Word Alive Magazine - Summer 2012 by Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada

Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada

Summer 2012

Fighting HIV-AIDS with Kande

A Scripture-based storybook about a little girl dispels myths about HIV-AIDS and fuels compassion for its victims.

Race Engages Young Men + Scriptures for 40 Languages + Note to Self: Pray for Translators

Summer 2012 • Volume 30 • Number 2 Word Alive, which takes its name from Hebrews 4:12a, is the official publication of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. Its mission is to inform, inspire and involve the Christian public as partners in the worldwide Bible translation movement. Editor: Dwayne Janke Design: Laird Salkeld Senior Staff Writer: Doug Lockhart Staff Writer: Janet Seever Staff Photographers: Alan Hood, Natasha Schmale Word Alive is published four times annually by Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada, 4316 10 St NE, Calgary AB T2E 6K3. Copyright 2012 by Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. Permission to reprint articles and other magazine contents may be obtained by written request to the editor. A donation of $20 annually is suggested to cover the cost of printing and mailing the magazine. (Donate online or use the reply form in this issue.) Printed in Canada by McCallum Printing Group, Edmonton. Member: The Canadian Church Press, Evangelical Press Association. For additional copies: media_resources@wycliffe.ca To contact the editor: editor_wam@wycliffe.ca For address updates: circulation@wycliffe.ca

Wycliffe serves minority language groups worldwide by fostering an understanding of God’s Word through Bible translation, while nurturing literacy, education and stronger communities. Canadian Head Office: 4316 10 St NE, Calgary AB T2E 6K3. Phone: (403) 250-5411 or toll free 1-800-463-1143, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. mountain time. Fax: (403) 2502623. Email: info@wycliffe.ca. French speakers: Call toll free 1-877-747-2622 or email francophone@wycliffe.ca. Cover: Holding a Swahili translation of Kande’s Story, a Congolese woman listens intently during a HIV-AIDS workshop in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo by Alan Hood.

In Others’ Words

“[The Bible is a] most wondrous book! Bright candle of the Lord! Star of Eternity! The only star by which the bark [boat] of humans can navigate the sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss securely.” —Robert Pollok (1798-1827), Scottish minister and author of the epic poem The Course of Time, tracing mankind’s religious history.

Foreword Hope in the Midst of HIV-AIDS Dwayne Janke

few months ago, Word Alive writer Doug Lockhart and photographer Alan Hood took you—via the pages of our magazine (see Fall 2011)—to the trauma-filled African nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They reported on how trauma healing workshops and materials, created by Wycliffe staff, are bringing hope and healing to many Congolese. But emotional trauma in that war-torn country has a dreadful colleague—the HIV-AIDS virus. Once again, Wycliffe personnel have created materials—this time, the Kande’s Story booklet—to assist the people there and in a growing number of other nations. And once again, Doug and Alan tell the story. On their trip, Doug and Alan were privileged to meet several Congolese believers in the city of Bunia who are working hard to combat the spread of HIV-AIDS in their region. Armed with translations of Kande’s Story and related educational seminars, they’re equipping their countrymen to protect themselves from the HIV virus. However, these brothers and sisters in Christ work in extremely harsh conditions, due largely to a devastating war over two decades that killed millions and crippled an already-ailing infrastructure. The plight of DRC’s people was clearly seen when Alan and Doug accompanied some of these Congolese Christians to visit a community garden on the outskirts of Bunia. “On our way home, we made an unscheduled stop at a packed medical clinic that had just opened that morning,” recalls Doug. “Inside, a small crowd had gathered to dedicate it to God and pray for badly-needed supplies and medicine. Community members are battling malaria, intestinal parasites, respiratory problems—and HIV—but the only service the clinic could offer them that morning was to weigh their babies.” (See related photo on page 20.) With medicine in short supply, prevention is crucial to conquer HIV-AIDS. The Kande’s Story booklet and seminars are helping DRC’s people protect themselves and their families. But they provide much more than medical facts about the pandemic. “They’re helping people throughout DRC to know God and apply biblical principles to their lives,” explains Doug. “For those already infected by HIV, Kande’s Story offers the hope found only in Christ.” Jesus, the Great Physician, is interested in the physical as well as the spiritual well-being of all humankind. That is why Wycliffe does what it does—serves minority language groups worldwide by fostering an understanding of God’s Word through Bible translation, while nurturing literacy, education and stronger communities.

Jesus is interested in the physical and spiritual well-being of all humankind. That is why Wycliffe does what it does.

• • •

In this issue, we introduce a new column under an old name. “Beyond Words” is now the title for a new department in Word Alive giving insights into the challenging Bible translation process (see pg. 24). Our existing department that features a “parting shot” photo each issue is now called “A Thousand Words” (after the old adage).

Contents Features Articles by Doug Lockhart • Photographs by Alan Hood

Armed and Generous

Congolese believers use a Scripture-based booklet to dispel myths about HIV-AIDS and fuel compassion for its victims.

14 Small Book, Big Impact

Kande’s Story is often the first AIDS-education resource in local languages where Bible translation and literacy efforts are underway.

18 Field of Dreams

Motivated by Kande’s Story, Congolese believers cultivate hope by reaching out to victims of HIV-AIDS.

22 Watching His Plan Unfold

Gangam Scriptures were among 40 New Testaments and Bibles dedicated this past year, for 16 million people. By Janet Seever

Departments 2

Foreword Hope in the Midst of HIV-AIDS

By Dwayne Janke

Watchword Race to 2025 Engages Young Men

24 Beyond Words Translating the Gospel, Parts 1 & 2

By Hart Wiens

26 A Thousand Words Open to Interpretation

27 Last Word Note to Self: Pray for Bible Translators

By Roy Eyre

22 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Watchword Race to 2025 Engages Young Men

South Asians Further Translation

Alan Hood

SIL Releases New Anthropology Software

IL, Wycliffe’s key partner organization doing training, language research, translation and literacy, has released new computer software to help its field researchers and anyone else to collect anthropology data. The electronic data notebook, part of SIL’s FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx) computer software package, streamlines the process of recording a community’s customs. This allows anthropologists to examine a group’s cultural practices in the present, and preserve a record of them that might otherwise be lost to future generations. SIL field workers, including those involved with Bible translation, receive at least an introduction to cultural anthropology as part of their training to do their work well. Committed to supporting research by the academic community at large, SIL offers FLEx for free downloading from its website (www.sil.org).

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

new Bible translation project has begun in India for a cluster of languages that are linguistically related with similar geographic regions or cultural background. Called the “Peace Cluster Initiative,” the project involves languages from three Indian language families totalling more than one million speakers. Current staff working in individual language projects will adapt to a more co-ordinated effort for the cluster project, aiming to touch every aspect of these communities with the peace of God.

