Bible translation calls for strong cultural awareness

EAST AFRICA — A Bible translation project can take many years to complete, but it is actually only the beginning of an even longer process of God’s Word speaking directly to people in their own language and, as a result, changing the lives of individuals and of whole communities. If this process is to be truly successful, it is important to consider right from the beginning of the project the way in which the completed Bible will be used, according to Dr Margaret Muthwii, a United Bible Societies Translation Consultant based in Kenya.

Rhythms

“When you are preparing to translate the Scriptures in Africa, it’s important to be aware that many people still listen to the Bible being read, rather than reading it for themselves. People listen carefully and they memorise the Scriptures and pass them on to others verbally. So the words and phrases that you choose must be suitable for the aural context. You have to constantly think, ‘What are the rhythms of my people?’ Some languages have quite a fast pace. You can see this in their dances. Others, in contrast, are much slower and gentler.

“For each translation project, we have around 20 volunteers who act as reviewers. Some are teachers, others are pastors, others are young people. They are very committed and enthusiastic. Sometimes we revise phrases four or five times if they don’t sound right! In each case, we are striving to retain the aurality of the text, so that it can be ‘performed’ to the listeners.

Melody

“This approach contrasts quite strongly with the techniques of the 1950s and 1960s, when the main emphasis was on sticking very closely to the grammatical structure of the original Greek or Hebrew. Some translations dating from that time are excellent technically, but when you read them aloud you find that they don’t lend themselves to the rhythms of the spoken language. The melody of the phrases must appeal to the ear and resemble the way people speak naturally, not the way things were said in Greek or Hebrew.

Dialect

“The old translations did bring people the Word of God, but now we need to reflect the way languages are spoken today. With one of the revision projects we’re working on, for example, we’ve had to look carefully about how we refer to the word ‘flour’. It’s a very common word in the Bible, but in some of the dialects of this language it’s an insulting word and people would not want to hear it in church. Challenges like this demand a great deal of thought and sensitivity on the part of the translation team.

Natural sounds

“Almost every language has a number of dialects, and we have to look at how we can ensure that the text is helpful to all dialects. As well as considering vocabulary, we have to look at grammar and sounds. You wouldn’t want to bring in sounds that don’t naturally exist in a particular dialect, even though mutual intelligibility is usually high.

“And sometimes you have to start right from the beginning by developing an orthography. Some communities only have a very basic writing system, often developed by missionaries, which is far from standardised. Some people write one way and others a different way. So my role would be to sit down with the translation team and go through the sounds in their language and help them see how those sounds should be represented in writing. Then, as a community, they are in a position to write their Bible and to write literacy materials. Bible translation is often closely connected with the beginnings of literacy. We empower communities to undertake literacy efforts and to be able to read their language well.

“With the standardisation of writing systems, the capacity to remember and tell stories will inevitably diminish. However, literacy levels are still low in some countries and many people will still listen to the Bible. This is why the Faith Comes By Hearing program is important, too. This program is being widely used because it really connects with people and meets their needs. Video materials, too, are suitable for certain Christian contexts. Translation is part of a wider effort in which we meet the needs of Christians not just with the written word but with other materials that also contribute to enhancing the giving of God’s Word to the people.”

The first part of this interview with Margaret Muthwii appeared in World Report 404. (WR 405/21 - 09/10.06)