In the following pdfs you will find page samples of a few NLT text Bibles. Each pdf includes roughly the same portion of Scripture - Matthew 2. I should note that the margins are nowhere near as wide as they look at first glance. These are printer ready files, which means that they are what our printers use when they print. At the top right of each page is a "sticky note" from the typesetting department which gives the font size, the leading size (the space inbetween the lines)and the font name. So if you see "8/8.5 Lucerna" that means the font size is 8 point, the leading is 8.5 and the font is Lucerna.



The horizontal and vertical lines at the corners indicate where the pages are trimmed. I should also note that the fact that the individual page goes well beyond those marks in no way indicates that the roll of paper being used is actually that wide. Most of our trim sizes are derived by figuring out what is the optimal size for hte printers we work with. It doesn't always work out that way, but it is the goal. It's in our best interest to waste as little paper as possible (we're paying for it whether it gets bound or ends up on the floor as waste). By creating efficient trim sizes, we are hopefully being good stewards of our natural resources as well.



The typesettings that I picked include a relatively broad range of trim sizes and font sizes. Here they are in order from smallest to largest.


Personal Edition:

• Trim Size: 4 3/4" X 6 7/8" X 1 3/16"


• Page Count: 1558 (Bible text only)


• Font: 9.75/10 Lucerna

Slimline Reference:

• Trim Size: 5 5/16" X 7 5/8"


• Page Count: 1080 (Bible text only)


• Font: 8/8.5 Lucerna

Pew:

• Trim Size: 5 3/8" X 8 3/8"


• Page Count: 962 (Bible text only)


• Font: 8.25/8.75 Lucerna

Personal Size Large Print:

• Trim Size: 5 1/2" X 8 1/4"


• Page Count: 2128 (Bible Text only)


• Font: 12/13 Lucerna

Giant Print:

• Trim Size: 6 1/2" X 9 3/16"


• Page Count: 1928


• Font: 14/14.5 Lucerna

downloads/PersonalEd.pdf
downloads/SlimlineRef.pdf
downloads/Pew.pdf
downloads/PersonalLP.pdf
downloads/Giant.pdf

Labels: Kevin O'Brien, NLT, sample pages, typesettings

Scripture Zealot has posed an important question about the NLT that deserves a clear answer: Who is the NLT really translated for?

The short answer (from the Introduction to the New Living Translation):

The translators have made a conscious effort to provide a text that can be easily understood by the typical reader of modern English.

That really is the extent of it. As Scripture Zealot rightly points out, many other claims have been made about the purpose, intent, or usefulness of the NLT. It is for the unchurched. It is for young believers. It is at a 6th grade reading level. But none of these were specific aims of the translation team.

The reading level claims are merely descriptive, and are actually quite subjective. From a cursory Google search, the NLT has been variously assigned a grade 5+, grade 6, and grade 6.3. The translation team was not aiming for a particular reading level in their work; they were simply working hard to communicate the meaning of the original language texts clearly to the "typical reader of modern English."

Indeed, we believe the NLT is excellent for the unchurched, for young believers, and for children. It is also excellent for seasoned church leaders, serious Christians, and scholars. Any reader of modern English can benefit from reading the NLT, because it is indeed a serious translation of the Scriptures by an excellent team of Christian scholars.

HT: Wayne Leman

Labels: audience, Bible Usage, Keith Williams, NLT, reading level

Mark D. Taylor

Brent Kercheville has been writing a series of blogs about his interaction with the NLT text. One of those posts is called "Tongues vs. Languages (1 Corinthians 12-14)." Brent appreciates the NLT's use of "languages" in place of the more obscure term "tongues" in 1 Cor 12, but he expresses frustration that the NLT then uses "tongues" in chapter 14.

In fact, the NLT uses both "speaking in tongues" and "speaking in unknown languages" in 1 Cor 14. Why? We had vigorous debates on the translation committee as to how we should translate glossa in a way that would be understandable to modern readers--especially those without much background in biblical teaching. And the situation is further complicated because scholars and church historians are divided as to whether Paul was referring in this passage to human languages not otherwise known to the speaker or to ecstatic utterances that are unrelated to any human language. If the translation had simply and consistently used "unknown languages," it would imply that Paul was referring to human languages unknown to the speakers (as seems to have been the case on the Day of Pentecost; Acts 2:4-11). But if we had used the traditional term "tongues" throughout, it would imply that Paul was referring only to ecstatic utterances.

