Reply To: Should I be embarrassed about using a use a translated siddur?

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#981320
Redleg
Participant

You certainly should not be embarrassed. Personally, I find I cannot daven from an interlinear siddur. The pages are way too busy and confusing and it’s hard to concentrate on the davening because one is used to reading English from left to right and in the interlinear you have to read the English backwards. You will eventually learn the meaning of the words.

I have more of a problem with the actual Artscroll translation. I think the old Birmbaum translation was truer to both the meaning and the meter of the tefilos. The Artscroll translation is mostly accurate but too literal. There are a few important mistranslations also. My own pet peeves are 1.) lechayos meisim does not mean “to resuscitate the dead.” Resuscitation is a technical term to restore breathing. The Birbaum translition of “revive the dead” is much better. “Revive” means to “restore to life.” 2.) “Ad-noi Elokeinu” does not mean “God our L-rd”. As it is printed, “YKVK Elokeinu means YKVK our G-d” The term of Adnus means Lord or Master. Therefore, the Traditional translation, “the L-rd our G-d”. is the correct one. I get the feeling that Artscroll just changed the translation to sound “Frummer”.