Best modern language Spanish Bible - suggestions please.

JohnB
JohnB Member Posts: 1,085
edited November 20 in English Forum

I am trying to raise my Spanish from appalling to almost understandable Big Smile and am wanting a full Spanish bible with the best contemporary Latin America language. I have a full paper bilingual Dios habla hoy/Good News but sadly that Spanish version is not available for sale by Logos.

Can anyone suggest the best version for as near to street level LA Spanish that is available in Logos??

Comments

  • Ryan
    Ryan Member Posts: 677

    Hi John,

    I readily use the Nueva Versión Internacional (https://www.logos.com/product/1866/nueva-version-internacional). It doesn't use the vosotros form (I'm assuming this is what you mean by "Latin America language") and maintains a good balance between readability and accuracy.

    While every translation has it's pros and cons, I've found this one to be my "go to" Spanish translation.

    All the best,

    Ryan

  • JohnB
    JohnB Member Posts: 1,085

    Thanks both of you. I have friends in Latin America (Peru to be precise) and I am working towards being able to speak a little more to the locals in the super market and about the locality of the flat where my friends live when I am visiting them. Also the local church.

    They are curious about me and I am curious about them! Hence the Spanish equivalent of a formal 16th century English will not help communication as much as a relatively free translation would.

    My usual method of foreign languages is just throw in a few pronouns, nouns verbs etc and hope for the best!!  Reading or singing hymns is no problem, I just don't know what much of it means! Improving vocabulary is one thing that I can improve while studying. Logos.

  • DAL
    DAL Member Posts: 10,571 ✭✭✭

    https://www.logos.com/es/producto/2534/nueva-biblia-latinoamericana-de-hoy  I like this version ☺

    I'd go for this one as is better as far as accuracy and current spanish. NIV in Spanish I use for comparison purposes only and because at times it uses Spanish slang to get the point across (something you won't see in the English counterpart). One example is Hebrews 5:11 which in Spanish it literally reads, "About this subject we have much to say, though it's hard to explain, because with you whatever comes through one ear it goes out through the other." So It's good in some verses. My two cents :)

    DAL

  • JohnB
    JohnB Member Posts: 1,085

    "About this subject we have much to say, though it's hard to explain, because with you whatever comes through one ear it goes out through the other."

    I love that!! It catches the right amount of frustration as far as I am concerned & beats my paper Dios habla hoy version hands down!.

    Thanks all three of you for your suggestions. I have also bought the Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary so am now 'good to go'.

  • Hamilton Ramos
    Hamilton Ramos Member Posts: 1,033

    Hi John:

    To me the best Spanish Bible in Logos is:

    https://www.logos.com/product/9448/biblia-textual

    I am from Latin America, and I did not have any problem reading and understanding it. It has in my view very good notes.

    The only draw back I see with it is that it does not have a Reverse interlinear.

    I am not sure what you mean by LA street level Spanish. I guess it depends on what particular ethnic or country group you are referring to.

    I would imagine there is a lot of Mexican descent people there, and they have their own slang. I do not think there is a Spanish version that does use particular slang. (In English you have the Cotton Patch Gospel (CPG) that is tailored to a very particular ethnic audience).

    https://www.logos.com/product/3531/cotton-patch-gospel

    You could theoretically find some bilingual believer that has some ministerial training, and could in theory help you translate a Spanish Bible in the way the CPG does using the slang applicable to your audience. Or you could gather an ad hoc  mini translation group of bilingual believers to do that, and you could be the facilitator. 

    It would really help you get a grasp of the slang. Just make sure you get persons of the ethnic background that your target audience is.

    So you have a reference, I am from Panama in Central America, and when I travelled to the U.S. a person that had contact with people of Mexican descent in California, tried to speak to me in Spanish. I understood him, but I explained to him he was using Mexican slang, and not Spanish per se.

    He had not thought about it. I could understand many of the idiomatic expressions he used thanks to  t.v. that exposed us to some of the expressions used in Mexican programs, we got acquainted with them. 

    Hope this helps.