Working for a Cluster of Peace

ore than 50 mother tongue speakers in South Asia are preparing Bible stories in 14 of their languages. “The vital thing is that minority language speakers are getting training and learning the value of having stories from the Bible in their own languages,” says the Wycliffe translation consultant working with the local translators. “As people hear the stories, they develop a hunger to have actual Scriptures in their own language.” In addition, more than 30 South Asians are enrolled in classes for the Serampore Diploma in Bible translation, which so far has produced the Gospel of Luke for six more languages.

African Language Workers Get Training Boost

n increasing number of Africans are receiving training to do Bible translation and related language work. In Kenya, the Institute for the Development of Languages and Translation in Africa (I-DELTA) held its first set of courses in English for 50 students from nine African countries. In Burkina Faso, I-DELTA courses using French as the instructional language are also underway for francophone Africans. I-DELTA offers training in six tracks: Bible translation, Scripture use, literacy, linguistics, cultural anthropology and language survey. In each track, students take three modules during an eight-week course, over three years.

CABTAL Starts Eight More Projects

he Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL), a Wycliffe Global Alliance member, recently started serving eight more language groups. Work began this past fall in the Esimbi, Isu, Mankon, Mofu-Gudur, Moghamo, Mpumpong, Ngie, Tuki and Yemba languages. Some of these communities will need mobilizers and linguists to begin research to produce an alphabet for their oral language. In total, CABTAL is now working in 26 language projects (like the one at left). However, much work must still be done in Cameroon. About 270 languages are spoken in the francophone African nation. Sixteen languages have the entire Bible and 32 have the New Testament, but 195 have no Scripture portions at all.

Alan Hood

ycliffe Canada’s Race to 2025 was designed to engage males in Bible translation ministry—and it is doing just that. Sixty-eight per cent of the 450 participants of Race to 2025 have been men—many young single adults—since the first event in 2007. The “adventure race with eternal impact,” as it is billed, was initiated by Derryl Friesen of Wycliffe’s NextGen Ministries. He was discouraged by the disproportionate number of young women expressing interest in joining Wycliffe. “We are targeting young guys and creating opportunities for them to learn about, and engage in, the Bible translation movement in ways that they connect with,” says Derryl. “Race to 2025 is definitely one of the key ways we have done that.” Teams competing in the race (www. wycliffe.ca/raceto2025) raise funds for Bible translation, learn about Wycliffe’s global ministry, and are encouraged to join the work themselves. Between 2007 and 2011, racers in 13 events have raised more than $340,000 for Bible translation projects in Sudan, Cameroon, Ghana, Congo, Southeast Asia, India and Nepal.

Deaf Germans Join Sign Language Thrust

ycliffe Germany’s first deaf members are headed to Asia to advance sign language Bible translation in that region. Olaf Kaiser and his wife Wipawee will work out of Chiang Mai, Thailand, training to be sign language consultants. They will help review the accuracy, clarity and naturalness of Bible translations for the Deaf in Asia. Meanwhile in Europe, Bible translation projects are underway in more than 20 sign languages, under the guidance of staff from various agencies, including Wycliffe. However, there are more than 70 known sign languages used by the Deaf on the continent. Qualified people are needed to survey deaf communities to give direction about which sign languages need Bible translation. In Africa, translation for the Deaf was given a boost in recent months. Three graduates of a sign language consultanttraining program in Burundi recently were recognized as full consultants. And for the first time, teams from Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania translated three sets of Scripture in a DVD story format, which were distributed to their fellow Deaf in the five countries. It is estimated that up to 400 sign languages could be in use around the world.

Hearing the Word in Guatemala

ranslators for the Rabinal Achí people of Guatemala got a surprise recently. They received letters containing reports of people listening to recorded Scriptures in two villages they did not even know existed. The translators were amazed to learn that there were nine groups—of 50 persons each—listening to recording of God’s Word they had translated for their people. The letters included comments such as: “Now it is easy for us to understand the Bible because we have it in our own language;” “Friends and people from other churches say they would like to have this material as well;” and “Never before have we been able to have material like this.”

Latin Americans Prepared for Bible Translation

wenty-seven students celebrated their graduation this past December from the International Course of Linguistics, Translation and Literacy (CILTA) in Lima, Peru. The graduating class broke down as follows: five from Colombia, five from Costa Rica, five from Mexico, three from Peru and nine from Venezuela. Course leaders are praying that the 27 people will continue in ministries that accelerate the work of linguistics, translation and literacy throughout the world.

Old Testament for Amish on the Way

©Photo by Bill Coleman, ©No ToCo, LLC/AmishPhoto.com

orth America’s 200,000 Amish people (including those pictured at left) will soon have the Old Testament in their Pennsylvania Deitsh mother tongue to add to the New Testament, published in 1994. Hank Hershberger, a native speaker of Pennsylvania Deitsh and long-time member of Wycliffe Bible Translators, has completed translating the Old Testament, with help from four speakers of the German dialect. He expects the 10,000 copies of the newly translated Scriptures will be printed by the end of the year. If the response to the New Testament—17,000 copies have been sold—is any indication, the Old Testament should also be well accepted by many Amish. “My wife Ruth and I have received many letters telling how they appreciate the New Testament,” says 88-year-old Hershberger, who translated that book with several Amish men. “When the New Testament was so well received, with requests for the Old Testament too, we felt we had to do the Old Testament, as well.” As one Amish lady using the New Testament wrote in a letter to Hershberger: “. . . I have read it clear through and am so excited about it. I have found my native language. . . . It adds Number of different language versions new meaning—which thrills my soul. At times I weep at such great clarity in simple everyday of The JESUS Film that Wycliffe staff language. It speaks to my heart.” have helped produce. Hershberger says there is a movement among the Old Order Amish away from “works righNumber of different Luke videos teousness” and the Pennsylvania Deitsh New Testament may have influenced this. “It is being Wycliffe personnel have helped produce. used mostly by individuals or in family devotions,” he adds. Some ministers are beginning to Number of different Faith Comes by read from the Pennsylvania Deitsh New Testaments. Hearing audio New Testaments Wycliffe With the whole Bible available, Hershberger hopes that Amish ministers will begin using staff have helped produce. their mother tongue Scriptures in church. There Luther’s Gothic Script High German Bible is Number of different Genesis videos dominant, even though most Amish don’t understand it well. Wycliffe workers have helped produce. The conservative Amish live in pockets located over much of the continental U.S. Ohio has the largest population, while in Canada most Amish live in Ontario. Some so-called horse-andSource: Wycliffe Global Alliance, Sept. 2011 buggy Mennonites in Canada and eastern U.S. also speak Pennsylvania Deitsh. (Visit <wycliffe.net> for more details.)