So in the end we decided to use both terms. This allows the reader to get the sense that Paul might have been referring to either or both of these meanings. We were apprehensive about using the word "tongues," because it is a technical term understood only by readers well versed in biblical teaching. On the other hand, it is the term used in Pentecostal churches to refer to the contemporary phenomenon of "speaking in tongues." So we used both "tongues" and "unknown languages" in order to provide the broadest sense of the meaning of the passage.

Incidentally, the NLT Study Bible provides a word study on the various uses of glossa in the New Testament.

Labels: 1 Cor 12-14, Bible Translation, Mark Taylor, NLT, NLT Study Bible, speaking in tongues, speaking in unknown languages, tongues

By Mark D. Taylor

The issue of sentence structure in English Bibles is interesting. On the surface, one might assume that an English Bible could/should simply follow the structure of the sentences in Hebrew and Greek. But the very concept of a "sentence" differs from language to language.

Let's look at the prologue to Romans (Rom 1:1-7) as an example. We begin by reminding ourselves that koine Greek does not actually use punctuation or paragraph breaks, nor does it differentiate between upper case and lower letters. This might surprise you, because the UBS Greek New Testament uses paragraphs, capital letters, and punctuation (commas, periods, question marks, and semicolons). But this is because the editors of that Greek text have made judgment calls as to how the Greek "sentences" should be presented in a format we're accustomed to seeing in English.

In the UBS Greek text, Rom 1:1-7 is presented as one long sentence (i.e., the first full stop comes at the end of verse 7). But does that mean that English translations should also use only one sentence for that passage? Formal-equivalence translations tend to do so. For example, KJV, RSV, NASB, NRSV, and ESV all use only one sentence for this long prologue. Interestingly, the NKJV uses two sentences. NIV and TNIV use four sentences. NLT² uses nine sentences.

Which approach is correct? I would argue that they all are. Each translation uses a unique translation philosophy, and the structure of English sentences plays into that philosophy. Unfortunately, the proponents of formal equivalence sometimes imply that the only legitimate style of translation is to follow the sentence structure of the original texts as closely as possible. But life isn't quite that simple.

Labels: Bible Translation, Bible translations, dynamic equivalence, formal equivalence, Greek New Testament, Mark Taylor, NLT

The largest Bible publishers (Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Tyndale and Broadman and Holman) are not entirely consistent in font sizes used, though there are a few “rules of thumb” that I have found. Typically a large print Bible is approximately a 10 to 12 point font and a Giant Print Bible is approximately a 14 point font. Trim size and other features such as whether the Bible is a slimline can greatly impact the font size on large print editions. This is much less of an issue in giant print editions. There are exceptions to these rules of course, and they does not apply for large print compact editions (no this is not an oxymoron even though it sounds like it) or specialty Bibles.


When Tyndale creates a large print or giant print Bible we look at several things including industry norms for various lines or types of Bibles, page layout, how long (and therefore heavy) the Bible will be, type of paper, bleed through (the last two are closely related and deserve their own post at a later date so I will not go into detail on them here), and above all else readability.

Labels: font size, Giant Print Bibles, Kevin O'Brien, Large Print Bibles, Lucerna, NLT

Have you been wanting to try out the NLT Study Bible, but aren't sure yet if you want to make the investment to buy it? Now you try can it out for free online.

It's a full version of the NLT Study Bible, including the NLT Text, study notes, introductions, in-text features, and most of the front and back matter (dictionary, concordance, indexes, reading plan, etc). You can sign up for 30-day free trial account here.

If you own a printed copy of a NLT Study Bible, you get free unlimited access to the NLT Study Bible online. Each print copy of the NLT Study Bible comes with a card with a unique registration code that allows you to activate your account.

Here's why we like using the NLT Study Bible online:

-Hyperlinked cross-references and dictionary/concordance/indexes
-Copy and paste text and images for personal study, writing, or lesson preparation
-Accessible from any computer without carrying the print Bible with you
-Ability to record personal notes coming soon

It's still in beta, so we'd really appreciate your feedback. Comment here or email me your thoughts and any suggestions you have for improvement.

Labels: Laura Bartlett