I know what it says, but what does it mean?

Have you ever read something and thought, “I know what it says, but what does it mean?” Meaning isn’t always readily apparent, while the words just hang there in limbo between hearing and comprehension. It’s the meaning behind words that often gets lost. And probably the worst thing is thinking you understand something when you really don’t.

Meaning isn’t always obvious. It takes some work to determine the meaning behind what’s being said. This is where interpretation comes in. Much like an interpreter is needed to decipher a foreign language, the same thing happens with languages in which we’re proficient but there’s an ambiguous meaning behind the words. And much as we would like to think so, interpretation isn’t subjective. There is usually a defined intent behind the author’s writing. We don’t just get to ascribe whatever meaning we want to a piece of work.

But, admittedly, interpretation is as much art as it is science. There are a number of things to take into account. It’s important to read things in light of what someone has said before. Taking things out of context is a classic mistake. Also, if you have a history of someone’s writing, you’re more likely to not apply the wrong meaning to a phrase if your interpretation would directly contradict what they’ve said before. When reading a single phrase representing an idea, you apply the rest of their work as a means for defining the sentence.
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You also have to decide whether to take something literally or figuratively. This can be a challenge at times. Some people are less literal than others. And sometimes figurative language can be useful in communicating the impact of an idea more effectively. Figurative language communicates and evokes emotion from the reader. It’s a valuable tool in writing, but you can get yourself into trouble when you take as literal something that’s meant to be a metaphor or figurative. So, it can take some practice and discipline, but applying the right interpretive method at the right time is key. And using good judgment here can keep you from getting into the weeds when reading a piece of work.

Another problem with interpretation comes when we hear what we want to be said instead of wanting to hear what’s being said. Our own biases tend to get in the way. The true student of truth lets the evidence take him where it will. Like an investigative reporter, he just wants the facts and has no preferences about what the facts are one way or another. When we remove our own preferences, we are only doing ourselves a favor in discovering truth. Truth doesn’t care what we want to be true; it is truth regardless. As emotionally involved as we may become, it’s important that we keep emotions in check. Otherwise, we impose on what’s being said instead of accurately interpreting what’s being said. When we take this approach to understanding, we clear a path on our journey of discovery that would prevent us from getting stuck in a ditch of error.

…Let’s go deeper

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