Word Count

1,100 248 247 86

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Increasingly, churches throughout Africa—like this one in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo —are talking openly about HIV-AIDS. Many of them are using translations of Kande’s Story, to educate their flocks about HIV and provide a biblical perspective on marriage, morality and sexual behaviour.

Congolese believers use a Scripture-based storybook to dispel myths about HIV-AIDS and fuel compassion for its victims.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Stories by Doug Lockhart • Photographs by Alan Hood

reddy Muzungu stands to speak at the end of a lively two-hour Sunday morning church service, knowing it will be a challenge to hold the interest of the 50 or so people who have remained behind. The first-time visitor has come to speak about HIV-AIDS. It’s not a new topic for the people of Bunia, a city of about 330,000 located in a northeast province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Few families in the area have been left untouched by HIV; decades of warfare killed millions of people throughout the country and fuelled the spread of HIV-AIDS through widespread sexual violence against women.

Not long into his talk, the soft-spoken Freddy asks the married couples in the audience, “How many of you were tested for HIV before you were married?” Not a single hand goes up. For Freddy, it’s another confirmation that the sacrifices he makes to travel throughout East Congo are still needed to combat the spread of HIV-AIDS. His work with SIL, Wycliffe’s key partner field organization, is helping to educate his countrymen about the pandemic and offer a biblical perspective. His key resource in the epic battle is a simple, but compelling 40-page booklet called Kande’s Story.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Simple But Effective

For many Congolese citizens, the subject of HIV-AIDS is shrouded in superstition and misunderstanding. Some still believe the HIV virus can be passed by contact with someone’s skin or clothing, or that evil spirits are to blame. Armed with a good supply of Kande’s Story booklets, Freddy travels frequently to hold week-long seminars for churches, schools and community associations that go a long way to dispel some of the myths surrounding HIV. Shellbook Publishing Systems first published the true-to-life, illustrated story, about a young girl left orphaned by AIDS, in 2004. Currently administered by the Life Access Technology Trust, shellbooks are short, illustrated curriculum modules that address a wide variety of topics in an easy-to-adapt, digital format. Since 1989, these “curriculum shells” have helped millions of speakers from minority More on the Web: For more details about languages to access lifeshellbooks, visit <www.lifeaccesstech.org>. crucial teaching and learning material localized in their mother tongue. Personnel from Wycliffe received permission to adapt Kande’s Story shell booklet, create a facilitator’s manual and make it available to teams involved in Bible translation and literacy. Since then, it has been translated into 178 languages in 24 countries— most of them in Africa (see “Small Book, Big Impact,” pg. 14). In the DRC alone, it is available in 21 languages. Throughout Africa, the Kande seminars help present the facts surrounding HIV-AIDS. They also promote Bible studies and discussions about related subjects like sexual purity, faithfulness in marriage and other examples of what it means to follow Christ in these areas of life. Furthermore, the story portrays the church as a place where Kande and her siblings find love, acceptance and support. After a neighbour boy invites them to church, they’re permitted to work on the church’s community farm and keep or sell the food they grow. Later, when the children learn that they can no longer live with one of their relatives, a Christian woman who had helped care for their dying mother invites them to move in with her.

Now 40, he was just emerging from his teens when warfare in DRC began to escalate in the mid-’90s. He knew many women who were sexually assaulted by groups of armed men during that time—including one of his nieces. Another niece was overpowered by a lone attacker; both were so ravaged that they required reconstructive surgery. “During the war,” says Freddy, “it was traumatizing to see how people died . . . and also to see how people were suffering without any assistance. It affected me very much. “I found strength in the Word of God, and through prayer.” Freddy yearned to help the suffering people he saw all around him. After completing high school, he worked for two years as a nurse in a local hospital. During that time, SIL staffers enlisted his Physician’s Heart help in Bible translation and literacy work among the Mangbetu. Freddy’s brief presentation at Brazza Church in He did that for three years, before moving into a role that helps Bunia followed an energetic service that included promote the use of the translated Scriptures among many other singing, dancing and preaching. By the time the language groups in DRC. pastor introduced him to the mix of about 50 In 2006, Freddy was introduced to Kande’s Story at a Scripture men, women and children, the morning breeze use conference in Nairobi, Kenya. With his medical experience had grown still and some elderly parishioners had and his background in promoting the use of mother tongue dozed off in the growing heat. Scripture, he knew the booklet would be a valuable resource in Assisted by a local colleague, Freddy (pictured at the fight against HIV-AIDS in DRC. left) enlisted help from those assembled to act out Freddy has a personal stake in the battle, too—his own sister a skit that illustrates how the HIV virus weakens has AIDS. He has watched her deal with the loneliness and isolaits victim’s immune system and makes it more sus- tion that many AIDS sufferers must endure. ceptible to disease. That was followed by an engagIn DRC, HIV-AIDS victims, as well as victims of sexual assault, ing question-and-answer session that elicited plenty of giggles, frequently face rejection from friends and neighbours—and even but many serious responses, too. There was even a bit of competi- their own families. Some female victims, left to desperately fend tion involved; those who correctly answered Freddy’s questions for themselves, turn to prostitution to help them survive. Freddy were rewarded with Swahili translations of Kande’s Story. knows about this, too, as some of his own female relatives felt Freddy speaks Swahili, but his mother tongue is Mangbetu. they had to make that choice in order to survive.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

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“ During the war, it was traumatizing to see how people died . . . . I found strength in the Word of God, and through prayer.” (Above) Following a Sunday morning service at Brazza Church in Bunia, Freddy Muzungu and a local colleague led a two-hour workshop based on Kande’s Story. Using mother tongue translations of Kande’s Story whenever possible, Freddy travels throughout eastern Congo to educate believers about HIV-AIDS and challenge them to reach out to AIDS sufferers with the love of Christ. (Left) Two women share a laugh during the Kande workshop. Although Freddy occasionally uses humour to get across his message, the subject is deadly serious: as many as 500,000 people in DRC may be living with HIV. Two decades of violence decimated the country’s infrastructure and medicine is still hard to come by.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Sacrifices Needed

In 2011, Freddy visited each of the 21 Congolese language groups that now have translations of Kande’s Story to hold week-long teaching seminars. That means frequent separations from his wife, Esperance, and their three children. “It’s one of the challenges of this work,” he says. “Every time I am away from my family, I miss them so much.” But Freddy feels compelled to equip people with the truth about HIV-AIDS—especially those from rural language groups. “The villagers die the most from AIDS,” says Freddy, “because even though there is a national education program, it only stops at larger centres. It doesn’t get into the villages. . . .” According to recent media reports, the medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders has warned that some 85 per cent of AIDS patients in DRC are not getting the treatment they need. The agency estimated that up to 15,000 AIDS victims in the country could die in the next three years because of difficulty getting lifesaving drugs. In that context, Freddy holds Kande seminars in churches, but when appropriate he also approaches village chiefs for permission to teach communities at large. The storybook’s five chapters serve as teaching and discussion guides for the five-day seminars, with much interaction between teacher and students. At the same time, Freddy consults with pastors and community leaders to select key individuals who potentially could be trained to organize additional Kande seminars in the region. During previous visits to Bunia, Freddy has helped train several people who are highly motivated to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS in their community and reach out to people marginalized by the virus.

