Qualities Of A Good Translation

QUALITIES OF A GOOD TRANSLATION
There are so many versions of the Bible on the market today that the reader is often perplexed as to which translation he should choose. How can you choose a good translation? Are there criteria for picking a good translation of the Bible? I think that there are.

It should be a True Translation.
It has become very popular to read a paraphrased edition of the Bible such as the Living Bible. It should be understood that this is not a translation from the original languages, but rather a paraphrase of the King James Version.

Other works such as the Amplified Bible or Wuest's Expanded Translation might be closer to the original language, but they still do not fit the requirement for a translation. The Theological Perspective of the Translators.
Every translation involves a certain amount of interpretation. You cannot interpret from one language into another without allowing some of your personal prejudices to influence your work. What is the perspective of the translators? Are they evangelical in their outlook? Are they trying to read into the text some particular theological viewpoint? The Readability of the Text.
There have been some translations that have either cluttered themselves with slang or are full of variant meanings to the point where they are difficult to use.

Translation|KJV|NKJV|NAS|NET|NIV|
Readability|17th Century English|Old sentence structure|Formal style|Good|Excellent|
Number of Translators|54|119|54|20|115|
Type of Translation|Word for word|Dynamic Equivalence|
When first published|1611|1982|1971|2005|1978|