuition is thus an investment in enhancing knowledge, skills, competencies, values and habits of a person. Apart from the monetary awards, various social benefits are also associated with college education. College education has remarkably decreased the public reliance on financial assistance programs leading to the generation of more tax revenues. This also increases the serving capacity of the public sector. The costs imposed by criminal justice system on the society cannot be ignored. Over the past few decades, education has resulted in decrease of crime rates. Thus, the public sector funds spend by the system on prosecution, punishment and probat ion of criminals can be utilized for social welfare. In addition, educated people are capable of forming a more interacting civil society. TUITION DATA According to the Trends in College Pricing 2010 report, increase in grant aid has resulted in decline of average tuition and fees in the recent years. However, a large number of students are still paying full tuition charges that are increasing every year. For instance, Students at four-year public colleges with no financial funding paid 7.9% more in 2010 than they

CMS Detector at the LHC: Calorimetry (EM, Had, Forward)

CMS Detector at the LHC: Calorimetry (EM, Had, Forward) CMS structure: Solenoid: Most particles are stopped by the detector except for few, such as muons, neutrino. Main difference between ATLAS and CMS is that CMS has solenoid on the outer layer, so it bends the trajectory of the muons again in an opposite direction (opposite pointing magnetic field). Depending on how much the trajectory is bent, we can deduce the momentum of the particle. Tracking system and both EM and Hadronic calorimeters fit inside the superconducting CMS solenoid, which generated Magnetic Field of 3.8 Tesla (100 000 that of the Earth). Tracking detector (measures momentum, charge, decay) – silicon detector is the inner most layer. The CMS tracker records the paths taken by charged (not neutral) particles by registering their positions at various key points. The tracker can detect the paths of high energy muons, electrons and hadrons, as well as tracks coming from decays of very short lived particles such as b quark used to study the differences between matter and antimatter. (WEB: http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/tracker-detector). The tracker is very lightweight and precise, so it has minimal effect on the paths the particles take. Each position measurement is accurate to 10 micrometers. The tracker material is selected to withstand high levels of radiation, since it is the inner most layer and so receives the highest volume of particles. CMS uses silicon strip sensors (detectors) in shape of rods, covering area of 206 sq.m. (wiki), adding up to 25000 silicon sensors. Also used silicon pixel detectors, which are in principle very similar to silicon strip sensors, but have a segmentation of pixel diodes instead of strip diodes. The 65 million pixels (each generating ~50 microwatts) are mounted on the cooling tubes form the 3 inner most layers. Silicon microstrip detectors then stretch out in a 130 cm combined radius barrel with inner and outer endcaps to close off the tracker. Calorimeter (an apparatus to measure energy of the particle AND particle identification) – scintillating crystal (EM calorimeter made of lead tungsten, a very dense material that produces light when hit), and then sampling calorimeter for hadrons. The ECAL is sandwiched inside the solenoid after the tracking system and before the HCAL. EM calorimeter is used to measure energies of electrons and photons, because they are likely to be produced in reactions for Higgs and other new physics. LHC collides bunches of high energy protons every 25 ns, so the calorimeter material is required to have very specific properties. PbWO4 – lead tungstate is the crystal of choice for the following reasons: 1. the material is high density and has heavy nuclei (explain why is this good); 2. the oxide crystal is transparent and scintillates, emits a small flash of light(well-defined photon bursts), when electron or photon pass through it. This means the calorimeter system is very precise an d very compact; 3.lead tungstate is relatively easy to manufacture from readily available raw materials. Each crystal is equipped with a photodetector (specially designed to work in a high radiation levels and strong magnetic field) that registers the scintillation light which is converted into an electric signal, amplified, and sent for analysis. The ECAL made in a barrel shape (to fit inside the solenoid, of course) with two flat endcaps (one closing off each side of the barrel). The barrel part consists of 36 supermodules, each containing 1700 crystals, adding up to 61,200 crystals in total. The endcaps are made up of almost 15000 crystals. There are 75,848 crystals in ECAL. Each crystal (volume 2.22.223 cm in the barrel; 3x3x22 cm in the endcaps) weights 1.5 kg, each crystal took 2 days to grow, in total it took 10 years to grow all crystals. The crystals were manufactured in Russia and China, where appropriate facilities already existed. Issues: The yield of light in the crystal depends strongly on temperature, so a sophisticated cooling system is required to keep the crystals at constant temperature. Also, the light signal needs to be converted into an electrical signal (via photodetectors) to be recorded, and since the initial signal is relatively weak, amplification is required. Photodetectors: Avalanche photodiodes (APD) for the barrel and vacuum phototriodes (VPT) for endcaps (because the radiation is too high to use silicon photodiodes), as these can operate in strong magnetic field and high radiation. Lead tungstate crystals (though fairly radiation resistant) suffer limited radiation damage – the crystal structure is disturbed, hence the optical transmission decreases. This effect is accounted for during the operation of the detector and appropriate corrections are included in the data analysis. The crystals are probed by light monitoring system to register the optical transmission. The radiation damag e can be reversed (anneal) when CMS is not operating. In room temperature the atoms within the crystal return to orderly positions. Each crystal is identified with a unique barcode, registered in a database, and measured (light transmission and scintillating properties in ACCOS machine). Cut to micrometer precision. Getting the material right was only one of the challenges for the ECAL team; each crystal had to be cut, machined, polished, tested and given a photodetector. Groups of crystals were then assembled side-by-side in glass-fibre or carbon-fibre â€Å"pockets† to form larger structures known as â€Å"supercrystals†, â€Å"modules† and â€Å"supermodules†. The crystals arent pure, but doped to improve their properties. Each crystal is cut and polished to a precise size, so that all pass the light the same way. There are 34 categories of crystal, 22 slightly different varieties of capsules with an attached photodetector. For barrel the crystals are first grouped into sub-modules: 10 crystals per lightweight glass fibre box. 40-50 sub-modules then make up a module, and 4 modules m ake up one of the 36 supermodules. Endcaps are constructed from 25 (55) crystal blocks, or supercrystals. Monitoring and cooling systems as well as final electronics are added to the supermodules before they are placed inside the experimental cavity. To ensure stable and equal operation of the crystals, the cooling system keeps all crystals within 0.1 oC of the optimum temperature. What is scintillation? Scintillation detectors are one of the most often used particle detection devices (Leo 157). Scintillators are made of specific materials that emit a flash of light when struck by a particle or radiation. The emitted light signal is amplified by photomultipliers and converted into an electrical signal which is then analysed. In ECAL electron or photon collides with the heavy nuclei of PbWO4, generating a shower of electrons, positrons and photons. These shower particles penetrate the scintillator further, colliding with more nuclei and producing more shower particles. Atomic electrons take fraction of energy from the passing particles and enter excited states. When they de-excite back into a ground state, the atomic electrons emit a photon of blue light, i.e. a scintillation. The blue light is picked up by photodetectors. The lead tungstate crystals produce a relatively low yield for each incoming particle, so the signal needs to be amplified. (transmitted to t he photomultiplier, converted into a weak current of photoelectrons, and further amplified by an electron multiplier system LEO 158). The total generated light signal is linearly proportional to the energy of the incident particle. Photodetectors? All photodetectors are glued to the crystals. Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) are made of silicon with a strong electric field applied to them. Scintilation photons knock an electron out of an atom, and the electron accelerates in the E field, striking more electrons from silicon atoms. The latter also accelerate and knock out more electrons (the number increases exponentially), hence creating an avalanche. This method allows producing a high current in a short period of time. The amplified and digitized signal is transported away by fibre optics cables away from the radiation area for analysis. A different kind of photodetectors is used in the endcaps due to much higher radiation levels than in the barrel. Vacuum Phototrides (VPTs) contain three electrodes within a vacuum (hence the name). When the scintillating photon strikes atoms in the first electrode, released electrons accelerate towards the second electrode (positive anode) and knock out more electrons. The latter accelerate towards the third electrode (dynode with a higher electric potential than the anode) and again knock out more electrons. This method also produces a strong current form a weak light signal, which is carried away from the high radiation zone via optic fibre cables (what kind of optic fibre cables). http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/crystal-calorimeter The region in the endcaps must was designed to distinguish between closely spaced particle pairs (such as for example in case of a short lived neutral pion decaying into two closely spaced low energy photons that might be mistaken for one high energy photon from Higgs decay). A special ECAL preshower is located in the endcaps before the EM calorimeter crystals. It is the made of two lead panels followed by silicon sensors (6.3cm x 6.3cm x 0.3mm). Each silicon sensor is divided into 32 strips each 2mm wide. Compared to 3cm wide scintillator crystals the preshower sensor resolution is better (5% precise energy measurement Ph.Bolch). The photon passing through lead sheet produces a shower containing e e+ pairs which are measured by the silicon detector strips. The silicon detectors are kept at temperatures between -10 oC and -15 oC for optimal and long-term performance. The outside of the preshower is heated to temperatures of the ECAL, since the crystals performance Muon chamber, muon detectors which are inside the return yoke of the magnet (Track, muons identification). To identify muons and measure their momenta CMS uses three types of detectors: Drift tubes DT (in barrel position measurement), cathode strip chambers CSC (in endcaps position measurement), and resistive plate chambers RPC (in barrel and endcaps trigger). Energy measurement: calorimetry- by creation and total absorption of showers, either EM (light ammount) or hadronic (penetration depth). Social Work Provisions for the Elderly: History and Politics Social Work Provisions for the Elderly: History and Politics In this paper, I aim to discuss the historical and political context of social work provision for the elderly. By using and reviewing the views expressed in previous work on the elderly in our society, I hope to demonstrate the context in which social work and social care operate. One of the concerns of this essay is the impacts of discrimination and oppression on the elderly. I will discuss how listening to the views of service users is crucial to developing effective methods of providing social care. In the last two to three decades, a fairly wide body of academic work has become available, approaching the issues of ageing and of care for the elderly, within the discipline of Social Policy. Social Policy is an interdisciplinary field born from, and derived upon, other social sciences economics, politics, sociology etc. (Tinker:1992:3) Within this field, the specific discipline of gerontology the study of ageing has developed in recent decades because the elderly population has increased so sizeably in the last 50 years. Cherry Rowlings wrote in 1977 that while in 1951, just 13% of the British population was of retirement age, by 1977 this had increased to 17.3%. (Rowlings:1981:27) Since the 1970s we have seen this trend continue. This change can be attributed both to comparatively low birth rates, and the increased life expectancy. Businesses, the professions and the media are finding now that pensioners form one of their biggest markets. (Tinker: 1992: 3) Rather than using medical and biological models, social gerontology focuses on the ways in which social and cultural factors influence peoples experiences of growing older. Tinker writes that the elderly are unusual in that they have been labelled a special group in our society, and yet the only think that marks them out is their age unlike groups seen as deviant they are normal people and we all expect to join this group in time. (Tinker:1992:4) However, although not labelled deviant, the elderly have nonetheless been constructed as a problem, as Jacki Pritchard writes: An elderly person is thought to be of no use once they reach retirement age, probably because they are not seen to be producing anything for the society in which they live. They are considered to have had their life.' She notes that this differs from other cultures, in which capitalism is less advanced. (Pritchard:1992:16) And Nicholas Bosanquet has noted that the rate at which the elderly population is growing causes great anxiety in society. He cites Professor Sir Ferguson Anderson as saying in 1976, Britain faces social disaster because of the rate at which the proportion of elderly people is rising. (Bosanquet:1978:7) He goes on, The emphasis has come to be more and more on the elderly as a burden even as a threat to the standards of service or opportunity enjoyed by the rest of the population. (Bosanquet:1978:79) Changes in medicine have made illness and disability a problem particular to the elderly. Diseases that effected the young in previous centuries, have been controlled or wiped out in this country, and now children and young adults can expect to be in good health. Similarly, disability from birth is relatively rare; and blindness, deafness and mobility problems are impairments by far most commonly experienced by the elderly. (Bosanquet:1978:21) The medical model of disability has traditionally seen disability as naturally and inevitably arising out of a physical or mental impairment. The more contemporary social model, however, has argued against this, in saying that whilst a person may have a natural impairment, it is societys failure to accommodate people with this difference to the norm, which disables them. For example, though a person may be unable to walk and require the use of a wheelchair, this does not inevitably make their life so very different from the life of an able-bodied person. Rather, it is a lack of easy access to public buildings and transport, poor adaptations in housing and so on, which turn this impairment into a striking disability. In the case of elderly people, because ill health and disability is now so much restricted to the oldest generations, it is seen as natural and inevitable that older people will lead very different lives from younger adults, and that the quality of their lives will decrease. However, this can be seen as only a construction, as many of the problems faced by older people could be altered by changes in public provisions and social care. Bosanquet notes that mental health, most significantly depression, are as great a problem as physical health for the elderly. He writes that this is because the most important factors people attribute to their happiness at all stages of life, are ones which elderly people are least able to take for granted. These include: oHealth oFamily life/friends. The elderly will almost inevitably face bereavement, but also having decreased transport/mobility, and fewer places to go where they can meet and make friends, both increases their sense of isolation and decreases their independence. oFinancial/ home stability. The elderly live on pensions. The decrease in their health can lead to them losing their home. (Bosanquet: 1978:10) The elderly are increasingly separated from the rest of the population. They suffer great isolation. But policy has been seen only as pension policy. Nicholas Bosanquet argues that the Government needs to intervene not only when the elderly person has no relatives, but even in addition or instead of care from family. He stresses that policy must increase choice and opportunity, as the elderly find themselves unable to decide and control their own futures. (Bosanquet:1978:75-77) One of the most fundamental issues facing the elderly is the problem of housing. Bosanquet reports that since the 1970s, governments have been concerned with designing special flats for the elderly. These solve some housing problems and give people the opportunity to form small communities with others in their own age bracket. (Bosanquet:1978:92) He writes that this is not a new idea; in the Majority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law I 1909, there is mention of special housing for the elderly. However, the views of what elderly people require from housing has been deeply flawed, due to a failure of policy makers to listen to the ideas of the elderly, about what they need in day to day life. After the Second World War, there was great interest in building small