Congolese Crusader

Neema Androsi attended a Kande seminar in 2008. The widow and mother of seven lives in a small house in Bunia, where she grows a few vegetables in the garden outside her house. Six of the children are hers, while the seventh, a 12-year-old niece, was left orphaned after her parents died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2004. At that time, Neema knew little about HIV or AIDS. Although she took over the responsibility of caring for her niece, Neema was fearful that the girl had HIV—which she didn’t—and that she would infect her and her children. “I didn’t accept her . . . and even refused to let her play with my children, or shake hands or sleep in the same bed.” But after Neema attended the Kande seminar, her attitude towards her niece began to change. “The teachings from Kande’s Story,” says Neema, “helped me to love her . . . and realize she was not bad.” Inspired by what she had learned, Neema grew determined to educate her own children, women in her church and her entire community about HIV-AIDS. To that end, she now speaks regularly on RTK, a local FM radio station. Speaking in her mother tongue, Ndruna, Neema uses Kande’s Story and other materials to challenge false ideas about AIDS and encourage her listeners to live by biblical standards.

10 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

“ Even though there is a national Changing Attitudes

Through her radio messages, Neema has become a strong voice in her city and beyond. But she’s not alone; others in Bunia are actively teaching the principles found in Kande’s Story and providing practical assistance to AIDS sufferers. For example, DRC’s Christian Association for the Fight Against AIDS (ACLS) also works to promote biblical principles and Christian moral values in its fight against the pandemic. Pierre Alimasi wa Penge, who co-ordinates the agency’s activities in Bunia, says the non-profit ministry was birthed in 2006 out of the desire to educate Congolese Christians in particular about the causes and prevention of HIV-AIDS, and to encourage a compassionate response to its victims. The former youth worker says that in the past, Christians in DRC considered HIV victims to be on the same social level as prostitutes. “Society discriminated against them and [so did] the church.” As a youth leader, Pierre felt a responsibility to teach his youth group the facts about HIV-AIDS. In 2008, he met Freddy and attended a Kande’s Story seminar. Ever since, ACLS has used Kande’s Story and its complementary materials to help educate students, church groups and even prison inmates. The small charity has more vision than operating funds. But they do what they can to slow the spread of the pandemic and assist people who are suffering as a result of HIV or AIDS (see “Field of Dreams,” pg. 18).

(Left) Led by Freddy’s local colleague Pierre Alimasi wa Penge (far left), volunteers from the congregation enact a skit about how the HIV virus threatens the body’s immune system. (Below) Neema Androsi, a widow and mother of seven, regularly teaches about HIV-AIDS on RTK radio. During her 15-minute talk, Androsi explained what AIDS is, how people get it and how they can prevent it. She also talked about symptoms of HIV and encouraged her listeners to be tested. The local FM station, operated by Africa Inland Mission, has a potential audience of five million listeners in eastern Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

education program, it only stops at the larger centres. It doesn’t get into the villages. . . .”

“Some even give themselves to the Lord because of the teaching.”

(Above, left) Pierre Alimasi, seen here behind a French-language sign, heads a local Christian group that reaches out to people with HIV and AIDS. The sign, at the Congolese Union of Organizations of People Living with HIVAIDS (UCOP), urges visitors to seek treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and thus avoid contracting HIV. Although French is the official language of DRC, Pierre and other AIDS activists say more mother tongue materials like Kande’s Story are needed. Such materials are especially helpful in remote, rural areas of the country that lie outside the reach of DRC’s national AIDS-awareness program. (Left) A young woman reads her Bible during a Swahili-language church service in Bunia. Approximately half of DRC’s 215 language groups have full Bibles, New Testaments or Bible portions. Bible-based, mother tongue materials like Kande’s Story often help to promote interest in the translated Scriptures, as readers come to appreciate the Bible’s relevance to the issues they face.

12 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Colleagues in the fight against HIV-AIDS, Pierre and Freddy walk home on a quiet street in Bunia, following the conclusion of another Kande workshop. In the past, armed raiders have left Bunia’s streets littered with corpses and the anguished victims of sexual violence. Such violence has fuelled the spread of HIVAIDS in DRC—but Kande’s Story is helping to slow the pandemic’s advance and promote compassionate responses to AIDS sufferers.

Real Benefit

Freddy is grateful for the growing network of individuals and organizations that are battling HIV and discrimination using Kande’s Story and mother tongue Scripture, translated with the help of Wycliffe personnel and training of locals. While he wonders at times if he’s making a difference, Freddy sees progress, albeit slow. Two years ago, Freddy visited one village to hold a seminar. Afterwards, three young men came to him—in tears. They had first heard Freddy teach in 2009, and when he returned the following year, they came to thank him. “They told me that my teaching made their lives better. They said before, their lives were full of bad things.”

The men confided to Freddy that when he first came to teach in their village, they were sexually promiscuous. But after attending the seminar, they felt convicted by God’s Word . As a result, they had changed their behaviour and were even helping people they knew who were afflicted by HIV. Those and other encouraging responses help Freddy persevere through the hard times, especially when he’s on the road and misses his family. “It’s really hard for me. But my wife understands and she says, ‘You are working for the Lord.’ “Some even give themselves to the Lord because of the teaching,” says Freddy. “That’s the real benefit of this work. That’s what makes me happy.” Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 13

Kandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story is often the first AIDS-education resource in local languages where Bible translation and literacy efforts are underway.

ande’s Story is based on real events shared by a Nigerian pastor. After its publication by Shellbook Publishing Systems in 2004, Kathie Watters and Margaret Hill received permission to adapt the story, commission new illustrations and write a facilitator’s manual. Watters and Hill both serve with SIL, Wycliffe’s main partner field organization. They travel frequently throughout Africa to help promote the use of translated Scriptures in various language groups. Even before Shellbook published Kande’s Story, the pair had received numerous requests from African pastors for simple materials about HIV and AIDS. “They needed materials that would be culturally appropriate, easy to translate, and scientifically and medically accurate,” says Watters, a senior Scripture engagement consultant for SIL’s Africa Area. “And they wanted information that would include principles from the Bible.”

