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Stories from the Field, 2 Aug 2022 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14) The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue . It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner . - William Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Pastor Tharawat, the Executive Director of Wycliffe Thai Foundation (Wycliffe Thailand) since 2012, shared that the vision of Wycliffe Thailand is not limited to Thailand alone – they hope to see a Bible translation project begin in all remaining languages in Southeast Asian countries that need one by 2025. To this end, they hope to partner with Thai churches and like-minded individuals to engage in Bible translation, literacy, scripture engagement and community development with the aim of making disciples for Christ. Currently, Wycliffe Thailand has 4 ongoing Bible translation and literacy projects: one in a people group in north Thailand, and 3 others in groups from neighbouring countries. One of these is the Tang* project in a neighbouring country. Like many similar ethnic groups, girls are not sent to school but are expected to work on the farms. Many are married off as young as 11-12 years old. The literacy project has given these girls a chance to learn to read and write, and some have become teachers in Sunday School. In a video, two young ladies, A* (15) and J* (18), both said that they had not even realised that their language could be written down, and only saw the writing system after they started attending church. Reading the Bible in their own language has helped them learn more about God and His will because they understand it better than the national language. Pastor Tharawat also shared other programmes which are conducted by Wycliffe Thailand. Camp Wycliffe, which was much missed during the pandemic, is a 5-day experiential mission trip which includes instruction as well as a village stay. There are plans to hold this twice a year. The next one is planned for 14-18 November 2022. If you'd like to join this year's trip, do contact us for more details! Besides this, Wycliffe Thailand also runs Discovery trips twice a year to neighbouring countries, which are open to participants from outside Thailand. There are also programmes which reach out to local Thai churches to engage their interest and forge partnerships. Some prayer items for Wycliffe Thailand: Pray that the first phase of building the Wycliffe Thailand office in Chiangmai will go smoothly. Pray for the development of a training centre in northeast Thailand, and for suitable people to head the literacy and agriculture programmes. Pray for the 19 members of Wycliffe Thailand who are serving in different fields, and for new members preparing to go into the field. * Not the actual names. Stories from the Field will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Get on our mailing list to be notified of future events.

Stories from the Field, 4 Oct 2022 Bangladesh: a nation with a population of 170 million, 90% Muslim, and only 0.66% Christian. Culturally and linguistically, the population is highly varied, with over 300 ethnic groups. Many groups already have a Bible translation project in progress, but only 17 languages have the full Bible. Catholic missions reached this area 400 years ago, and Protestant missions 200 years ago. Many mission organisations currently have work in the country, with ministries ranging from Bible translation, scripture use, church planting, media, community development, etc. History of Connections, Bangladesh Richard Halder is the first and current Executive Director of Connections . Before 2013, under the name Vision Momentum (VM), it was part of a bigger team: two other organisations focused on language development and Bible translation, while VM, staffed mainly by locals, focused on engaging with churches in Bangladesh to increase their understanding of missions and the need for Bible translation, and also to encourage the use of the completed translations. In 2013, VM was renamed Connections, and it became an independent national organisation. The initial years were difficult – they operated out of a single room in a local church, and financial support was low. Richard recalls receiving small sums of money and also support in kind – one lady faithfully gave him a bag of food and spices every month! Later, Connections joined the Wycliffe Global Alliance and began accepting funds from foreign supporters. Scripture engagement Connections sees its mission as primarily unchanged – to encourage the churches and Christians to use the translated Bibles. This has included encouraging them to pray for Bibleless people and translation work, holding seminars and training, organising mission trips for churches, leadership development in ethnic groups, etc. It has run the Kairos course multiple times, with over 700 graduates to date, raising awareness of the importance of contextualisation among churches and Christians. True to its name, it also connects Christian organisations working in Bangladesh, and helps them locate and access the many resources available. In Richard’s view, Connections' work in church engagement