housing for the elderly. However, reports of the time did not view it as necessary to provide many special features or fittings for the elderly. The post-war Rowntree Report stated that bungalows were the preferable type of housing; two-story houses provided problems for pensioners with impaired mobility, and the elderly often did not like living in flats, as they were not considered private or independent enough. The report stated that houses for the elderly people must be built with easy access to local shops, close to the persons family and friends, and near housing for younger generations so that the elderly did not feel cut off from the rest of society. The report did state that flooring and any stairs in the property must be designed for safety and ease of manueverability. This would mean using non-slip materials on flooring, and ensuring that stairs were neither too steep or built around awkward angles. However, these precautions aside, there were no provisions made for wardens or for providing a safe environment for those with health problems. (Bosanquet:1978:95) Subsequently, between 1945 and the early 70s, a good number of small flats were built, but these were not reserved exclusively for pensioners and many housed younger adults. Very few were built with any special design features which would have made them safer and more convenient for the elderly. More recently the idea of sheltered accommodation has grown up, though many people see this simply as a compromise before the nursing home. (Bosanquet:1978:97) Bosanquet concludes that the elderly need schemes which help them find a new lifestyle and to decrease their sense of isolation. Luncheon clubs, good neighbour schemes, day centres and holiday schemes are essential provisions in his view. He believes that these services are more important than simply focusing on income support; however policy makers have tended to see this is a luxury, rather than one of the essentials of government spending plans.(Bosanquet:1978:97) He argues that services should increase their focus on the over 75s. Younger retired people are more likely to still be living with spouses and in their own homes. More years after retirement, however, and any savings the person may have had will likely have run out, and pensions become increasingly inadequate whilst the cost of living actually increases, as for example the elderly person needs to spend more on maintaining their health, in heating bills and medicine/doctors fees. (Bosanquet:1978:124) While this and many other books on the subject of elderly people outline the historical, political and economic factors in pensioners lives, they do not all cite the opinions of elderly service users themselves. Very often social policy and research is based on accounts given by social workers, or by representatives of a vulnerable group for example the families of children or in this case elderly people. To address this, Jacki Pritchards book The Abuse of Elderly People includes a great deal of anecdotal evidence and transcriptions of interviews with elderly people. By focusing on cases of actual abuse, the book may appear to be dealing with an extreme aspect of poor care for the elderly it may not be expected that abuse is a concern of the majority of older people. However, the principles of the book are useful as it outlines some of the ways in which older people are discriminated against, and how many of their needs and interests are oppressed. Pritchard is keen to stress the d ifferent areas in which elderly people may be abused 1. Physical, which includes medical maltreatment and neglect. 2. Psychological abuse, including threats of abuse, humiliation, harassment, emotional neglect and threats of any kind of abuse. 3. Legal abuse, including material and personal exploitation. (Pritchard:1992:21) Elderly people are not always given othe right to choose othe right to privacy othe right to independence. Pritchard considers it vital that if a person is mentally sound, and chooses to stay with their family even when the professional considers the family to be abusive, then the social carer must do no more than offer the elderly person support and inform them of their options. However, of course, there are different standards over what is mentally sound, and even what to do if someone is not. She is also keen to point out the difference in practices between the various professions involved in an elderly persons life. Very often, the policies of the doctors, care home nurses, and social workers arein direct conflict, and the normal policies of one may seem unacceptable to another. Subsequently, what is important returns to ensuring the rights listed above are honoured, and judgement of whether or not this is done can be made only by the elderly persons own experience. (Pritchard:1992:25) Pritchard reports that carers are more likely to become abusive, when they themselves are denied adequate support. The carers sense of isolation, their resentment towards the tasks they undertake, and their lack of external support, leads to an increase in abusive behaviour towards the elderly person being cared for. As a common sense measure, therefore, policy must be adapted to provide support and respite for carers, in the interests of all parties involved. (Pritchard:1992:33) In conclusion, it has been seen that many of the problems that elderly people face could be significantly diminished by improvements in social care. Rather than being natural effects of ageing, these problems are more frequently caused by discrimination in society against older people. As society has placed most significance on the needs of younger adults, there have not been adequate provisions made for the elderly for housing, health care and social integration. In response to these needs, social work needs to take steps to reduce the oppression of older people. This will involve maximising elderly peoples ability to make independent choices in their lives, and to enjoy the same standard of life as younger adults. Above all, social workers and researchers should listen to service users as they explain what services they need. Bosanquet, Nicholas (1978) A Future for Old Age: Towards a New Society. Temple Smith: London. Pritchard, Jacki (1992) The Abuse of Elderly People: A Handbook for Professionals. Jessica Kingsley Publishing: London. Rowlings, Cherry (1981) Social Work with Elderly People. Harper Collins: London. Tinker, Anthea (1992) Elderly People In Modern Society, Third Edition. Longman: London and New York.

The Lesson and Mid-term Break Essay -- English Literature

Introduction to The Lesson and Mid-term Break "The Lesson" tells the story of a 10 year old boy who has lost his father in the duration of school time. It goes on the say he's trapped and although he feels grief for the death of his father he realises that he can use the death to "bind the bullies' fist". "Mid-Term Break" is about the loss of a brother. It goes on to say that life goes on even though he has lost his brother and he witnesses things he does not normally experience (his father crying). "Mid-Term Break" Meaning The meaning of "Mid-Term Break" is to tell the story of an accident involving a young child and a vehicle. He tries to explain how life goes on and the death of the boy's brother doesn't mean that life stops. It goes on to show that because his brother has died certain things happen that he doesn't usually see "I met my father crying" and " Old men standing up to shake my hand". It ends with the powerful and chilling line "a four foot box, a foot for every year" This shows that the boy was very young and had a small coffin because he was only 4 years of age. Structure The poems structure is very neat and very tidy. He chooses to write in three line stanzas because this allows the poem to flow easily and allows the stanza below it the link in with its predecessor. By also having three line stanzas helps the last line have more of a "punch" feeling because it breaks the mould. Heaney avoids using rhyme in this piece because we usually associate rhyme with happiness and glee. Because of this reason Heaney purposely makes this poem sad and hopeless. Analysing The mood changes throughout the poem. At the start the mood is sombre, sad and mysterious but when it reache... ...death. "Pride, like a goldfish, flashed a sudden fin": we can imagine the goldfish swimming in their bowl, perhaps set in the sunshine on a windowsill. The sun catches a goldfish at a certain angle, and the gold of its scales suddenly shines brightly. The speaker, caught in the sunshine of all this attention and sympathy, suddenly feels pride shining in him. At no point in this poem does the speaker express sadness at the loss of his father. However, he is aware that he should feel something, and his shame at the lack of feeling is in conflict with his relief and his pride. What is uppermost in the speaker's mind is the confined little world of the school (rather like the "shining prison" of the goldfish bowl). His life is centred on school, the bullying, his other school-mates. I think the bitter lesson he learns is about his own self-centredness.

