Faculty in the McMaster Divinity College hope that a recent translation project will make
one of the world's most-read books easier to read.

Cynthia Long Westfall and Mark Boda are two of the experts who helped translate the
Bible into everyday English. The recently published Common English Bible (CEB) is
translated from critical editions of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic Biblical scripture.

The four-year, $3.5 million project involved 10 editors, 120 translators and 77 reading
leaders. The group performed sentence-level analysis of text and considered a range of
literal and metaphorical meanings. The resulting translation was taken to a number of
reading groups for feedback.

“We're hoping to reach people who may find it difficult to understand more challenging
texts,” said Boda. “We also want to offer a fresh, intimate reading experience for those
who've read other versions.”

The new translation is presented at a seventh-grade reading level, compared to the
popular seventeenth-century King James Version, written at the twelfth-grade level.

Translators used contractions and conversational language in an effort to improve
readability and comprehension. For example, their translation reads “And that's what
happened,” rather than “And it was so.”

In addition to using common English, the editors opted for gender-inclusive language:
instead of “brothers,” they wrote “brothers and sisters.”

The Common English Bible also includes maps of specific routes and missionary
journeys, created by National Geographic.

“We haven't set out to change words in existing English translations of the Bible,” said
Westfall. “We're translating from early editions to produce an accurate text in the most
readable form.”

The Common English Bible is about 30,000 words shorter than two popular translations
due to the use of contractions and attention to sentence length.

Westfall and Boda say the process of understanding the Bible is ongoing, and expect
new translations to emerge as language evolves.