Translation Process of the Book of Mormon
The exact process by which the Book of Mormon was translated is known only to Joseph Smith. He described it only as through the "gift and power of God." There are several theories from non-believers about how he was able to write it himself; and several more from believers considering whether it was more a dictation of the Lord's will, or if Joseph had some leeway in interpreting what he saw in the Urim and Thummim. From contemporary accounts of others, including his wife, Emma, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, all whom acted as scribe during the translation, it is possible to piece together some idea of the process.
Joseph Smith first learned about the existence of the golden plates from an angel in 1823. In 1827 he was entrusted with the golden plates and charged with a mission to translate them and deliver its message to the world. Buried with the plates were the Urim and Thummim, the device prepared for the purpose of translation.
Each witness seems to have a differing account of the method by which the translation took place, each of which may be correct, since history suggests that Joseph Smith struggled with a few methods to find the one that worked best. One account describes Joseph wearing the breastplate of the Urim and Thummim and looking directly at the plates through the two stones set in a silver bow. The other widely recorded method tells of Joseph putting his own personal seer stone in a hat and placing his face in the hat to block out all light. The plates were left covered when using this method. What Joseph saw through the interpreters or his seer stone is also the speculation of his scribes and other acquaintances based on their conversations with him. Each scribe reported Joseph dictating one sentence at a time, spelling out words or names if he did not know the pronunciation, and then having them read back the sentence to confirm.
The language of the Book of Mormon is written in the language of the King James Version of the Bible, the one Joseph read and was familiar with, and contains elements of 1830 New York dialect. This seems to suggest that Joseph Smith was instrumental in formulating the language. Some who knew him during the translation supposed that he actually saw the words appear in English, but whether this was a physical manifestation or a mental one is not known. The particulars of the Book of Mormon translation will remain a mystery, but from the process observed by others, and the time frame within which it was accomplished (two months), it was a supernatural effort.