The 40 illustrations in Kande’s Story were drawn by a Cameroonian artist, whose drawings depict village scenes that strike a familiar note in many cultures. The sample illustrations below touch on key points of the story.

Personal Motivation

Watters shared the pastors’ urgency to help prevent the spread of HIV. Back in the 1980s, she had watched as a dear Cameroonian friend grew ill and eventually died from what was likely AIDS. “The stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS was so great that she was never tested or treated. After that, I learned about more and more people . . . who were infected and dying.” A survey of existing materials on AIDS eventually led Watters and Hill to Shellbook and Kande’s Story. However, at that time Shellbook was not equipped to write a teaching manual for the story, nor were they able to do much field testing of the materials. The two SIL women took on “ The stigma surrounding the job, with help from many of HIV and AIDS was so great their colleagues in Africa. “We had our first pilot training that she was never tested course in Cameroon in 2005 with or treated. After that, I five languages,” says Watters. learned about more and Since then, the little booklet more people . . . who were has had significant impact in the majority of the 178 language infected and dying.” groups where it has been translated, most of them in Africa. It is often the first AIDS-education resource available in local languages where Bible translation and literacy efforts are More on the Web: Watch a video about Kande’s underway. Story at: <videos.wycliffe.ca>. “I’m really amazed how quickly these materials have spread,” Watters says. “It has been almost all by word-of-mouth and by freely sharing the electronic ‘shells’ for the book so that others can translate and make their own versions.”

Kande and her siblings learn that Mama is going to have a baby.

After Kande’s father dies as a result of AIDS, Mama grows ill and learns she too has AIDS.

Following the birth of her baby, Mama dies and Kande must look after her newborn sister as well as her other siblings. Churches in Bunia (pictured at left), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have embraced Kande’s Story as a resource in the fight against HIV-AIDS. The 42-page booklet has been translated into 150 African languages and demand is growing in other regions of the world.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 15

Universal Impact

The story, fictitious but based on real-life examples, revolves around Kande, a 12-year-old African girl whose father and mother die of AIDS. She and her five siblings are left as orphans and must fend for themselves. Simply told and illustrated, readers of all ages are able to follow the storyline as Kande and her siblings encounter many problems and dangers trying to surKande’s Story has had significant vive. People in their comimpact in the majority of the 178 munity, especially believers language groups where it has been from the local church, help translated, most of them in Africa. them in their time of need. Readers also learn that following God’s Word can help them avoid getting AIDS themselves or spreading it to others. They are taught how to love and care for those affected by the disease, working for justice for widows and orphans. The story needs to reach many more people. UNAIDS reports that 430,000 to 560,000 people in DRC alone may be living with HIV; roughly half are women, ages 15 and over. Beyond Africa, Kande’s Story has also been translated for language groups in India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Most of these languages have translations of the facilitator’s manual as well. It includes medical facts about HIV and AIDS, as well as Bible studies on issues of sexuality, Jesus’ treatment of marginalized people and other topics. The booklet is frequently used in SIL’s literacy programs and is becoming a standard resource for promoting the use of translated Scriptures. As people read and discuss Kande’s Story, they learn how to apply the Scriptures to their everyday lives. For 2012, language groups in India, Togo, Sudan, Cameroon and Ivory Coast are slated to hold Kande The booklet is becoming translation workshops, and a staffer from a standard resource for Wycliffe Germany is helping to equip trainers throughout francophone Africa. promoting the use of “It’s the African men and women we translated Scriptures. have trained who are actually implementing this program,” says Watters. “Freddy Mozungu [see “Armed and Generous,” pg. 6] has grown the program in DRC—and there are others like him throughout Africa.”

A relative comes to claim the land and the house, and tells Kande they will have to live somewhere else.

16 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Boys attending a Kande workshop in Bunia share a Swahili translation of the booklet. Unlike previous generations, a growing number of African youngsters are learning how to prevent HIV-AIDS through a growing library of biblical, mother tongue health publications.

The children struggle to survive without their parents. Then a lady from a local church invites them to live with her.

The church, which operates a community farm, allows Kande and her siblings to work on a large plot and keep or sell the food they grow.

Through the church, Kande and her siblings hear and choose to obey Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word. Their lives improve and eventually, they volunteer to help others prevent AIDS.

F I E L D

O F

Motivated by Kande’s Story, Congolese believers cul t

oon is still a few hours away, but already, labourers working in a field in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are feeling the heat. Drenched in perspiration, some in the diverse group of about 35 men and women appear lethargic as they bend low to pull weeds or hoe seedbeds with dirty, calloused hands. What sets this garden apart from others nearby is that 18 of the people toiling under the African sun are battling HIV. Some feel well and others feel weak—but all 18 have families who depend on them. The garden is located in a hilly, seven-hectare plot of land just outside the city of Bunia. A co-operative of more than 20 local churches bought the land in 2010 to provide food, a source of income—and hope—for victims of HIV-AIDS. Although the garden project is still in its infancy, it’s a testament to the unity of believers 18 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

in this area, as well as a symbol of the community’s changing attitudes towards AIDS sufferers.

L onger

O utcast

Many of those changes can be attributed to increased education and awareness about HIV-AIDS—and the booklet Kande’s Story has been a key resource in that process. The book and associated seminars help people inside and outside the church understand how HIV-AIDS spreads and how they can prevent it. What’s more, says Christian activist Pierre Alimasi wa Penge, Bible-based teachings from Kande have fostered greater compassion for those who suffer from HIV-AIDS, resulting in initiatives such as the garden project. Pierre serves as co-ordinator of the agency responsible for the project, ACLS (Christian Association for the Fight Against AIDS). He

(Left) Volunteers and people sick with HIV tend to their crops near Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project, backed by more than 20 local churches, seeks to restore hope and dignity to those afflicted by HIV. (Above) Kahindo Jolie, the secretary of a local agency that oversees the gardening project, enjoys working in the field while also building friendships with the people who benefit. (Below) Project members have the option of eating the food they produce, or selling some of it for income. Besides these vitamin- and mineral-rich eggplants, crops include peanuts, maize, sweet potatoes and cassava.