The Concept Of Teaching Practicum Education Essay

Teaching practicum concerns readying of instructors and its usage has embraced all the learning experiences of pupil instructors in schools. The intent of reexamining related literature is to research thoughts of learning practicum. This reappraisal will discourse three chief thoughts, viz. , overview of the construct of beliefs and learning practicum, theoretical model and related research surveies.2.1 The construct of learning practicumTeaching practicum is about universally recognized today as the flood tide of a instructor ‘s professional readying in pre-service instructor instruction plans. Harmonizing to the surveies of Gower & A ; Walters ( 1983 ) , the instruction pattern programme is the major indispensable constituent in professional instruction. Teaching practicum is defined as those periods of uninterrupted pattern 12 hebdomads ( depends on the peculiar instructor preparation college or university ) in school constitute an obligatory portion of the class in colleges or universities of instruction. This period of practical experience is besides called by assorted term, clinical experience, pupil instruction, learning pattern every bit good as practicum. During the instruction practicum, pupil instructor conducts schoolroom lessons and performs the responsibilities of a instructor in school. Harmonizing to the Teacher Training Division Guidelines on practicum for pre-service instructor preparation ( 2005 ) , learning practicum provide chances for pupil instructor to pattern theories in instruction and acquisition patterns and to develop single instruction and learning theories. The chief purpose of learning practicum is to bring forth effectual school instructors and non simply schoolroom instructor. Student instructors are besides provided with chances for a assortment of brushs with kids in schools. This means that pupil instructors are non merely cognize how to learn efficaciously in category but are besides able to manage co-curricular activities as good. In short, learning practicum programme is to fit future instructors with the indispensable experiences which can take to the development of their professional competences. Teaching practicum purposes for pupil instructors to maestro and pattern all the constructs, rules, accomplishments and values in order to go a p rofessional instructor.2.2 What is belief?Harmonizing to Michaela Borg ( 2001 ) , belief is a proposition which may consciously or unconsciously held, is appraising in that it is accepted as true by the person, and at that place imbued with affectional committedness ; farther, it serves as usher to thought and bahaviour. On the other manus, Fishbein and Ajzen ( 1975 ) define belief as information, factual, and nonfactual knowledges. Cognition is described as â€Å" what person knows or assumes to be true † ( Berkowitz, 1980, p. 275 ) . No affair what is one ‘s belief, the beliefs still play an of import function in many facets of instruction, every bit good as in life. It is because these beliefs help persons make sense of the universe, act uponing how new information in perceived, and whether it is accepted or rejected. Nevertheless, beliefs differ from cognition, although they are related to each other, in that beliefs do non ever represent the truth. Beliefs are non merely considered as discipline-dependent ( Tsai, 2002 ) , but beliefs besides include apprehensions, premises, images or propositions that are felt to be true ( Kagan, 1992 Richardson, 1996 ) .2.3 Theoretical model2.3.1 Teachers ‘ BeliefsShulman ( 1986 ) claimed that a instructor needs to cognize about the capable affair, to cognize a assortment of general instructional schemes, and to cognize about the specific schemes necessary for learning peculiar capable affair. Most of us would besides hold that the good instructor transforms curri culum ends and guidelines in such a manner that a peculiar pupil is able to get the hang and understand the related content. Dan Lortie states that one ‘s personal sensitivities are non merely relevant but, in fact, stand at the nucleus of going a instructor. Teachers ‘ belief is a term normally used to mention to teacher ‘s pedagogic beliefs, or those beliefs of relevancy to an single instruction. The countries most normally explored are instructors ‘ beliefs about instruction, acquisition, and scholars ; capable affair ; self as a instructor, or the function of a instructor ( Calderhead, 1995 ) . Besides that, instructors ‘ beliefs do play a cardinal function in the procedure of instructor development. Those beliefs form portion of the procedure of understanding how instructors ‘ conceptualize their work as a instructor. Tatto ‘s ( 1996, p. 155 ) of import work on beliefs concluded â€Å" laic cultural norms among enrollees are strongly ingrained and that most teacher instruction, as it is presently structured, is a weak intercession to change peculiar positions sing the instruction and direction of diverse scholars † . Another survey shows that â€Å" a individual ‘s belief system has permeant effects in different domains of activity- ideological, conceptual, perceptual, and esthetic † ( Rokeach, 1960, p. 288 ) . In add-on, Brown found that certain philosophical beliefs and educational beliefs were effectual in foretelling agreement-disagreement with experimentalism of schoolroom pattern. â€Å" Indications were that professed educational beliefs had a generalised consequence on learning behaviour ; specific cardinal beliefs were most powerful in act uponing specific schoolroom behaviours † ( Brown & A ; Webb, 1968, p. 215 ) . To back up those beliefs, Clark and Peterson ( 1986 ) proposed that: The most resilient or ‘core ‘ instructors ‘ beliefs are formed on the footing of instructors ‘ ain schooling as immature pupils while detecting instructors who taught them. Subsequent instructor instruction appears non to upset these early beliefs, non least, possibly, because it seldom addresses them. If instructors really seek out a peculiar invention which does non ab initio conform to their anterior beliefs or rules and the invention proves helpful or successful, so adjustment of an alternate belief or rule is more possible than in any other circumstance. For the notice instructor, schoolroom experience and twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours interaction with co-workers has the possible to act upon peculiar relationships among beliefs and rules, and, over clip, consolidate the person ‘s substitution of them. However, it seems that greater experience does non take to greater adaptability in our beliefs and, thereby, the forsaking of strongly held pedagogic rules. Quite the contrary in fact. The more experience we have, the more reliant on our ‘core ‘ rules we have become and the less witting we are making so. Professional development which engages instructors in a direct geographic expedition if their beliefs and rules may supply the chance for greater self-awareness through contemplation and critical inquiring as get downing points for ulterior version. The instructors ‘ conceptualisations of, for illustration, linguistic communication, acquisition, and learning are situated within that individual ‘s wider belief system refering such issues as human nature, civilization, society, instruction and so on. Consequently, instructors ‘ belief about the importance of learning have a great impact on their instruction patterns ( Salmon, 1988 ) . The following subdivision will look at instructors ‘ belief about learning practicum.2.3.2 Teachers ‘ belief about learning practicumThe term ‘practicum ‘ is used generically to mention to the different types of school fond regard ; viz. , school experience, learning assistantship, learning pattern and so forth that pre-service pupils will be undergoing as portion their initial instructor readying programme. The school-based practicum is designed to enable pupil instructors to detect a instructor ‘s existent work of work, and to use and polish the cognition and accomplishments acquired through course-work in schoolroom instruction. Student instructors are to utilize the chances during the practicum to incorporate instruction theory and pattern and to widen their practical experiences. In the context of learning practicum, a pupil instructor is expected to use what they have learned theoretically. To maximise the public-service corporation of practicum, it is of import that instructor trainers actively promote the effectual acquisition during the practicum period. Effective