First Oral Bible Translation in English

 

The Spoken English Bible (SEB) and its associated application, Akuo, are significant steps forward in the world of media within the Bible translation movement. The Spoken English Bible was created to serve the global church by offering a model oral Bible translation in American English.  This oral Bible translation draws on the full range of modern American English genres to faithfully communicate the messages conveyed in the original biblical texts. For instance, the Psalms are rendered as songs, the Gospels as vivid narratives, and the Epistles as public speeches. Beyond the translation itself, the SEB has also developed a companion commentary series and an encyclopedia of key biblical concepts conveyed via biblical stories. While the SEB translation primarily targets an American English-speaking audience, the commentary and encyclopedia are designed to serve mother-tongue translators worldwide. These resources provide information akin to what is found in the UBS Handbooks and Translator’s Notes, but they are presented in an oral-friendly format resembling podcast discussions. The SEB team isn’t stopping at audio and commentary. They’ve begun venturing into video production through their new YouTube channel. All SEB audio content will be paired with engaging visuals and captions to expand accessibility. The channel will also feature videos explaining the SEB’s various products, their value for Bible translators, and how they can support the American church. Read the full story here from SIL International Media Services. (written by Josh Frost)

Elizabeth's mom passed away

Elizabeth's mom, Barbara Reaoch, went home to be with the Lord this past Tuesday evening. We miss her greatly but rejoice that she has entered into the joy of her Lord and Savior.

Will post more later, but for now wanted to provide the viewing and funeral information. More info can be found in the obituary our family has posted:

• Visitation will be Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel: 2610 - 19th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418.
• Funeral Service will be Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:00 AM. Visitation prior at 10:00 AM, luncheon following at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
• Live-stream for the funeral service at 11:00 AM CDT on August 23, 2024 is at https://bethlehem.church/special-event/ 

Bible translation is justice - Dr. Kenmogne

Dr. Michel Kenmogne, SIL's Executive Director since 2016, wrote an article on Bible translation as justice, in the current edition of JOT: 

Because Bible translation acknowledges and values all languages, the advent of Scriptures in minority languages goes a long way to proclaim that the speakers of these languages are equal in dignity and are worthy to connect with their Creator in non-mediated terms. Around the world, people from minority speaking communities have expressed the value of Bible translation as justice in different ways.

• “Here is a document which proves that we also are human beings—the first and only book in our language,” said an African Christian holding a translated Gospel in his hands for the first time (quoted in Sanneh 2008:177).

• “Now we see that our friends in the foreign countries regard us as people worthwhile,” said a Christian in Angola holding Scriptures in his hands for the first time (quoted in Sanneh 2008:177).

• “I know that in my body I am a very little man, but today as I see the whole Bible in my language, I feel as big as a mountain” (quoted in Sanneh 2008:177). 

• “When we go to the politicians, they don’t know us. But now God knows us. Now we are counted among the children of God,” said the Chief of Kpandai Wura as he tearfully evoked the marginalisation of the Nawuri people of Ghana (2012). This was a call for the Nawuri people to look beyond their current socio-political marginalisation and develop the confidence that comes from the knowledge of also being “children of God”.

In this regard, Bible translation and the empowerment it brings becomes a critical organising principle and a practical tool for transformation. For a vulnerable and marginalised group like the Nawuris, being “counted as children of God” is more than spiritual transformation. It is a key to transforming their perception of themselves and unleashing their potential to flourish in all regards as people created in the image of God...

Bible translation is not just a strategic tool to ensure the cross-cultural transmission of the Gospel and enable the growth of God’s Kingdom. Bible translation is justice. It sets the context for people to recover their imago dei and regain the confidence to meaningfully engage with God and with others within communities and nations.

You can read the whole article here. 

Ending a story, Kamwe of Nigeria

How do you signal the end to a story?

In an interview by colleagues, Matthew Harley reports about "one of the most marvelous linguistic sounds in the world," used in the "Kamwe language of Nigeria, as the traditional way to end a story":

It consists of a disyllablc ‘ng-ng’ sound, with low-high tone, whilst simultaneously pinching your nose with your forefinger and thumb, and pulling downwards, like pulling a clothes peg off a washing line. The sound was unforgettably first described by a linguist as, “the nasalised nose twang”, and one of my first three students in Nigeria asked me how it could be written. Linguistics doesn’t get much better than that!