D R E A M S

t ivate hope by reaching out to victims of HIV-AIDS. remembers when churches consistently resisted his efforts to come and teach about HIV-AIDS. Furthermore, sexual topics were seldom talked about in public or even in people’s homes. “But nowadays, things have changed because of Kande’s Story,” says Pierre. “Now more parents talk to their children and help them to protect themselves from HIV.” There’s another benefit that has come from increased openness and dialogue—more and more people are being tested for HIV. “After they hear the teaching from Kande’s Story, people are ready . . . to be tested,” says local pastor Pirwoth Ulul. “Before the training, many people with HIV hid themselves.” “And before,” adds ACLS secretary Kahindo Jolie, “people with HIV or AIDS did not have hope. They were only waiting for death. “Through the teachings of Kande’s Story, they know they can still have a life.”

“ Now more parents talk to their children and help them to protect themselves from HIV.”

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 19

It still takes courage for people to disclose that they have HIV. But Pierre believes that Bunia’s citizens are steadily becoming more accepting of people with HIV or AIDS—and church members are leading the way through acts of compassion.

help those who grow too sick to work, or to help cover a family’s funeral expenses. Any money left over may be used to buy tools and even hire labourers. So far, the modest project is helping 18 families to survive in this harsh, often violent corner of DRC. But the co-operating churches have a big vision for this plot of land. For example, several people at work in the garden outside Bunia “We want to create a place where we can raise fish,” says Pastor are volunteers who don’t have the HIV virus. Knowing that many Ulul. “And if we have enough people to support the project, we of their friends with HIV lack the strength and stamina they once want to build houses for the people with HIV, and multiply other had, the volunteers labour alongside them to tend crops that projects like . . . raising chickens, goats and sheep.” include maize, cassava root, peanuts and sweet potatoes. To make it all happen, ACLS will need to redouble its fundraisSome of the food is given to those with HIV, while some is sold. ing efforts—while relying on God to touch hearts and provide A portion of the profits from the sale of produce is put aside to the needed resources.

F uelled by F riendships

20 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

“ We also teach them the Word of God, because they must have faith in God.”

(Below, left) A Congolese man wields a hoe while working on the seven-hectare parcel of land that’s helping 18 families survive while coping with HIV. The project, overseen by Christian Association for the Fight Against AIDS (ACLS), began in a nearby village with a single house and small garden. (Below, right) In that village, church leaders and local politicians gather to dedicate a new dispensary to God. The people of this small community have a dream, too—a well-stocked clinic, with drugs to treat malaria, parasites, respiratory problems, HIV and other maladies. But on this day, they can only weigh newborn babies and pray that somehow God will provide the medicine and supplies they so urgently need.

God has already touched Kahindo Jolie’s heart. The ACLS secretary, who attended a Kande seminar in 2009, has grown to love the workers she oversees and finds great joy in serving them. “In general, people with HIV are not happy,” says Jolie. “But when you come to them . . . you talk together, you smile together, you eat together—they become your friends and you become their friend. “I feel very happy when I approach them . . . and I want to be with them a lot.” But Jolie knows that any help the agency can provide is only temporal. That’s why she and her ACLS co-workers are careful to plant another kind of seed. “We also teach them the Word of God,” she says, “because they must have faith in God.”

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 21

Watching His Gangam Scriptures were among 40 New Testaments and Bibles dedicated this past year, for 16 million people.

the moment. Neither was adequate for real growth and understanding. Various people have worked in the translation and literacy project over the years: Paul and Kathy Kelly for several years, then Lee and Shanon Higdon from 1993.

By Janet Seever

Tremendous Cost

ean worked on both translation and literacy until 1997. In July of that year, leukemia, which was caused by a malaria prophylaxis, forced her to return to Canada. A bone-marrow transplant led to a total cure; however, it was wiser for her to remain in Canada. So since then, Jean has put her energies into research on the Gangam language’s phonology, tone and verb systems. Lee and Shanon continued working with a team of nationals until 2003, when a local man—who had been sent to Ivory Coast to obtain an advanced degree in Bible translation—began leading the project. On the day of the dedication, the Higdons felt a surprising mixture of emotions. “We experienced a deep sense of joy and satisfaction at seeing the Gangam people finally gain access to God’s Word in their own language,” says Lee. “But at the same time we were sobered as we realized the tremendous cost to both the expatriates and the nationals who have been involved in the translation process. It’s clear that we were all involved in a spiritual battle.” Looking back on the work, Jean sees God’s hand in it all. “Even before our arrival in 1981,” she says. “God was putting many pieces into place to prepare the way for the Gangam people to have His Word in their language. It has been breathtaking to watch His plan unfold.”

his past November, the dedication of the Gangam New Testament was held in Gando, Togo, with an enthusiastic crowd of about 2,000 people. Eager to own God’s translated Word in their own language, 620 people bought copies. Finally, after 30 years, the Gangam people—who number more than 66,000— have the New Testament in the language they understand best. “I was very moved today to see the arrival of the cartons of Gangam New Testaments,” said senior translator André Gnanlé Lamboni, “because now, at last, the whole population of Gando will know that what we have been doing has been serious and useful work.” Wycliffe Canada’s Jean Reimer, along with her first translation colleague Bonnie (Walker) Price, from the U.S., began working in the Gangam language in 1981. The Gangam community leaders agreed to a translation project even though the majority of the ethnic group followed the traditional religion. Over the years, various Christian denominations have started churches in the Gangam region, which overlaps with the neighbouring nation of Benin. Today, more than 30 churches and missions work in the area. When churches were first planted, the only Scripture they had was in French or was translated on the spur of

Really Clear to Me

wo other Wycliffe Canada members are also celebrating this year with the language group in which they served. Since March 2011, the translated New Testament has been available to more than 100,000 speakers in a sensitive area of Asia.* “A wonderful answer to prayer is that the New Testament is being distributed by a national organization,” says Canadian member Paul*, who with his wife Cathy*, has worked in this sensitive area of the world for many years. “In the past, the believers received individual New Testament books or photo copies in their language,” he says. “Now they have the whole New Testament.” From one of the national workers, Paul learned that believers from other organizations in this area, who had the Scriptures only

Marianne Harvey

__________________________________________

* Because of sensitivity, the real names of the translators and the name of the language group cannot be given.

A Gangam man proudly displays his copy of God’s Word.

s Plan Unfold in the regional language until now, are also requesting copies of this book. “This is good news indeed.” One of the language assistants, who worked with Paul for a number of years, read the entire New Testament onto cassette tapes for oral use by his people. “I have been a believer for many years and always read the Word of God in the regional language,” says the language assistant, who is able to read that language well because he is a village school teacher. “But it is only now, while reading it onto tape in my mother tongue, that the meaning of many passages has become really clear to me.” The work of the national field workers is also growing, with new believers joining the existing village congregations.

