Translation Accounts
A rock he found digging in his neighbor’s property in 1822 and which he later used for treasure hunting – a year before Moroni appeared in his bedroom and 5 years before he got the gold plates and Urim and Thummim?
CES Letter, Page 72
Multiple references to the process of translation of the Book of Mormon have been compiled and tell a consistent story that is devoid of evidence of deception or inconsistency. Available documents demonstrate:
The translation was carried out openly—Joseph had no opportunity to hide notes or books.
The plates had a physical reality, and Oliver Cowdery insisted that "I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true…I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet."
Contrasting accounts of the method of translation exist. Oliver described Joseph "as sitting at a table with the plates before him, translating them by means of the Urim and Thummim, while he (Oliver) sat beside him writing every word as Joseph spoke them to him. This was done by holding the 'translators' over the hieroglyphics..." This alternative technique was confirmed by John Whitmer, who said of Oliver that "[w]hen the work of translation was going on he sat at one table with his writing material and Joseph at another with the breast-plate and Urim and Thummim. The later were attached to the breast-plate and were two crystals or glasses, into which he looked and saw the words of the book."
The translation was not a weird, esoteric exercise.
Martin Harris copied characters for comparison indicating that there was an undeniable connection between the characters on the plates and the process of translating. If the translation was limited to the rock and the hat, with not association with the plates, then why did Martin ask for characters to be examined by Charles Anthon?
The hat detail causes problems for the critical theory that Joseph cheated with notes while dictating. With a curtain in place, it is much easier to postulate that Joseph used notes or a Bible in the translation process. With the stone and the hat, however, witnesses were able to view the entire process, thus highlighting the total lack of notes or Bible in the translation process.
Click to access collected references to the translation process for the time period:
- Book of Mormon Translation Method from 1829-1835
- Book of Mormon Translation Method from 1836-1840
- Book of Mormon Translation Method from 1841-1845
- Book of Mormon Translation Method from 1846-1900
- Book of Mormon Translation Method from 1900-2000
Additional Resources:
“The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon” (2011) by Brant Gardner
“Book of Mormon Critical Text Project” by Royal Skousen
FAIRMORMON: Book of Mormon Translation
Book of Mormon Answer Page by Jeff Lindsay
“Book of Mormon Translation” LDS.org Essay
“Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages” (2012 FAIR Conference) by Don Bradley
“Joseph Smith as Revelator and Translator” JosephSmithPapers.org Essay
‘Out of Weakness He Shall Be Made Strong’ by Elder Marcus Nash
“Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon” (2010 FAIR Conference) by Royal Skousen
Hebrew Names in the Book of Mormon (PDF) by John A. Tvedtnes
Negative Questions in the Book of Mormon by Ben Spackman
Origin of Book of Mormon Names (PDF) (2010 FAIR Conference) by Stephen Ricks
“LDS Critics” (2001 FAIR Conference) by Daniel C. Peterson
“Changes in the Book of Mormon” (2002 FAIR Conference) by Royal Skousen
“Did B.H. Roberts Abandon His Faith in the Book of Mormon?” by McKay V. Jones
“Do We Need to Make Changes to the Book of Mormon Text?” (2012 FAIR Conference) by Royal Skousen
“Mormon’s Editorial Method and Meta-Message” (2008 FAIR Conference) by Brant Gardner
“Reading Mormon’s Codex” (2012 FAIR Conference) by John Sorenson
“Seerhood, Pure Language, and Sacred Translation” (2011 FAIR Conference) by Samuel Brown
“Book of Mormon–Transmission from Translator to Printed Text,” by George A. Horton, Jr.
“Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28″ (2001 FAIR Conference) by L. Ara Norwood
“Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
“The Implications of Past-Tense Syntax in the Book of Mormon” by Stanford Carmack
“Reflections of Urim: Hebrew Poetry Sheds Light on the Directors-Interpreters “Mystery” by Stan Spencer
“What Command Syntax Tells Us About Book of Mormon Authorship” by Stanford Carmack
“Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
“A Look at Some “Nonstandard” Book of Mormon Grammar” by Stanford Carmack
“Literacy and Orality in the Book of Mormon” by Brant A. Gardner
“A Nickname and a Slam Dunk: Notes on the Book of Mormon Names Zeezrom and Jershon” by Stephen D. Ricks,
“A Brief History of Critical Text Work on the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
“I Do Not Think That WORD Means What You Think It Means” by Brant A. Gardner,
“The Original Text of the Book of Mormon and its Publication by Yale University Press” by Royal Skousen,
“The Spectacles, the Stone, the Hat, and the Book: A Twenty-first Century Believer’s View of the Book of Mormon Translation” by Roger Nicholson
“Some Notes on Book of Mormon Names” by Stephen D. Ricks,
“Why was one sixth of the 1830 Book of Mormon set from the original manuscript?” by Royal Skousen
“All My Endeavors to Preserve Them”: Protecting the Plates in Palmyra, 22 September–December 1827 – byAndrew H. Hedges
“For the Sum of Three Thousand Dollars” – by Susan Easton Black, Larry C. Porter
“Rest Assured, Martin Harris Will Be Here in Time” – by Susan Easton Black, Larry C. Porter
”The Witchcraft Paradigm: On Claims to “Second Sight” by People Who Say It Doesn’t Exist – by Daniel C. Peterson
A Response: “What the Manuscripts and the Eyewitnesses Tell Us about the Translation of the Book of Mormon” – by Daniel C. Peterson
A Third Jaredite Record: The Sealed Portion of the Gold Plates – by Valentin Arts
Assessing the Broad Impact of Jack Welch’s Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon – by Robert F. Smith
Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look – by L. Ara Norwood
Book of Mormon Names Attested in Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions – by John A. Tvedtnes, John Gee, Matthew Roper
Chiasmus in Helaman 6:7-13 by John W. Welch
Chiasmus in Mesoamerican Texts by Allen J. Christenson
Colophons in the Book of Mormon by John A. Tvedtnes
Comparative Power of Three Author-Attribution Techniques for Differentiating Authors – by G. Bruce Schaalje, John L. Hilton, John B. Archer
Criteria for Identifying and Evaluating the Presence of Chiasmus – by John W. Welch
Critical Methodology and the Text of the Book of Mormon – by Royal Skousen
Directions in Hebrew, Egyptian, and Nephite Language by William J. Hamblin
Examining a Misapplication of Nearest Shrunken Centroid Classification to Investigate Book of Mormon Authorship – by Paul J. Fields, G. Bruce Schaalje, Matthew Roper
Examining the Environmental Explanation of the Book of Mormon – by Gary F. Novak
Findings about the Printer’s Manuscript – by Royal Skousen
Fragments of the Original Manuscript – by Robert J. Espinosa
Hebraisms and Other Ancient Peculiarities in the Book of Mormon by Donald W. Parry
Hebrew Idioms in the Book of Mormon – by Sidney B. Sperry
History of the Critical Text Project of the Book of Mormon – by Royal Skousen
How Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon: Evidence from the Original Manuscript – by Royal Skousen
How Long Did It Take to Translate the Book of Mormon? by John W. Welch, Tim Rathbone
How Much Was Known about Chiasmus in 1829 When the Book of Mormon Was Translated?– by John W. Welch
Insights Available as We Approach the Original Text – by Kerry Muhlestein
Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon – by L. Ara Norwood
Joseph Smith and the Text of the Book of Mormon – by Robert J. Matthews
Joseph Smith: “Author and Proprietor “ by Miriam Smith, John W. Welch
Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian – by Mark Ashurst-McGee
Moroni the Lonely: The Story of the Writing of the Title Page to the Book of Mormon – by Sidney B. Sperry
Myth, Memory, and “Manuscript Found” – by Matthew Roper
