Did Joseph Smith “translate the Book of Mormon”? In a related thread, the original inquirer asked,


  Why did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon into Jacobean English, not in use in 1830?


When I see the word “translate,” it means to me that a scribe read a manuscript written in one language (e.g., Greek), and interpreted what he read in a different language (e.g., English).

An example of translation:



For example, the King James Version was produced when an assembly of men translated the Greek Textus Receptus (and a few other foreign language manuscripts of the Bible) into English. 

In order for Joseph Smith to have “translated the Book of Mormon,” an English version of the Bible, he would have had to translate from a manuscript written in a foreign language, whether it be the Textus Receptus, the Latin Vulgate, etc. 

According to the LDS Church, is the Book of Mormon a translation from a foreign language? If so, what foreign language manuscripts did Joseph Smith use to produce the Book of Mormon? If not, in what manner was the Book of Mormon written?
Yes, according to the Latter Day Saints, the Book of Mormon was originally written in 'reformed Egyptian characters' on gold plates by prophets living in the Americas from the fourth century BCE until the fifth century CE. However, Wikipedia says


  Scholarly reference works on languages do not, however, acknowledge the existence of either a "reformed Egyptian" language or "reformed Egyptian" script as it has been described in Mormon belief. No archaeological, linguistic, or other evidence of the use of Egyptian writing in ancient America has been discovered.


The term 'reformed Egyptian' comes from Mormon 9:32:


  And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.


The "Anthon Transcript" is a small piece of paper on which Joseph Smith is said to have transcribed reformed Egyptian characters from the golden plates, providing purported evidence that the alleged 'Reformed Egyptian' is an authentic script. 

While the main LDS church continues to teach that the Book of Mormon is an authentic translation, a breakaway group known as the Community of Christ stated at a 2007 World Conference, "While the Church affirms the Book of Mormon as scripture, and makes it available for study and use in various languages, we do not attempt to mandate the degree of belief or use." (my emphasis)