There is a whole ton to the translation process, of which Amy and I hope to be an integral part in years to come! We’ve learned so much – including that linguistics is not a direct stepping-stone to translation! – and have been equipped with the basic tools to work in this incredible, complex, somewhat terrifying, and all-important area! Yet neither of us has participated in this area as of yet, and so despite our training with New Tribes… we aren’t the best people to fully answer that question right now!
NTM Missionary Levi Lenz recently began the translation of God’s Word among the North Wahgi people of Papua New Guinea. Let me share with you his thoughts on beginning the translation process:
Levi explained that he has just had this first Bible portion checked by an experienced translator. Prior to this check, Levi drafted the verses from the books of Joshua and Mark into the vernacular, which were recorded by a translation co-worker from the tribe to ensure the language flowed naturally.
He described that draft being further checked two or three times by a translation helper before it was put back into English to be checked for any missing content. Then the draft was checked again as the translator read paragraph by paragraph to the translation co-workers, who then repeated what they understood. After making needed revisions, there was one more comprehension check, a spelling and grammar check, and finally those verses from the Bible were ready to be printed and placed in the hands of people.
To read the rest of Levi’s comments on beginning Bible translation, please read the full New Tribes article those quotes came from (at http://usa.ntm.org/mission-news/65604/getting-his-feet-wet). You’ll also find some interesting comments from his translation consultant (and our friend from training), Lisa Kappeler.
For more information on the ministries of Levi and Robyn Lenz, their co-workers Daniel and Rachel Hulley, or translation consultant Lisa Kappeler – please click on their linked names in this paragraph. For an absolutely excellent resource on Bible translation which I believe every believer should read, please check out “One Bible, Many Translations: Are All Translations Created Equal?” by my former (and yet ongoing!) teacher, Dave Brunn. You can find his book on Amazon, among other places.