acquisition should be concerned with the acquisition of organized wholes of cognition. It is a procedure that involves developing the ability to place the aims one is seeking and, within a flexible model, optimising a programme to run into these aims, in line with single acquisition properties. Effective acquisition besides needs to accomplish transference of cognition from the artificiality of a preparation class, to practical application where the trainees adapts acquired cognition to the sensed demands of a peculiar job or state of affairs ( Robotham, 2003 ) . Many researches claim that learning practicum is a cardinal component in most pre-service instructor instruction programmes. Many besides debates about the appraisal of the pattern of pupil instructors frequently reflect ongoing philosophical arguments about the nature of instructor instruction ( Brown, 1996 ) and traditional barriers between instructors and faculty members ( Groundwater-Smith, 1997 ) . A set of written standards used to measure the competency of pre-service secondary instructor instruction pupils during practicum. The dimensions of the appraisal protocol did non look to be based on any articulated theory of good instruction pattern, and there were important uncertainties about the extent to which the assorted groups of stakeholders had a shared apprehension of the criterions implied in the standards. In instruction what we label as criterions are socially constructed and often fuzzed ( Sadler, 1987 ) and require the shared apprehension of a concept in a community of pattern ( Wiliam, 1996 ) .2.4 Related Research Studies2.4.1 Pre-service instructors ‘ beliefs about learning practicumPrior to existent instruction experiences, pre-service instructors derive their initial positions on learning from at least two beginnings. First, it comes from their personal experiences as pupils, dwelling of their interactions with and exposures to assorted instructors throughout their school life, with such factors holding a inclination to act upon their grounds for calling pick, every bit good as beliefs and patterns on their professional lives ( Ben-Petetz, 2003 ; Bramald, Hardman, & A ; Leat, 1995 ; Saban, 2003 ) . Second, it consequences from pre-service instructors organizing their conceptual repertories as they undergo the formal preparation provided by teacher educational plans ( Bermald, 1995 ; Dunkin, Precian, & A ; Nettle, 1994 ; Nettle, 1998 ) , ab initio dwelling of theoretical cognition through foundation and methods classs, and finally come o ning or climaxing into the application of such theories via the alleged pattern instruction. Few surveies have been done in pre-service instructors. The undermentioned premises are cardinal to a justification of pattern as a portion of the preparation of instructors: Teaching is behavior, and as behaviour is capable to analysis, alteration, and betterment. Much of the accustomed behaviour which persons have developed in other contexts is inappropriate for the instruction state of affairs. Under present conditions, much instruction is conducted under conditions of emphasis. Teaching is an highly complex sort of behaviour, affecting the full scope of idea procedures, communicating and physical action. Teachers, through pattern can larn to analyse, knock and command their ain instruction behaviour. Practice has the double intent of preparation and the riddance of the unfit. Practice provides the experience which gives intending to many other facets of direction in instruction ( learning ) . The beliefs of pre-service TESL instructors have may deserve their ain geographic expedition. These beliefs may act upon pupils in acquisition of cognition, choice and definition of specific learning undertakings, and reading of cognition, and reading of class content. Puchta ( 1999 ) asserts that ‘beliefs are steering rules of our pupils ‘ behaviour and strong perceptual filtersaˆÂ ¦ they act as if they were true ‘ . On the other manus, Dunkin ( 1994 ) claims that how student-teachers ‘ positions on instruction may be influenced by formal learning practicum programme. Kennedy ( 1996 ) hypothesizes that ‘real and effectual alteration in instructors ‘ patterns can merely happen through a alteration in their beliefsaˆÂ ¦ the manner instructors behave ‘ .

General Translation Theories Essay

While not everyone who drives an automobile needs to understand the theory behind the internal combustion engine, someone does need to know this theory. I may be able to drive my Pontiac without any knowledge of internal combustion engines, until the Pontiac breaks down. Then, I must find someone (presumably a mechanic) who does in fact know enough theory to get the Pontiac running again. The same is true of translation theory. It is not necessary for everyone to know translation theory, nor is it even necessary for pastors and teachers to know everything about translation theory. It is necessary for pastors and teachers in the American church at the end of the twentieth century to know something about translation theory, for two reasons. First, it will affect the way we interpret the Bible for our people. If we are completely unaware of translation theory, we may unwittingly mislead our brothers and sisters in our interpretation. Second, there are so many English translations available, that no contemporary pastor will be able to escape the inevitable questions about which translations are superior. It is not my intention to provide anything like an exhaustive approach to either translation theory or semantic theory (relax, I’ll define this word later). Rather, I intend to discuss briefly the more important observations, which may be useful to the pastoral ministry. 1. Communication has three parties. Translation theory shares a number of concerns with what is commonly called communication theory. Perhaps the most important observation which the communication theorists have produced for translators is the recognition that every act of communication has three dimensions: Speaker (or author), Message, and Audience. The more we can know about the original author, the actual message produced by that author, and the original audience, the better acquainted we will be with that particular act of communication. An awareness of this tri-partite character of communication can be very useful for interpreters. Assuming that an act of communication is right now taking place, as you read what I wrote, there are three dimensions to this particular act of communication: myself, and what I am intending to communicate; the actual words which are on this page; and what you  understand me to be saying. When the three dimensions converge, the communication has been efficient. If we know, perhaps from another source, what an individual author’s circumstances are, this may help us understand the actual message produced. Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s â€Å"Letters from Prison† are better understood by someone who knows the circumstances under which they were written rather than by someone who is oblivious to mid-20th century American history. If we know information about the author’s audience, this may also help us to understand the message itself. John Kennedy’s famous, â€Å"Ich bin ein Berliner† speech is better understood if one understands the apprehensions which many West German citizens had about American foreign policy during the early 1960s (and, knowing the audience was German may help explain why he did not speak this sentence in English! ). Recognizing that in addition to the message itself, there are the two other components of author and audience, the interpreter attempts to uncover as much information as possible about the author and audience. This is why biblical scholars spend so much time attempting to locate the circumstances of a given epistle; they are trying to discover information about author and audience, which will help complete the understanding of the particular act of communication represented by the message. At this point, an important warning needs to be expressed. For students of literature whose original audience and author are not present (i. e. , dead), we only have direct access to one of the three parties in the communicative process: the message itself. Whereas we would be profited by having direct access to author and audience (â€Å"Paul, what in the world did you mean about baptizing for the dead? â€Å"; or, â€Å"How did it hit you Galatians when Paul said he wished his troublers would castrate themselves? â€Å"), it would be incorrect