Ellen G. White’s Classics in Today’s Language: A Whim or a Necessity?

Abstract

This article examines whether the linguistic updating and adaptation of Ellen G. White's works by the Brazilian Publishing House (CPB) represents an arbitrary choice or an essential practice. Just as other Brazilian publishers are engaging new generations through language modernization, retranslations, and adaptations of children's literature and classic works, CPB's editorial team has systematically worked to enhance the accessibility of White’s texts for contemporary readers. The publisher’s purpose is to offer more current language, following structural, lexical, and syntactic changes, aligning the author’s texts with transforming cultural and political norms. To this end, our analysis compares three editions of The Desire of Ages [O Desejado de Todas as Nações]: the 2007 edition, the 2019 third volume of the Conflict series, and the 2021 23rd edition. Using a comparative sample corpus analyzed through the theoretical-methodological framework of Translation and Adaptation Studies, this study illustrates how these textual interventions operate. The comparative analysis highlights the scope and significance of the changes introduced through both adaptation and linguistic updating, underscoring that CPB’s initiatives are not merely optional but urgently necessary. Although the original texts remain unchanged, their translations inevitably age over time, making periodic renewal essential to ensure continued relevance and accessibility for a broader and more diverse readership.