For more on the Kamwe, read this 2022 article in Christianity Today.

Snow in 2 Samuel 23:20

 2 Samuel 23:20c: "He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion." 

This verse refers to the exploits of Benaiah happening on a "day of snow." Other verses in the Bible refer to snow in a simile or comparison (e.g., Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 1:14); so, many translation teams in languages that do not have snow, naturally opt for a comparison with something that their culture knows and that would be snow-like. But this verse of 2 Samuel refers to a historical event, making it important to find a way for translation teams to translate according to its actual referent.  

How did two translation teams in Nigeria translate this for their people who never see snow? One team's draft referred to a "time of cold" and the other team had "day that rained ice [hail]," and neither team had an explanatory footnote. I showed pictures of snow and snow banks in front of our home in Minnesota, including this one: 

After much discussion, both teams adjusted their text and added a footnote. Here are the new back translations of their adjusted text: 

• Team #1: One day, he went to a pit during flour of ice* [and] he killed a lion. *Footnote: flour of ice: In Hebrew the thing resembles water of ice [hail], but it is like flour [powder] and white like thread [cotton].
• Team #2: One day a time of cold* and he went down to a pit [and] he killed a lion. *Footnote: time of cold: In Hebrew it resembles rain that falls like ice [hail].

Mule in 2 Samuel 13:29

(image from bibleplaces.com)

2 Samuel 13:29b, "Then all the kingʼs sons got up, mounted their mules and fled."

Last month two teams in Nigeria discussed with me during consultant checking how to translate "mules." In their initial drafts, one team rendered the animal as "horses," and the other team team used the term mudodo ["small horse"]. 

But what the Bible refers to as a mule is not 100% horse! It is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, the result of cross-breeding. Neither language group has these cross-bred animals. 

We had a long discussion about the best way to translate the animal for accuracy. Here are back translations of their adjusted text:

• Team #1: donkeys that resemble horses
• Team #2: donkeys of horses

Pontius Pilate inscription

This Easter season, I was reminded of the Pontius Pilate inscription, important because of Pilate's role in the Gospels in condemning Jesus to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26, etc.). This inscription was discovered in 1961 at Caesarea Maritima, and Elizabeth and I were able to see the inscription at the Israel Museum when we were in Israel for training as a translation consultant. It provides evidence for at least two things:

1. historical attestation to Pontius Pilate's existence and rule
2. confirmation that Pilate was a prefect (not a procurator, which is an anachronistic title).

my photo of the Pilate inscription, on display in the Israel Museum (note: the ossuary displayed in the museum next to the inscription contains the sole physical evidence of Roman crucifixion, a heel bone has a nail driven through it)

close-up of the Pilate inscription

Logos' reconstruction of the Pilate inscription

Conditionals in the NT

 Steve Nicolle and researchers at CanIL are producing a very helpful resource for translating the NT. "Analysis of NT Conditionals by book" analyzes all the "if...then" clauses in the Greek New Testament, verse-by-verse. The resource analyzes the scope of the conditional (using ESV text as base), class of the Greek conditional, inversion of the conditional, level of probability, time orientation, illocutionary force, sample of English translations. It also includes a targeted note about the conditional construction and a list of any parallel passages:

. 

Nothing like this exists yet for the OT, for the Hebrew text or the Greek Septuagint, but that would be a great project to take on!

The Shallowness of Google Translate

Douglas Hofstadter's article argues that the program uses state-of-the-art AI techniques, but simple tests show that it's a long way from real understanding. (Personal note: Don't construe this to mean that I don't ever use it for basic help in understanding or writing in a Language of Wider Communication :-))

French translation of Hebrew and Greek texts of the Psalms

 Ce produit pourrait être très utile aux traducteurs et conseillers de la Bible!: 

https://www.editionsbiblio.fr/etudier/traduction/le-premier-livre-des-psaumes-texte-hebreu-et-grec

(ht: Andy Warren-Rothlin)