to suggest that we must have such access for any understanding to take place. Frequently one encounters the extravagant statement to the effect that â€Å"one cannot understand a biblical book unless one understands the author’s (or audience’s) circumstances. â€Å"The problem with such statements is that they imply that we can have no understanding without access to information which simply does not always exist. We haven’t any idea who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, or why, other than what may be indicated in the letter itself. Does this mean that we can’t understand it in any sense? I think not. We just have to recognize that information, which would assist the act of interpretation, is, in this case, missing. Related to this warning is a second. For Protestants, scripture itself is authoritative. Our reconstructions, often highly conjectural of the historical circumstances under which a given biblical work was written and read, are not authoritative, by my understanding of Protestant theology. Those reconstructions may assist our understanding of the biblical text, but they are not, in and of themselves, of any religious authority. Finally, we might add that the essential error of many exegetical theories is their exclusion of one or more of these three parties from consideration. While many important debates are continuing to influence interpretive theory, our evaluation of these debates would do well to retain a role for each of the three above-mentioned dimensions. 2. Formal and Dynamic Equivalence One of the ongoing debates about translations revolves around the question of whether, and in what degree, the translation should reflect the syntax, or form, of the original language. All translators agree that the translation should reflect faithfully the message of the original, but all are not agreed on whether the translation should adhere closely to the grammatical forms of the original language. Translations can be located on a spectrum, which would have, at one extreme, rigid adherence to the form of the original language (formal equivalence), and at the other extreme, complete disregard for the form (not the message) of the original language (dynamic equivalence). An interlinear would come the closest to the first extreme, followed by the NASB. At the other extreme would be the NEB and TEV. In between would be the RSV and NIV, with the RSV leaning more toward a formal equivalence, and the NIV leaning more toward a dynamic equivalence. It is probably fair to say that most contemporary linguists favor the dynamic equivalence approach in theory, though they might be disappointed in the various attempts at producing one. The reason for preferring to reproduce the thought of the original without attempting to conform to its form is that all languages have their own syntax. While the syntax of one language may be similar to the syntax of other languages, it is also dissimilar as well. Thus, if we attempt to adhere to the formal syntax of another language, we reproduce forms which are abnormal or confusing, if not downright distracting in the target language. For example, Greek tends to have very long sentences, whose various clauses are arranged in a logically hierarchical fashion. That is, there will be a number of dependent clauses connected to an independent clause. This type of sentence structure, perfectly normal in Greek, is called hypotactic (clauses are arranged logically under one another). English, by contrast, is not so comfortable with long sentences, and does not provide any easy way of indicating which clauses are dependent upon others. Our sentence structure is called paratactic (clauses are arranged logically alongside of one another). If we attempt to reproduce, in English, sentences of the same length as the Greek original, our audience will not be able to follow our translation. Ephesians 1:3-14, for instance, is one sentence in Greek, with well-defined subordinate clauses. If we attempt to reproduce a sentence of this length in English, the result will be so awkward that few, if any, English readers would be able to follow it. Consequently, translators must break the longer Greek sentences into shorter English sentences. For the pastor and teacher, it is important to be able to recognize the hypotactic structure of the original language, because it is frequently of theological and ethical significance. For instance, there is only one imperative (independent clause) in the Great Commission — â€Å"make disciples. † All the other verbs are dependent. The other clauses help to describe what the commandment means. Most English translations, however, obscure this matter by translating the Great Commission as though it were a string of equivalent imperatives. What’s worse, they tend to treat one of the dependent clauses as though it were the major (independent) clause (â€Å"Go†). So the teacher or pastor needs to be able to understand what is going on in the structure of the original language, without necessarily trying to reproduce it in an English translation. There are other differences between the two languages. Greek typically uses passive verbs; English prefers active verbs. Greek typically makes nouns out of verbs (making â€Å"redemption† as common as â€Å"redeem†). Speakers of English are not as comfortable with these abstractions; we are happier with verbs. A dynamic equivalence translation will commonly reproduce the meaning of the Greek in a more natural manner in English. In 2 Thess 2:13, for instance, pistei aletheias, is translated â€Å"belief in the truth† (formal equivalence) by the RSV, but â€Å"the truth that you believe† (dynamic equivalence) by the NEB. The latter, while not any more accurate than the former, is a little more natural, and thus more easily understood. A classic example of the difference between English and Greek syntax is evidenced by the difference in their respective employment of the participle. First, the Greek participle is much more common than the English. But the Greek participle is also used differently than the English participle. Greek commonly employs the participle in an attributive fashion, as a verbal adjective. This is very rare in English. James Taylor does sing about the â€Å"The Walking Man,† but this is rare outside of artistic expression. We would normally produce a relative clause, â€Å"the man who walks. † Because of the differences in the way the two languages use their respective participles, we simply cannot translate a Greek participle with an English participle in many cases, without being obscure or ambiguous. Dikaiothentes in Romans 5:1 should not be translated, â€Å"having been justified† (NASB: formal equivalence), but, â€Å"since we are justified† (RSV: dynamic equivalence). There are problems, however, with dynamic equivalence translations. Since the translator is â€Å"freer† from the grammatical forms of the original language he is more likely to exceed the bounds of an accurate translation, in an effort to speak naturally in the native language. That is, the dynamic equivalence translations are capable of being more natural and more precise than are formal equivalence translations, but they are also more capable of being precisely wrong. For instance, in Romans 8:3, Paul uses the phrase: dia tes sarkos. A formal equivalent translation, the RSV, renders this â€Å"by the flesh,† which is faithful to the original but somewhat ambiguous in English. The NIV renders this much more precisely, by the phrase, â€Å"by the sinful nature. † Unfortunately, the NIV is precisely wrong here, because Paul is not talking about a lower nature, or a sinful nature at all. In fact, he is not speaking anthropologically, but redemptive-historically. In this particular case, I believe we would be better off with the ambiguous â€Å"flesh,† and have to ask what, ‘flesh’ means for Paul, than to have the more precise but utterly un-Pauline â€Å"sinful nature. † Another problem associated with dynamic equivalence translations is related to their use as study Bibles. Since a given word may have a number of meanings, it is frequently impossible, and more frequently confusing, to attempt to translate a given Greek word with the same English word in every case. Consequently, the dynamic equivalence translation can give a more specific rendering in English, being unbound by an attempt to reproduce the same Greek word in the same English manner. This produces better understanding, frequently, of individual sentences or clauses. However, it does not permit the English reader to know when