Aperto exists because the Bible should be open — open to read, open to understand, open to improve. Every translation choice is documented. Every cultural gap is bridged. Every reader, whether believer or skeptic, deserves clarity.
Translate the meaning, not just the words. The goal is that a reader today understands what the original audience understood.
Bad: "Und es geschah in jenen Tagen" (word-for-word from Greek) Good: "In jenen Tagen" (same meaning, natural German)
The biblical texts were heard before they were read. If a translation sounds stiff when spoken, it needs reworking. Read your translation out loud before submitting.
When the original text is genuinely ambiguous:
- Choose the most likely reading for the main text
- Document alternative readings in a footnote (
\fk TEXT) - Never force one interpretation by hiding others
Modern readers lack the cultural background the original audience had. Aperto footnotes bridge this gap:
- Historical and social context (
\fk KULTUR) - Textual decisions and alternatives (
\fk TEXT) - Connections to other Scripture (
\fk KONTEXT) - Apologetic helps for skeptical readers (
\fk APOLOGETICS) - Accessible explanations of "hard to believe" passages (
\fk UNGLAUBLICH)
Aperto is a translation, not a theology. Present the text faithfully without privileging any particular theological tradition. Where traditions disagree, note it in a footnote.
- Use contemporary German (no archaic forms like "siehe" unless stylistically justified)
- "Du" form for prayer and address to God (standard in German Bible tradition)
- Keep sentence structure clear — break long Greek periods into readable German sentences
- Use German quotation marks: „…" (not "…" or »…«)
- Contemporary, dignified English
- Avoid both archaic ("behold") and overly casual ("God's got this") registers
- Use em-dashes sparingly
- Paragraph breaks where the sense requires them
- Follow Polish typographic conventions
- Contemporary literary Polish
- Maintain the register appropriate for sacred text without being archaic
- Follow the conventions of contemporary Bible translation in your language
- When in doubt, align with the German or English edition's translation decisions
- Add language-specific footnotes where local cultural context requires it
| Category | Code | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text | \fk TEXT |
Translation decision, textual variant | Why we chose this specific word |
| Culture | \fk KULTUR |
Historical/social context | Priestly rotation system in the Temple |
| Context | \fk KONTEXT |
Cross-references and connections | Connection to Malachi's prophecy |
| Apologetics | \fk APOLOGETICS |
Evidence-based reasoning | Manuscript evidence for the text |
| Hard to believe | \fk UNGLAUBLICH |
Accessible explanations | Multiple ways to understand "angels" |
- Don't embellish — If the text is sparse, keep it sparse. Don't add dramatic flair.
- Don't harmonize — If Gospel accounts differ, preserve the differences. Note them.
- Don't preach — Footnotes explain, they don't proselytize.
- Don't plagiarize — Aperto is original. If you reference another translation, cite it.
- Don't guess — If you're unsure about a translation, flag it with a footnote saying "uncertain" rather than guessing.
Pull requests are reviewed against these criteria:
- Accuracy — Does it faithfully represent the source text?
- Readability — Does it flow naturally in the target language?
- Consistency — Are key terms translated consistently across chapters?
- Footnotes — Are translation decisions documented? Is cultural context provided?
- USFM compliance — Are markers used correctly?