has been successful as many churches are now aware of the need for Bible translation. Some local churches are now sending out missionaries to other people groups within the country, so the greater need now is scripture engagement, i.e. helping people use the Bible in their daily lives. Going forward, Connections would like to undertake a scripture engagement survey to better understand the needs of individual groups, but carrying this out would require more resources than it has currently available. Other plans include translating language-specific apps and digital scripture engagement materials such as children’s stories and social media apps. Richard emphasised the need for sensitivity to cultural concerns. Sometimes, just giving a people group a translated Bible is not the best way to have them engage with God’s word. He gave an example of the W people group: they identify as a part of a larger group across the border in India which speaks the K language. Since there is already a Bible in the K language, suggestions that the Bible should be translated into the W language have been strongly resisted as they want to be seen as part of the K group. They also feel that God should not speak in the (lower status) W language. However, when they saw a Jesus film in a language of a near group which they could understand about 80% of, they gradually came around to the idea that perhaps stories could be translated into the W language. So a few Bible stories for children on video have been dubbed in the W language, with the hope that the group will eventually welcome a Bible translation in the W language. All this takes time and patience, and it is important to build strong relationships first and not force the issue. Pray for the work of Connections, Bangladesh that they will continue to raise awareness of the need to have God’s word translated into heart languages, and presented to the people in various ways – in audio, video, as well as in print. Pray that the scriptures will be heard, watched and read daily by the people and lead to transformed lives. Stories from the Field will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Get on our mailing list to be notified of future events.

Stories from the Field, 3 Jan 2023 Dr Satanun Boonyakiat (Dr Golf) teaches Systematic Theology at McGilvary College of Divinity at Payap University in Chiangmai, Thailand. Buddhism is the religion of 93% of the population of Thailand, and understanding Buddhism in Thailand is essential to understanding the Thai people. Even though it is not the official religion, Thai culture is strongly influenced by Theravada Buddhism as well as the folk or animistic religion of the original people groups. The fundamental worldview of a typical Thai makes it quite difficult for them to accept a Christian worldview: Many Thais believe that to be Thai means to be Buddhist. Christianity is regarded as a foreign religion, and is inferior to Buddhism which has a longer history. A person should be loyal to his family and community, which means sharing the same religion. There are many gods, not just one almighty God. ‘Gods’ are regarded as ‘sacred things’, and people do not develop a personal relationship of intimacy with a ‘god’. The relationship is more transactional. Dr Golf also spent some time explaining the Buddhist concept of kamma (also spelt karma ), which Buddhists regard as a natural law of action and reaction. When a person does a good action, there will be a good effect, whether directly or in the future. This is good kamma. Conversely, when someone does a bad action, he will have bad kamma and will suffer for his act eventually. From the lens of kamma , Jesus’ suffering would be regarded as the result of bad deeds he has done in his past. A Buddhist does not believe that it is possible for someone else to suffer the bad effect for another, and therefore does not accept the idea of a Saviour who suffers to pay for someone else’s wrongdoings; each person is responsible for his own destiny. In order to reach nirvana or extinction (the ultimate aim for a Buddhist), he must do much good and escape from the cycle of rebirth. It is important to address these issues when sharing the gospel with Thai Buddhists. Points which address the worldview of Thai Buddhists include: It is possible to practise the Christian faith without having to ‘leave’ their families and communities. This might involve identifying customs and practices which do not conflict with Christianity which Christians can still participate in, or contextualising some rituals and customs (by avoiding or adapting aspects that conflict with Christianity) so that they can still celebrate important festivals with their families. There is a loving, merciful and personal God who wants to develop an individual relationship with every person. Explaining the concept of salvation from sins in plain and simple language, free of Christian jargon. Demonstrating a holistic gospel so they are able to see God working in all aspects of the lives of Christians, both now and eternally. Stories from the Field will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Get on our mailing list to be notified of future events.