the same Greek word lay behind two different English words. Since the only way to know what a word means is by first examining its full range of uses, there is no way for the English reader to know what words are behind the English words found. For instance, when Paul says he could not address the Corinthians as pneumatikoi, but rather as sarkinoi (1 Cor 3), he employs the adjectival forms of what we normally translate â€Å"Spirit† and â€Å"flesh. † And, in Romans 8 (as well as elsewhere), it is clear that life in the Spirit is redeemed life; whereas life in the flesh is unredeemed life. If the adjectives in 1 Cor are translated â€Å"spiritual,† and â€Å"fleshly,† the reader can see the correspondence to other Pauline passages, and understand that Paul is saying, in effect, â€Å"I could not address you as redeemed people, but as unredeemed people. † But the NIV construes sarx as â€Å"sinful nature† in Rom 8, and sarkinos as â€Å"worldly† in 1 Cor 3, with the result that the reader of this translation is not aware that in the original the same root form was employed. The conclusion of this is that the dynamic equivalence translation, when done well, renders in more precise and more vivid English particular expressions. However, it makes it more difficult to compare individual passages with parallel passages elsewhere. In any given congregation, a variety of translations will be present. The teachers in the church must have the competence to discern which one represents the original most accurately in English in any circumstance. In my judgment, none of the contemporary translations is manifestly superior to the others. Each is a blend of strengths and weaknesses, due to the difficulty of the task. From the pulpit, of course, some versions can be excluded rather easily. Paraphrases, while useful to illustrate a point, should never be used as the basic sermon text, because they reflect so thoroughly the opinions of the paraphraser. Also, children’s Bibles, such as the Good News, and, to a lesser degree, the NIV should not be used as the basis of a sermon directed toward the entire congregation. The NASB should not be used, simply because its English is atrocious. Its rigid adherence to the formal equivalence principle, while making it highly useful in the study, renders it completely inappropriate in a setting where communication is important. The NIV should not be used from the pulpit, in my judgment, because it is a sectarian translation. It is a self-confessedly â€Å"evangelical† translation, which excluded non-evangelicals from the translation process. It is therefore ecclesiastically unacceptable (it excludes from the outset people who don’t call themselves â€Å"evangelical,† just as the Kingdom Translation excludes people who don’t call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses). In fact, even for study purposes, one will have to be cautious about the evangelical bias reflected in this translation, whereby the weaknesses, as well as the strengths, of evangelicalism have not been offset by a more â€Å"inclusive† committee. Specifically, the NIV shows many signs of being individualistic, experientialist, and revivalistic (I am speaking about the NIV New Testament; I haven’t evaluated the NIV Old Testament thoroughly yet). At the same time, the NIV ought to be in the minister’s study because it is a good illustration of the demands of a dynamic equivalence translation, and it is also very successful at many points. The RSV, reflecting the breadth of the church, a high style of English, and a reasonably accurate representation of the original text, is perhaps the preferred text for pulpit use. 3.  Translation is a theological task It has become increasingly clear that translation cannot really be performed in a theological vacuum. When a variety of linguistic options present themselves, theological factors can influence the decision to choose one option over the other. In fact, such factors should influence the translation. The resolution of the translation question about how to translate telos in Romans 10:4 is resolved in large part by resolving larger questions about Paul’s theology; how he understands the relation between the older testament and the Christ event, etc. Since theology is to be determined by the Bible, and since translating the Bible is determined, at least in part, by theological considerations, it is easy to see that there is something of a circle here. Fortunately, it is not a vicious cycle, because if one is willing to entertain sympathetically a variety of options, one can grow in the confidence with which one evaluates a given translation. One must never pretend, however, that translation is a step of â€Å"pre-exegesis† or â€Å"pre-interpretation. † The first step of interpretation is  translation. This step will influence all other steps, so it must be approached with the entire arsenal of theological tools. Semantic Theory It is appropriate now to move to some consideration of dealing with the meaning of individual words (commonly called lexical semantics). A lexicon in the hands of an over-imaginative preacher may be the deadliest of all human instruments. In terms of sheer percentages, more pulpit nonsense may be attributable to a misunderstanding of how words communicate meaning than any other interpretive error. Since the technical study of linguistics began in the early nineteenth century, a number of very valuable insights have been discovered by the linguists. What follows is an attempt at providing some of their most useful insights for those who want to teach and preach faithfully. 1. Semantic Field and Context Most words can mean a number of things. Take the English word, â€Å"run. † It can appear in the following (and many more) contexts: The athlete is running. Her nose is running. We scored a run in the sixth inning. I have a run in my stocking. Does your car run? My computer runs on Windows. For how long is the movie running? You want to run that by me again? His sermons seem to run on forever. She’s running the flag up the pole. Jackson is running for President. Who left the water running? Enough, already. It is obvious that most words can mean a number of different things. How do we know what a word means in a given circumstance? Well, we don’t just choose the one we prefer. In fact there are two components to meaning: semantic field and semantic context. By semantic field, we mean the full range of ways the word has and can be used (an example is the above, partial semantic field for â€Å"run†). By examining the â€Å"field† of possible meanings, we begin to narrow the options. Normally, there are still too many options, so we have to take another step. The second step is to determine the semantic context. If â€Å"run,† for instance, can refer to rapid, bipedal locomotion in some contexts, we can eliminate that option in contexts where there are no legs or feet. If â€Å"run† can mean â€Å"flow,† or â€Å"drip,† it is a possible way of understanding it where noses and faucets appear, but not where liquids do not appear. In everyday speech, we do this kind of comparison to semantic context so rapidly and unreflectively that we are not normally aware of doing it. But we do it nevertheless, and normally with great accuracy. It is imperative that we do this with biblical literature as well. No word brings its full semantic field with it into any given context. Yet many fanciful pulpit statements are due to the attempt to do this very thing. 