Canadians Made It Happen

he Kenyang people of Cameroon now have their New Testament, which was dedicated on December 19, 2010. This project was financed by Canadians from 1994 through 2009, first through Partners with Nationals, a program of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada, and later through Global PartnerLink (now called OneBook, an organization that grew out of Wycliffe Canada.) Kenyang is spoken by 65,000 people. Because of literacy work, an increasing number of Kenyang speakers now have the ability to read and write in their mother tongue. The Kenyang Scriptures are also being distributed through various types of media. Listening groups are being set up using Proclaimers, solar powered machines with Kenyang Scripture on them, through the work of Faith Comes by Hearing, a partner organization with Wycliffe.

In the Far North

fter nearly half a century, the Western Gwich’in people now have Vit’eegwijyahchy’aa Vagwandak Nizii, or God His Good News in their language. Spoken in Alaska, it is understood by Canadian speakers as well, who live in the Yukon and number 1,300. In Canada it is also known as Kutchin or Loucheux. Wycliffe’s Dick and Susan Mueller began the work in 1959, with Pierre and Meggie DeMers joining them in 1979. Mary Rose Gamboa, a Gwich’in speaker, worked on translation with the DeMers for 30 years. Many other Gwich’in speakers have also served as part of the team. About 9,000 Gwich’in people of various dialects live in 15 small villages that stretch from northeast Alaska, in the U.S., to the northern Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada. They repre-

sent the northernmost First Nations/American Indian group and are part of the Athabascan language family.

Something Belonging to Them

n mid-March, 2011, more than 200 people crowded into a hall in Marburg, Germany, to celebrate the completion of the Sinte New Testament after 25 years of work (see Word Alive, Fall 2006). The translators were German Wycliffe members, Armin and Ursula Peter. “This is our day—the day for our people,” exclaimed Pastor Rudi Walter, proudly holding a book in the air. There are 12 million-plus Roma (Gypsies) worldwide. The number of Roma dialects is unknown, but may be more than one hundred. The Sinte language is spoken by about 300,000 people, who live primarily in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the former Yugoslavia. “We Gypsies are a poor people,” Pastor Walter explained. “We have no land, nor our own government, nor our own currency, but now we have something that really belongs to us: the New Testament in our language.”

World Translation Summary God’s Word, translated with significant Wycliffe involvement, was dedicated in 40 languages, spoken by 16.2 million people, since we prepared our last “Translation Update” report in the Spring 2011 issue of Word Alive. The table below gives a regional global breakdown of the affected language groups, with their populations.

New Testaments Location No. of groups Combined Total Population Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,864,079 Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,519,000 Pacific. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,690 Americas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155,010 Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,594,779

Whole Bibles Location No. of Groups Combined Total Population Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224,000 Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,000 Americas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,000 Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287,000

Partial Bible (contains a selection of Scripture from the whole Bible) Location No. of Groups Total Population Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,360,000 COMBINED TOTAL. . . 40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,241,779 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 23

Beyond Words Translating the Gospel By Hart Wiens

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles reflecting on the verse John 3:16 word by word. The series will illustrate some of the challenges Bible translators face as they seek to present God’s Good News in every language spoken on earth.

Part 1

Translation in Context

he first fact that a person used to reading the Bible in English must face is that the John 3:16 verse was originally written in Greek. To fully understand and appreciate all of the nuances of the text we must look at what John actually wrote. Here is the text in Greek with its English meaning under each word:

to a Bible study where participants are each assigned to read one of several verses scattered throughout the Bible? Such a process results in a serious loss of continuity. Reading Bible verses in isolation should therefore be avoided, both when studying and when translating the Bible.

“For” Six Ways

The Greek word γὰρ may be translated by a number of different English words, depending on the context in which it is used. It is found eight times from John 3:16-4:8. In those eight occurrences, the translators of the NRSV have used six different ways of representing it. In 3:16 it is “for;” in 3:17 “indeed;” in 3:19 “because;” in 3:24 “of course;” in 3:34, it is left untranslated in its first occurrence; and in 4:8 it is represented by ( ) to set the verse off as parenthetical. In linguistics, we call this little word a “discourse particle” because it has no specific meaning alone, but together with other words it helps to connect what is being said in the overall context. English versions frequently do not translate this particle by any single word, but rather let its meaning come out in the way that sentences are put together in the overall flow of the text.

Most Effective Ways Since this series of articles is written for the benefit of English readers, we will follow the order of words as it is found in a more familiar form of the text taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The first word in our English version is “for.” In the Greek this is actually the second word. It is a small word, but it brings with it a number of issues that the translator must consider. This little word is used to signal that John 3:16 was not written in isolation. It is part of a larger text. In fact the chapter and verse numbers found in our Bibles were not in the original text. This is an important point, not only for the translator, but also for the reader or student of the text. Every verse of the Bible should be read and studied in its entire context rather than as a verse in isolation from the larger text. To read, study or translate a verse of Scripture in isolation violates the integrity of the text. Yet how often have you been

The first fact that a person used to reading the Bible in English must face is that this verse was originally written in Greek.

24 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

In this particular context, the word translated “for” signals that, in verse 16, John amplifies the statement the writer has made in the previous paragraph. There he says that, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” In verse 16, John elaborates by telling how and why God offers us eternal life. Translators must choose the most effective means at their disposal in the particular language for which they are translating to signal the connection between verse 16 and the preceding context. Even within the same language there may be a variety of ways of accomplishing this.

Part 2

Translation or Transliteration?

“F

or God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” One of the most important challenges a Bible translator faces is translating the expression for God. The importance of this small word is captured in the following statement by Lawrence O. Richards in his Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: “Multiple volumes have been written to explore this short word.” The Bible assumes that God exists. It opens with the words, “In the beginning God. . . .” But to the Hebrew people, in whose language the Old Testament was originally written, the names

and titles used were extremely significant. These names and titles communicated a lot about the Jews’ understanding of who God is. In view of the multiple volumes that have been produced on this short word God, it is obvious that one brief article can’t really do justice to the topic. So, I will limit myself to a discussion of the Greek expression ὁ θεὸς found in this verse. In cultures where the Christian tradition is already well entrenched, there is often not much of a decision left; an acceptable way of referring to God has already been established. However, in those languages where Christian teaching is new and the Scriptures are being translated for the first time, the decision about how to translate the Greek ὁ θεὸς in this verse can be quite far-reaching. I recently heard a speaker from one of our First Nations express the pain his people have suffered as a consequence of the decision made by early Christian missionaries. They rejected the common term for the Creator in that particular native language in favour of a borrowed word. As a result God has always seemed like a foreign God to them. Our two official languages in Canada help show the two basic approaches that translators have tended to follow. One is transliteration. The French language uses Dieu for God. This is essentially an adaptation of the Greek, passed down through Latin. French is one of the Romance languages with roots going back to Latin. The Latin word for God is Deus, a transliteration of the Greek ὁ θεὸς.