New Light: The Book of Mormon as a Literary (Written) Artifact – by Grant R. Hardy
Not Your Everyday Wordprint Study: Variations on a Theme – by John A. Tvedtnes
Notes and Communications: The Book of Lehi and the Plates of Lehi – by David E. Sloan
Notes and Communications: Translation of the Book of Mormon: Interpreting the Evidence – by Stephen D. Ricks
Notes and Communications: Word Groups in the Book of Mormon – by John A. Tvedtnes
On Verifying Wordprint Studies: Book of Mormon Authorship by John L. Hilton
Part 1: The Nineteenth-Century Origin of the Book of Mormon by Noel B. Reynolds
Part Two: The Logical Structure of the Authorship by Noel B. Reynolds
Reformed Egyptian – by William J. Hamblin
Seeking Agreement on the Meaning of Book of Mormon Names –
Some Notes on the Anthon Transcript – by John Gee
Text and Context – by Daniel C. Peterson
Textual Consistency by John W. Welch
Textual Criticism of the Book of Mormon by Robert F. Smith
The “Golden” Plates by Robert F. Smith
The Anthon Transcripts and the Translation of the Book of Mormon: Studying It Out in the Mind of Joseph Smith – by David E. Sloan
The Book of Mormon and Textual Criticism – by Sidney B. Sperry
The Book of Mormon as Automatic Writing: Beware the Virtus Dormitiva – by Richard N. Williams
The Book of Mormon as Translation English – by Sidney B. Sperry
The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project –
The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project – by Terryl L. Givens
The Book of Mormon Plates – by Janne M. Sjodahl
The Book of Mormon Text Reformatted according to Parallelistic Patterns – by Jo Ann H. Seely
The Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon: Forty Years Later – by John W. Welch
The God-Inspired Language of the Book of Mormon: Structuring and Commentary – by Donald W. Parry
The God-Inspired Language of the Book of Mormon: Structuring and Commentary – by David P. Wright
The Historical Case against Sidney Rigdon’s Authorship of the Book of Mormon – by Matthew Roper, Paul J. Fields
The Modern-Text Theory – by Richard Lloyd Anderson
The Names Lehi and Sariah—Language and Meaning – by Jeffrey R. Chadwick
The Original Book of Mormon Transcript by Royal Skousen
The Original Language of the Book of Mormon: Upstate New York Dialect, King James English, or Hebrew? – byRoyal Skousen
The Printer’s Manuscript – by Ronald E. Romig
The Systematic Text of the Book of Mormon – by Royal Skousen
Translating the Book of Mormon: Evidence from the Original Manuscript by Royal Skousen
View of the Hebrews – by Andrew H. Hedges
View of the Hebrews: “An Unparallel” by John W. Welch
Was Joseph Smith Guilty of Plagiarism? – by John A. Tvedtnes
What Did Charles Anthon Really Say? by Robert F. Smith, Gordon C. Thomasson, John W. Welch
What Does Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon Prove? by John W. Welch
What’s in a Name? A Look at the Book of Mormon Onomasticon – by John A. Tvedtnes
What’s in a Name? Alma as a Hebrew Name – by Paul Y. Hoskisson
What’s in a Name? Book of Mormon Language, Names, and [Metonymic] Naming – by Gordon C. Thomasson
What’s in a Name? Irreantum – by Paul Y. Hoskisson, Brian M. Hauglid, John Gee
What’s in a Name? The Name Cumorah – by Paul Y. Hoskisson
Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?: The Critics and Their Theories by Louis Midgley
Wordprints and the Book of Mormon by John L. Hilton
“One Day in the Life of Joseph Smith, Amazing ‘Translator ‘ of the Book of Mormon,” by Jeff Lindsay
Articles of Faith 2: Royal Skousen on Book of Mormon Critical Text Project and Mary Whitmer Witness to the Gold Plates, Royal Skousen, 0:38:05
Articles of Faith 15: Loren Spendlove – Understanding Nephi with the Help of Noah Webster, Loren Spendlove, 0:33:51
FAIR Issues 23: “Reformed Egyptian” an evidence for Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:25
FAIR Issues 25: What exactly were the Nephite interpreters?, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:02
FAIR Issues 26: Seer stone, Nephite interpreters are religion, not magic, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:10
FAIR Issues 28: How a seer stone helped in the Book of Mormon translation, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:14