by Sharon Tan Ptolemy II by Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne, Public domain Legend has it that the Greek pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy II, gathered 72 elders and isolated them individually in 72 rooms, with the instruction that they should translate the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) into Koine or common Greek. Miraculously, each translation produced was identical to the others! The name Septuagint, from the word “seventy”, derives from this legend and is used to refer to translations of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, which date from around the 3rd to the 2nd century BCE. Why was there a need for a Greek translation? To understand this, it is necessary to trace the changes in language use among the Jews over the centuries. Until the exiles of Israel and Judah (8th and 6th centuries BCE respectively), Hebrew was the main spoken language of the Jews, and the language of the scriptures. After the return from exile, the generations that had grown up in exile spoke Aramaic rather than Hebrew. Although the scriptures were still in Hebrew, many Aramaic translations existed to help the common people understand the scriptures. The next language change happened when Alexander the Great marched his armies over the region in the 4th century BCE and launched the Hellenistic Age. The lingua franca of the region became Greek, and many Jewish communities spread across the region spoke Greek. Again, to enable the Jews to understand the scriptures, Greek translations were needed. Why does this matter to us? Much of the early Christian church used Greek, the common language spoken across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Many early Christian writers, such as Paul, quoted from the Septuagint when referring to the prophecies fulfilled by Christ, demonstrating that the early church obviously recognised it as scripture. The use of Greek also enabled the gospel to spread to the Gentiles and, eventually, to us. An important lesson learnt from this is that the Bible, the word of God, is meant to be understood by its readers. And this means that it must be available in a language they understand well.

by Evangeline Throughout history, many Christian missionaries have faithfully served God in different ways. Here is a list of three famous missionaries who were known for their translation work. William Carey (1761-1834) William Carey was a British missionary who was one of the first missionaries sent to India in 1793. He was also a minister, linguist, printer, and social reformer. Carey grew up in a small village of Northamptonshire and often acknowledged his humble beginnings as a shoemaker. Nevertheless, even from a young age, he displayed a flair for languages, eventually teaching himself Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Dutch, and French. Later, in India, Carey translated the Bible into several local languages including Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, and Assamese. He also translated portions of the Bible into other dialects and languages. He also translated a famous Hindu classic, Ramayana, into English. Carey also founded the Serampore Mission Press that printed a wide variety of textbooks, dictionaries, and literature that benefitted both the general public and students at all levels. His was a pioneering press that “thought it important enough that costly fonts of type be cast for the irregular and neglected languages of the Indian people”, much like how Wycliffe today continues to recognise the value and importance of people having access to the Word in their heart languages, regardless of how ‘minority’ a language it might be. In total, Carey spent 41 years in India without ever going on furlough. During this time, his pioneering efforts laid the foundations for Bible translations, education, and social reform that proved to be instrumental in influencing the following generations of missionaries to India. As such, he is considered as the ‘father of modern missions’. Adorinam Judson (1788-1850) Adorinam Judson was an American Baptist missionary who was the first foreign missionary out of America. He was also a linguist and a lexicographer, known for translating the whole Bible into Burmese, as well as developing the now-standard English-Burmese dictionary. Judson was born in Massachusetts, USA in 1788 and grew up mostly within the state, entering Providence College (now Brown University) when he was 17. As a child, he studied theology and began reading when he was just three. In 1812, he and his wife, Ann Haseltine, arrived in India as missionaries and there, they adopted Baptist principles and were baptised by William Carey. However, having been forced by the British East India Company to leave India, they escaped to Burma (now Myanmar) in 1813. There, Judson faced countless difficulties and challenges. Serving as evangelists and Bible translators, he failed to see any converts until 1819! Later, during the Burmese War of 1824 to 1826, he was accused of being an English spy and imprisoned by Burmese forces and tortured. After he was released from prison, he continued to work tirelessly, eventually completing the translation of the Bible into Burmese in 1834, and