Misogyny in three retranslated isiZulu Bible versions: A descriptive analysis

Abstract

Three retranslated isiZulu Bible versions from 1959, 1986 (only the New Testament), and 2020 were scrutinised in terms of misogyny and its anticipated influence on religious beliefs, cultural norms, and societal attitudes within the isiZulu-speaking community. The study focused on the way gender bias and the maintenance of misogyny are embedded in biblical translations. It explored five verses taken from the three retranslated isiZulu Bibles, employing Christiane Nord’s model of text analysis in translation and the skopos theory by Hans J. Vermeer (1996). The aim was to establish whether gender bias is perpetuated through the translation and retranslation process in these Bibles – and if so, how. The analysis revealed instances of gender bias in the portrayal of women across the source and target texts, along with other relevant misogyny-related patterns.