Preserving Spiritual Meaning: Translation vis-a-vis Textual Interpretation

Whenever there is engagement with effort for rendering content in some origin language in an alternate language, always, there is arrival at a choice between a ‘Verbatim Translation (VMT)’ or a ‘Textual Interpretation (TLI)’. The Nigerian poet, Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, not for a VMT, but for a TLI. Of course, if a VMT could win a Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel would not be worth anything at all, now would it?

Only a TLI of some origin content feasibly wins a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Suppose, however, that some content, which is to be rendered in some alternate language has characterization as, Spiritual Content (SLC). Since SLC embed spiritual principles, SLC do not consist, solely in vocabulary and grammar; rather feasibly words or constructs which have some conventional usage in language acquire new meaning in the context of an SLC.

I illustrate

Consider the word, Love. In respect of Love, Jesus commands His disciples as follows:

This is my my command, that ye love one another, according as I did love you (John 15:12, YLT).

What is Webster’s English Dictionary’s most spiritual definition of…