thereafter working on the English-Burmese dictionary. After serving for 30-odd years in Burma, he went on his first and only furlough back to the US, returning to Burma in 1847 and completing an enlarged dictionary in 1849. Shortly after, he contracted a respiratory fever and died in 1850. Judson’s work in Burma eventually led to a fervent community of about half a million Christians consisting Burman, Karen, and other people groups. Today, Baptist churches in Myanmar celebrate Judson Day on 13 July every year to commemorate the date of his arrival to Burma in 1813. Judson Baptist Church Singapore also serves the Burmese community of Singapore. James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) James Hudson Taylor was a British missionary known for being an evangelist, translator, and physician. Just like William Carey and Adorinam Judson, he was a pioneering missionary who went where no one had dared venture to before: inland China. Born in Barnsley, England in 1832 to a family devoted to God, Taylor had always known that he would one day go to China as a missionary. Although he briefly lost sight of his ‘mission’ in his teens, he found his way back to God after reading a tract that he had found at home when he was 17. In preparation for his mission ahead, he moved to a remote town and trained under a doctor; he knew that he would need to get used to being lonely, and that medical training would be useful in the field. In 1854, Taylor arrived in Shanghai, China as a young man of 21. There, he was not happy with what he encountered. He found that most missionaries he met were more interested in using their translation skills to serve businessmen and diplomats, rather than in serving God’s purposes. More pressingly, he felt that the Word needed to be taken to inland China where many were unreached. He set sail down the Huangpu River, distributing tracts and Bibles in villages along the way. In 1856, he moved to Ningbo, where he found a devoted community of missionaries to work with. It was around this time that he adopted the Chinese dress, as he felt that it would help the local people to see him and the gospel as less foreign. Often suffering from poor health, Taylor returned to England in 1860 for medical reasons. There, however, he worked on translating and revising the Ningbo New Testament. In 1865, after praying for 24 missionaries to return to China with him, he founded the China Inland Mission (CIM; now OMF International) and returned to China in 1866. Hudson Taylor died in Hunan, China in 1905, after serving a total of 51 years in the country. While he was oft known as a ‘man of faith’, to this he would humbly respond that he was ‘only a servant of a faithful God’. Today, OMF International continues Taylor’s work in presenting the gospel to not just the people in Inland China, but to all the peoples in East Asia.

by Jamie “If Jesus is supposed to be the saviour of the world, why is there COVID?” Our story testers had prepared some questions to ask a non-believer about the story of Jesus’ birth – but they didn’t expect her to have hard-hitting questions too! This question led to a long, unplanned conversation. This was during a testing session, which is a necessary step following the story-crafting process. We asked our storying team some questions about testing stories. What is testing, and why do it? Like any other new product, every story needs to be “piloted” before it is published for general use. Is what the hearers understand from the story indeed what the crafters intended for them to understand? Testing is important because the story crafters and facilitators come from a “churched” background. Certain concepts that are familiar to them may be foreign to “unchurched” hearers and create misunderstandings. Testing helps us to know what needs to be revised. Who do you test the stories with? The best way to test a Bible story is to tell it to someone who is not familiar with Christianity, and find out what they understand from hearing it. The ideal person to test stories with is an uninitiated native speaker (UNS) – “uninitiated” meaning that they have little or no knowledge of Bible stories or Christianity. This is to reduce the possibility that the UNS is interpreting the story correctly based on prior knowledge. If the UNS can understand the story in the way that it was intended, then we know that the story was crafted well, and not because the UNS already knew the “right answers”. What insights do you get from testing? Testing gives us valuable feedback about the UNS’s worldview, the language used in the story, the organisation of the story, and so on. There could be many reasons why misunderstandings occur. Some of these can be very funny, but they can also lead to serious conversations! For example, a UNS concluded that God’s name was David! We had been discussing what “Son of David” meant, and she said that since she had heard that Jesus was the Son of God, this was her conclusion. We all had a good laugh, but it does show how much we Christians take for granted. At other times, the UNS’s interpretation of a story can reveal deep differences between a Christian and a non-Christian worldview. When we tested the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14), the UNS