“Why are there so many English Bible translations?”
Because language evolves.
Respectfully, I’ll stay with the Douay-Rheims.
Many of these new translations have been driven by gender issues (reluctance to use the word “he,” for example) and political correctness. The last translation I know that was truly an attempt to translate more correctly was the RSV.
My own preference is the RSV or the AV (King James Version). The latest Catholic and Protestant translations are ALL inferior, IMHO. One motivation is political correctness. Another is, as this article suggests, profit. The Catholic Bishops get a cut of the pie when they force the NAB on us. And various Protestant groups have been guilty of similar motivations.
Just picked up my copy of SpongeBob Biblepants, the BBV (Bikini Bottom Version). It has a yellow sponge cover. Spongebob characters introduce each book: Plankton for Philemon, Pearl for Jonah, etc. The words of Christ are printed in yellow. Vanderzon Publishing is really going after the Spongebob Collectibles market.
I will be a KJV man for life. It’s the only one I trust.
I think the NIV for a thought-for-thought translation and the NASB for a word-for-word translation are the best for most people.
I´ve got a KJV, two Torahs and a Tanach which cite various translations, the KJV among them, and a Quran for the same reason that Jefferson did: ´Know your enemy´...that idiot Keith Ellison notwithstanding.