Translation Theorizing

I've been listening to some recordings of lectures by Raymond Brown on the Gospel of John as I drive back and forth to Wichita.  He is speaking to a group in England and raises the issue of translation.  As one of the preeminent scholars on John's Gospel in the 1960's through the 1980's, Brown is quite qualified to discuss biblical translation theory.  However, he doesn't discuss the theories behind translating a text in Greek to produce a text in English or some other language. Rather, he introduces the term to discuss the communication of cultural events and understanding from one culture to another in a contemporary time and place.

This concept intrigues me. I will admit that most of my studies and teachings are focused on contextualizing the Bible, putting the text in its original culture and language to my best ability.  However, the real issue that prevents the Bible from having an impact on the culture of America is our inability to translate it.  Currently the American generations extend from those who experienced Pearl Harbor to one that didn't experience 9/11/01.  Each generation has its own culture.  Those who grew up during the 50's differ from those who grew up during the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's.  The values and beliefs of each generation are different; and when separated by a decade they are remarkable different.

The difficulty of having an impact on a distinct generation rests in our skill in translation.  Only when the Bible teacher can translate the meaning he or she finds in the biblical text into words, figures, examples, and ideas that another generation can understand will the Bible's message be proclaimed effectively.  

My question is, "how much time do I spend working on my translations?"