found it hard to understand that Jesus was critiquing the self-righteousness of the Pharisee – surely, since the Pharisee was the one who prayed and fasted and tithed, he must be the “good guy” in the story! Other misunderstandings occur because a particular word or phrase may have connotations that the crafters didn’t think of. In the story of the annunciation of Jesus’ birth, the translation of the phrase “the Holy Spirit will come on you” (Luke 1:35) in Teochew made the UNS conjure up images of a tangki (Chinese spirit-medium) being possessed by a spirit – which is certainly not what the crafters intended to convey. What goes on in a testing session? The testing session has a few sections. First, we play a recording of the story one or more times to the UNS. Next, we ask for general impressions of the story. To check for comprehension of the story, the UNS is asked to retell the story in their own words. Finally, we ask some inference questions to find out how the UNS has interpreted the story. The answers to these questions are not found in the story itself, and there may not even be a right answer to the questions. Sometimes, a UNS may ask if their interpretation is “correct”. We remind them that we are testing the story, not the listener. If the story is hard to understand, it’s not their fault! We also refrain from jumping in to correct misconceptions at this point, as we want to hear what they think first. An example: Jesus’ birth (Matt 1:18-25) Here are some of the questions that we prepared for testing this story: What do you understand about angels? What do you think is their relationship to God? What/who do you think is the “Holy Spirit”? What does it mean that the child is from the “Holy Spirit”? Why do you think Mary’s pregnancy would be shameful? According to your understanding of Teochew culture, is there any significance when someone appears in a dream? How would people normally react to such dreams? Finally… After a testing session, the story crafters consider all the feedback, then revise the story in order to produce a clear, accurate and natural retelling. It may be tested more than once before it is considered ready to be used in church groups, or played to non-believing relatives and friends. The process of testing isn’t only about the results. Just as importantly, it is an opportunity to bring the gospel to people who might otherwise not be open to hearing about God. It is also a way to reach out to the non-believing listeners and build relationships with them.

Imagine: You want to apply for a loan to build a house for your family, but aren’t able to because you can’t write your name. You are often cheated in the market because you can’t read. You are a 6-year-old who can only speak your mother tongue. When you start school, you can’t understand the lessons because they are all in the national language. How would you feel? These are common experiences among many ethnic minority people, especially women and children. In her talk, Pearle shared about the country she has worked in since 2013. About 79% of the population live in hard-to-reach remote areas, and there are more than 120 ethnic minority groups. While remoteness keeps minority languages vibrant, many people live in poverty and have little education. In fact, 22% of the men and 40% of the women in that country are illiterate. Pearle shared about the effects of literacy on women. Just being able to write their own name can open up access to aid programmes. Basic literacy can help them avoid being cheated by unscrupulous traders. They are able to learn about health and nutrition to safeguard their families, and can help their young children with schoolwork. Literacy boosts their confidence, and the positive impacts on families and society is immeasurable. Besides promoting adult literacy, Pearle was also involved in an MTB-MLE (Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education) programme to enable children to start their formal education in their mother tongue and transition gradually to learning in the national language. She worked closely with members of the language community to produce mother tongue teaching materials aligned with the national curriculum and appropriate to the culture, and also trained local people to be teachers. She showed a video clip of two trainee teachers singing a simple song in the mother tongue which they had composed to teach preschoolers the daily routine and how to wash their hands! Pearle’s love for the people she had worked for and with shone through. She shared about the joy the people felt when they realised that their language was not worthless, but something to be treasured. Projects like these help ethnic communities preserve their language and culture while also learning better in the national language, and open doors to a better future for themselves and their children. Pearle*, a member of Wycliffe Singapore, has mainly worked among non-dominant language communities. She specialises in adult literacy and Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programmes. *name changed for security reasons Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 Programme is currently supporting two MTB-MLE projects. If you wish to support a project, please contact us here.