2. â€Å"Root† Meanings Many people speak of â€Å"root meanings. † Many people speak of ghosts. Neither exists. Apparently, when people speak of â€Å"root† meanings of words, they are attempting to find the distilled essence, or the common semantic range of the word in each of its contexts. This may, by dumb luck, work in some circumstances, but it won’t work in most. What common â€Å"root† meaning is there in the word â€Å"run† which can account for the variety of uses listed above? Is it motion? Perhaps, for the athlete, the flag, even the nose (which doesn’t move itself, but its contents do). But is there any â€Å"motion† involved in the statement that a person is running for an office? Is any motion taking place when a movie â€Å"runs† for six weeks? Is a â€Å"run† in a stocking a movement of some sort? I fail to see how there is, without redefining the word â€Å"motion† to include virtually everything. And if we do this, then we aren’t learning anything specific about the term in question (This is the practical deficiency of the Componential Analysis approach to Semantics; if one finds an element common enough to be related to all the various uses, it isn’t specific enough to be any real help in any given context). In actual fact, we don’t really know why people use terms in such a broad range of ways as they do. But the answer certainly doesn’t lie in the fact of some alleged â€Å"root† meaning, common to all uses. Thus, for interpretation’s sake, it is better not to speak of â€Å"root† meanings at all. Just look at the entire semantic field, and then limit that field by the contextual considerations. This doesn’t mean that there are no similarities in the variety of a term’s uses. If we return to â€Å"run,† we can determine several â€Å"sub†-fields. We can see â€Å"run† used of liquids, to indicate they are flowing. We can see â€Å"run† used with machines to indicate that they are operating as they should. We can see it used in reference to putting one foot ahead of another repeatedly, in rapid succession, which would embrace the athlete, and, by extension, the â€Å"runs† in a baseball game (which are a short-hand reference to someone â€Å"running† around the bases). But these fields do not appear to be related to each other, and worse, these fields do not account for the stocking or the flag. Perhaps we ought to just bring â€Å"root† meanings out once a year, on October 31st, and then put them back for the rest of the year. 3. Etymologies and Semantic Change Etymology is a perfectly valid field of study. Etymology is the study of the history of a word’s usage. It has the historical benefit of demonstrating to us what a word might have meant in a given period. One thing etymologists have discovered, of course, is that words change over time. That is, people apparently use terms in an increasing variety of ways, extending known usages, and coining new usages. Thus, the history of a word’s usage is not necessarily any help in determining its meaning in a particular context. And certainly it is not the case that the â€Å"earliest† known meaning is the â€Å"true,† â€Å"real,† or, need I say it, â€Å"root† meaning. â€Å"Gay,† for instance, might well have meant â€Å"happy† or â€Å"carefree† in certain places in certain times. It most emphatically does not mean that today in San Francisco. Do not be misled; a â€Å"happy† hour at a â€Å"gay† bar may be a very miserable experience for a heterosexual teetotaler. The biblical interpreter is not particularly interested in what a term may have meant several centuries prior to the time in question. Rather, the biblical interpreter wants to know what range of meaning a term had in the period in question. Etymology is not particularly helpful as a guide to the meaning of a term in any given context. Semantic context is the more reliable guide. 4. Polyvalency You may run across (oops, another use of â€Å"run†) this term from time to time, so you may as well know what it means. â€Å"Polyvalency† refers to the ability of a given term to have a number of meanings in any given historical period. â€Å"Run† is polyvalent. It is important for the interpreter to be aware of the full range of possible meanings of a given word, before determining what it means in its given context. 5. Words and Concepts For the sake of clarity, it is helpful to distinguish between a word and a concept. Most words can be employed to denote a number of concepts, and most concepts can be addressed by using a range of terms. Thus, charis is a word; grace is a concept which can be labeled in a variety of ways. So, if you want to study, â€Å"The Grace of God in the New Testament,† you would certainly include not only a word study of charis, but also passages which refer to God’s gracious activity without employing that particular term. For instance, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard reflects God’s gracious character, as those who come along late in the day receive equal recompense with those who have labored all day. God graciously gives the kingdom not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, who come on the scene a bit late, redemptive-historically speaking. 6. Semantic â€Å"Minimalism† One of the best axioms to apply when attempting to discover the meaning of any given word was first coined by Ferdinand de Saussure and his followers. The best meaning of a given term is the meaning which contributes the least to the overall meaning of the sentence. In most communication acts, we do not â€Å"load up† a given word with a lot of meaning. Rather, we speak in paragraphs and sentences — the individual words have little meaning in and of themselves, but much meaning when tied to one another. Many seminarians and preachers seem to be unaware of this, for they frequently interpret the Bible as though its individual words were almost magical, possessing great truths and mysteries in six or seven letters. There are very few technical terms in any language, which are more heavily â€Å"loaded† than most words. Concluding Observations If one were to state briefly the results of linguistic study in the last few generations, one would certainly have to refer to the importance of context. Linguistics has made us repeatedly aware of the fact that the fundamental communicative unit is the sentence, not the word. Individual words, removed from the context of a sentence, rarely communicate effectively. Words strung together, mutually supporting and interpreting one another, can communicate very effectively. For biblical students, this means that we must look at the larger unites of communication (the sentence and paragraph) at least as seriously as we look at individual words. We must be aware of the fact that a given word can signify a number of different things in a number of different contexts. Personally, I would like to see more sermons on whole chapters of scripture, and even on entire books, and fewer sermons on a verse here or there. If a person can produce a single 20-minute distillation of Romans 1-11, he can certainly handle Romans 6:3 when it shows up. If the contextual emphasis of contemporary linguistics can help us see the â€Å"forest† of a biblical book, as opposed to merely the â€Å"trees† of individual words, it will have done us and God’s kingdom a great service. ________________________________________ Dr. T. David Gordon, a native of Richmond, VA, is currently Professor of Religion and Greek at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, where he has served since 1999. Previously, he had taught for thirteen years at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. ________________________________________ TRANSLATION METHODS ‘ WORD FOR WORD translation: The SL word order is preserved and the words translated by their most common meanings. Cultural words are translated literally. The main use of this method is either to understand the mechanics of the source language or to construe a difficult text as pre-translation process. ‘ LITERAL translation: The SL grammatical constructions are converted to their nearest TL equivalents but the lexical items are again translated out of context. As pre-translation process, it indicates problems to be solved. ‘ FAITHFUL translation: It attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures. It transfers cultural words and preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical deviation from SL norms. It attempts to be completely faithful to the intentions and the text-realisation of the SL writer. ‘ SEMANTIC translation: It differs from faithful translation only in as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value of the SL text, compromising on meaning where appropriate so that no assonance, word play or repetition jars in the finished version. It does not rely on cultural equivalence and makes very small concessions to the readership. While `faithful’ translation is dogmatic, semantic translation is more flexible. ‘ COMMUNICATIVE translation: It attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original in such a way that both language and content are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. IDIOMATIC translation: It reproduces the message of the original but tends to distort nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms. ‘ FREE translation: It reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the form of the original. Usually it is a paraphrase much longer than the original. ‘ ADAPTATION: This is the freest form of translation mainly used for plays and poetry: themes, characters, plots preserved, SL culture converted to TL culture and text is rewritten. From A Textbook of Translation by P. Newmark