"I understand that a group of Bible scholars made comparison of various Bible translations. Was the New World Translation included in this study?
"It appears that what your letter inquires
about is a book written by Professor Ernest Cadman Colwell,
entitled "What Is the Best New Testament?" This book is
published by the Chicago University Press and was first printed
in 1952. In 1947 Professor Colwell made a study of a number of
translations and put them to the test as to sixty-four citations
in the book of John. The book contains what Professor Colwell
considers the correct rendering of each of those sixty-four
citations. The New World Translation was not released
until 1950, hence Professor Colwell could not include this
translation in his list of tested ones.
However, if any reader will look up what Professor Colwell has to
say about these sixty-four citations and will compare these with
the New World Translation he will see that the New World
Translation merits a score of sixty-four along with Dr.
Goodspeed's translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, which
the book gives a perfect score of sixty-four. Colwell's book
being first published in 1952, it was not available until two
years after the release of the New World Translation of
the Christian Greek Scriptures, which occurred in 1950 at
Yankee Stadium. Consequently the New World Bible Translation
Committee did not have Colwell' s book for reference when work on
the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was
being done."
Question From Readers, The Watchtower 1963, p.95