One of the most important challenges a Bible translator faces is translating the expression for God.

Facing an Important Reality

PD Wikipedia

Martin Luther, John Wycliffe (depicted at left and above right, respectively) and others who translated the Scriptures into the Germanic languages such as German and English, followed a second common approach. Instead of transliterating the Greek word, they chose the native English and German words, God and Gott. These were commonly used among preChristian Germanic tribes to refer to the supreme or ultimate reality. Translators who choose this solution of using a common native term for God, frequently face an important reality: the indigenous term may have meanings associated

Dave Crough

Far-reaching Decision

with it that are at odds with the biblical understanding of who God is. On the other hand, this solution has the advantage that the term is already familiar and allows people to learn about the God they encounter in the Bible as one who is already known to them by another name. The apostle Paul modelled this strategy in communicating the gospel in Athens: “That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you” (Acts 17.23).

Filling Out Meaning

When translators choose the solution of transliterating a word for God taken from another language, they must face the possibility that the God of the Bible may seem foreign to the people for whom the translation is being prepared. At the same time, this option is more likely to avoid the tendency of introducing an understanding of God that is not supported in Scripture. Regardless of which route a translator follows in choosing a suitable word to translate the term ὁ θεὸς, it will not really be totally adequate to convey all the aspects of God as revealed in the Bible. Ultimately the meaning of the term chosen will need to be filled out. How? By a study of what the Scriptures overall reveal about this supreme being, the creator of the universe. In the next issue we will examine the challenges we face when translating the Greek terms represented by the English words “so” and “loved.” Reprinted with permission from the Canadian Bible Society’s “Translating the Gospel” article series, written by Hart Wiens, CBS director of Scripture translations. Wiens and his wife Ginny served with Wycliffe Canada in a Bible translation project among the Kalinga people in the Philippines for 19 years. More recently, Hart has been the Wycliffe Canada board chairman.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 25

A Thousand Words Open to Interpretation

Alan Hood

Pirwoth Ulul, a cheerful Congolese pastor and missionary who speaks several languages—including English—interpreted for the Word Alive team during their visit to Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this past year. As they met the various people featured in this issue, the veteran minister patiently explained who they were and how they were contributing to HIV-AIDS education in that region of DRC. Pastor Ulul and others like him are among the many “unsung heroes” who faithfully serve God in their home nations, and graciously assist Word Alive writers and photographers to bring you the stories and photographs featured in this magazine.

26 Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca

Last Word Note to Self: Pray for Bible Translators By Roy Eyre

hose of us who are not directly involved in translating the Bible will never completely understand or appreciate the linguistic challenges our translators face day by day. That includes me. I am giving my professional life to the Bible translation cause. But I am an administrator, not a linguist. As a result, I approach the challenge of translation from a unique vantage point. I look at this topic as a father—and pastor of my own family. I look at it as an elder—concerned with right doctrine. And I look at it as someone who cares deeply for God’s Word— wanting everyone around the world to be able to have access to it in their own language. Still, I can share some general insights on the matter. One fundamental truth about translation is that there are no two languages that have an exact crossover of vocabulary. Most Christians in North America have heard in church at one point or another that our English word, “love,” in our Bibles doesn’t capture the meaning behind the four Greek words in Scripture: agápe, éros, philía, and storgē. Take a moment to consider the implications of using éros instead of philía in a translation. Sexual connotations would certainly be a stumbling block when “brotherly love” was intended. English is a handy language in its use of generic words like “love.” However, many languages have far more specific words. I remember a previous Word Alive story that explained that there are more than 20 different Inuit words that English attempts to encapsulate in the word “snow.” But other languages have a more limited vocabulary. Wycliffe’s Ken and Mendy Nehrbass are Bible translation consultants on an island in Vanuatu, in the middle of the South Pacific. Ken once tried to convey to me the difficulty of translating into the Southwest Tanna language: Translated Genesis 2-4 yesterday. You’d think that the difficulty with translating would be that there are so many ways to say something—how do you narrow it down? But every chapter of the Bible presents the opposite problem for a language like SW Tanna: there’s no way to say it! Like [in Gen.

Dave Harder

Let’s intercede for translators working and struggling to find the best solutions in each unique language.

4:15], “if anyone kills Cain, he will be avenged seven times” ([in SW Tanna, there is] no word for “avenge,” no number above 5, and no way to say ‘x number of times.’ (Gen.4:15).” Our translators face a difficult and complex task daily. Even the “simple” verses can trip them up. We in English-speaking countries—home to 85 per cent of all Bible resources—have a difficult time visualizing the challenges. So let’s pray for translators like the Nehrbasses, working in isolated locations and struggling at times with a few other consultants to find the best solutions in each unique language. How did Ken and Mendy end up solving their dilemma? They leaned upon their biblical, translation and linguistics training; Wycliffe’s translation practices based on more than a half century of experience; insights into the local language and culture from the Southwest Tanna people; and, no doubt, much prayer. Recognizing that conveying the meaning of God’s Word is an ultimate goal, they chose the following: Nikam. Tukm yermam kirik rhopni ik, tukrir h narpinien ehu rapita narpinien yame nakaw h. In English, this translation conveys the idea that if someone killed Cain, he’d receive a larger punishment than the punishment he meted out to Cain. The manuscript of the New Testament is currently being printed and the Southwest Tanna will soon have God’s Word in a form they can understand. I may never know everything that translators, like Ken and Mendy, face. But I do know this: Wycliffe Canada is just as committed in 2012 to accurate, clear and natural translation for every remaining language as we were 60 years ago when our personnel first starting serving in this amazing and life-changing work. Roy Eyre is the president of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada.

Word Alive • Summer 2012 • wycliffe.ca 27

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s Wycliffe missionaries serve around the world, they look to God to supply their financial needs through the gifts of churches and interested friends. We believe God will provide monies for active service and retirement for His people. Recognizing this, Wycliffe Canada has created a new program to help Wycliffe missionaries have enough money for their needs—a retirement matching fund under our Group Retirement Savings Plan. An initial gift of $20,000 was received from the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL), our partner in training, to start the fund, and this has been followed by some smaller contributions. Recently, CanIL has made another challenge gift of $20,000 to encourage others to give. Wycliffe members are encouraged to invest in the Group Retirement Savings Plan, which will qualify them to receive a matching amount of up to 50 per cent of their investment of $100 per month. Interested donors who would like to help Wycliffe missionaries put aside funds for retirement may contribute to this matching fund. You can make a one-time donation or regular donations to ensure the ongoing viability of this program. Thanks for considering being a partner with us!

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