Bible Translation, it can’t be that hard right?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

I recently had the privilege of attending a workshop that was training a group of people how to translate the Bible.  This people group does not yet have a Bible translated in their own language, so this is a new project that is just getting started.  Which by the way they are already in the process of translating Ruth as their first book!  In the process of the workshop, it was such an eye opener for me to TRULY understand what goes into the process of translating the Bible. 

One of the things that really stuck with me was a concept of unknown ideas: what happens when you come across an unknown idea to your language?  You can’t possibly translate the Bible literally word for word…assuming that people will be able to understand the context, the significance of the passage, and be expected to grow in a relationship with Christ without actually having the true meaning of what is being said.  One example of this unknown idea is in a translation of the term Passover.  One translation, originally took the term Passover and everywhere that they saw that word they translated: “the day the Jewish people remember that the Angel jumped over their house in Egypt”.  Can you imagine reading along in your Bible and 83 times you read the phrase “the day the Jewish people remember that the Angel jumped over their house in Egypt.”  The concept seems doable…but what about in the New Testament when they are going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast.  At this time it is a feast.  Does “the day the Jewish people remember that the Angel jumped over their house in Egypt” indicate a feast?  Are you confused yet?  That was my reaction too! 

Another thing translators need to keep in mind is “idioms”.  Seriously, why do we even use them?  I didn’t think about them as a bad thing until I was sitting in class and these national translators (who are speaking English – as their 3^rd or 4^th language) are now given a sentence like:

Fred kicked the bucket – and they are being asked to translate that.  Does it really mean that Fred saw a bucket sitting next to him and kicked it?  No it means Fred died.

She is pulling my leg.

I can’t keep my head above water.

The early bird gets the worm. 

The translators now have to come across a sentence like this, and decide if they can literally translate this sentence OR if it means something else and they have to translate it into what the sentence is REALLY saying and THEN translate it into their language.

 

Their process:

She is pulling my leg.

She is teasing me by telling me something false or fictitious.

 

Their final outcome:

Elle me taquinait en me disant quelque chose de faux ou fictifs.

 

They are doing this for 66 books in the Bible.  For 1,189 chapters.  And about 31,173 verses!  (I didn’t physically count but I think you get the idea).  I do not envy the position of the translators, but I do know that every translator around the world needs our prayers for wisdom, guidance and patience, as they work their way verse by verse through the Bible.