FAIR Issues 29: Some Mormons may not understand Joseph’s translation process, Michael R. Ash, 0:05:48
FAIR Issues 30: Joseph’s translation shows remarkable consistency, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:22
FAIR Issues 31: Translation of the Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:12
FAIR Issues 33: The tight control theory, Michael R. Ash, 0:07:22
FAIR Issues 34: Four evidences for tight control, Michael R. Ash, 0:08:04
FAIR Issues 35: Loose-control translation, Michael R. Ash, 0:07:40
FAIR Issues 37: Ambiguity in Book of Mormon translation, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:42
FAIR Issues 38: The meaning of “true” and “correct”, Michael R. Ash, 0:07:37
FairMormon Frameworks 8: Seer Stones and Treasure Digging, Bill Reel, 0:48:45
FairMormon Frameworks 11: Brant Gardner Gift and Power, Brant Gardner, 0:48:19
Faith and Reason 6: Artifacts Retrieved from Moroni’s Stone Box, Michael R. Ash, 0:13:59
Faith and Reason 8: Translation Time of the Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:13:04
Faith and Reason 9: Textual Consistency of The Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:16:17
Faith and Reason 10: Evidence That The Book of Mormon Was Dictated, Michael R. Ash, 0:17:20
Faith and Reason 12: Stylometry and The Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:07:43
Faith and Reason 13: If/And Conditional Sentences, Michael R. Ash, 0:04:29
Faith and Reason 14: Chiasmus in The Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:10:57
Faith and Reason 15: The “Rent” Garment, Part 1, Michael R. Ash, 0:04:55
Faith and Reason 16: “It Came to Pass,” Part One, Michael R. Ash, 0:03:56
Faith and Reason 17: “Reformed Egyptian”, Michael R. Ash, 0:06:29
Faith and Reason 18: Names in The Book of Mormon, Michael R. Ash, 0:16:22
Mormon FAIR-Cast 70: The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon, Brant Gardner, 0:40:53
Mormon FAIR-Cast 98: John Welch on Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, John Welch, 0:19:13
Mormon FAIR-Cast 137: The Anthon Transcript, Martin Tanner, 0:19:14
Mormon FAIR-Cast 147: Using Objects to Receive Revelation, Martin Tanner, 0:19:57
Origin of Book of Mormon Names — Stephen Ricks
Mormon FAIR-Cast 70: The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon,
Translation of the Book of Mormon — Fair Mormon Podcast
Some Mormons may not Understand Joseph’s Translation Process — Fair Mormon Podcast,
How a seer stone helped in the Book of Mormon translation — Fair Mormon Podcast
Seer stone, Nephite Interpreters are Religion, not Magic — Fair Mormon Podcast
What exactly were the Nephite Interpreters? Fair Mormon Podcast,
“Reformed Egyptian” an evidence for Book of Mormon, ,
Faith and Reason 39: Hidden Records, Michael R. Ash, 0:07:59
“Restoring the Original Text of The Book of Mormon” (2010) by Royal Skousen
pt 1 “Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories” by Dan Peterson
pt 2 “Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories” by Dan Peterson
pt 3 “Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories” by LDS Critics by Dan Peterson
pt 4 “The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories” by Dan Peterson
pt 1, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 2, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 3, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 4, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 5, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 6, “Changes in the Book of Mormon” by Royal Skousen
pt 1, “Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28” by L. Ara Norwoods
pt 2, “Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28” by L. Ara Norwoods
pt 3, “Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28” by L. Ara Norwoods
pt 4, “Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28” by L. Ara Norwoods
“American Frontier Politics in the Book of Mormon?” by The Backyard Professor
“Book of Mormon Translated with Peep Stone, Seer Stone” by Michael R. Ash
“Didn’t Joseph Smith Get the Book of Mormon Story From Other Existing Books” by Michael R. Ash
“Doesn’t the Book of Mormon Blatently Plagiarize the King James Bible” by Michael R. Ash