As of 2020, there are 7,360 languages in the world, but not all languages are equal. When your language is not the dominant language used in education or in wider society, you are automatically disadvantaged. Many non-dominant language communities are found in remote villages and many children in these families often see their mother tongues as obstacles to their integration with mainstream education in the national language. Low achievement is common amongst these communities, limiting social mobility. These minority language cultures see themselves as recipients, not agents, of change. The hope of Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education programmes (MTB-MLE) is to change this perspective—to turn their native language from burden to asset in improving eventual education outcomes. This type of programme is particularly suitable in rural areas of developing countries where the community is largely homogeneous and children have limited exposure or access to the national language, which is the language of instruction used in school. A typical MTB-MLE programme First, an initial survey of the language’s status is made to determine the appropriate measures required for teaching and learning the language in the community. Local stakeholders such as community leaders and educators are always involved so that they play an important role in preserving their minority language culture, easing collaboration with the relevant authorities. The next stage is the development of curriculum materials and training village teachers, boosting literacy rates in the community and providing employment opportunities. In schools, the mother tongue then becomes a stepping stone in the transition to a national language curriculum. Such programmes also encourage an ethnic minority to hold on to their own language and culture alongside the national language, rather than regarding their own language as without value. Reading and writing is a transferable cognitive skill in language learning, and it has been shown that children who start learning in their mother tongue and transition later into the national language do better in the long run (with lower drop-out rates) than children who are monolingual in the mother tongue and plunged into the national language from Primary school. Bridging worlds MTB-MLE brings hope as it connects these underprivileged communities to the wider world and opens doors for breakthroughs in livelihoods. As more young people from these ethnic groups achieve higher levels of education, it is hoped that they will return to their hometowns to support such programmes—be it through community teaching or engaging with local governments and schools—and help narrow the social and economic disparity between their villages and the national average. MLE-MTB has been well received in several countries in South and Southeast Asia with efforts focused on community development and social justice. Will you join us in bringing hope to future generations in these communities? Read more: Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education Programs; SIL Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education; Asian Development Bank Wycliffe Singapore’s R200 Programme is currently supporting two MTB-MLE projects. If you wish to support a project, please contact us here. Acknowledgements: thanks to Pearle*, member of WBTS, for her insight on serving in the area of adult literacy and children’s multilingual education programmes. *name changed for security reasons

How do you express concepts that do not exist in some cultures? What do Bible translators do when there isn't a corresponding word in the target language? Coral* is a member who has served among the Mauwake people in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a translator and translation consultant. She is currently helping other consultants in East Asia and in the Asia-Pacific taskforce. Coral shares her experiences with this semantic challenge: On difficulties in translating cultural concepts Key terms like “God”, “Christ”, “salvation”, “forgiveness”, “grace” etc. are some of the hardest to translate. These are abstract terms which are culturally foreign to the target audiences, or as in the case of “grace”, can hold different meaning in different contexts—it could mean something close to mercy, forgiveness, help, protection, etc. The Mauwake people, for example, have no concept of a “Creator God”. They have a local spirit which they believe created their people, and he is sometimes called Inasina, which also means “spirit”, or anything that is taboo. We attempted to use this word together with maneka, meaning “big”—Inasina Maneka, the “Big Spirit”—in reference to God, but it was unacceptable to the translation committee and the people. We tried the pidgin word “God”, but it was regarded as foreign. Eventually we had to use the term Mua Maneka, “Big Man”, as an equivalent to the term “Lord”. This term has been in use in pidgin in the local community to refer to God. The translation team felt that this was the most acceptable term, and when it was tested among the people, they showed understanding of its reference to God. Forgiveness is antithetical to PNG culture where taking revenge is an honour for each tribe and family. In the case of Mauwake, forgiveness is rendered as “get rid of their sin” or “wipe off their sin”. Despite working on their project for many years, a translation team could not find an appropriate term for “forgive”. Not until one Christmas day, when the villagers came together for a gathering, and they formed a circle and put their arms on one another’s shoulders. The translators asked what they were doing, and their reply was, “we say to each other that we will not remember your sin.” The equivalent term for “forgiveness” in that culture was found; we ended up with “put arms on each other’s shoulders”. “Kingdom of God” is also hard to translate. Most local groups have no idea of big entities beyond their local tribes and provinces, so the concept of “kingdom” is lost on them. One team used the term “God’s maror”, meaning “what God controls”, in which maror means “the area controlled”. In the case of Mauwake, we have chosen to use the term Mua Maneka (yia) urufiya, meaning “what God oversees/takes care of”; like the village chief taking care of the people and their welfare, God will do the same for those in His kingdom. In actual fact, these are not very encompassing representative terms for the comprehensive view of the kingdom of God, but for most teams, this is the best option. More methods of explanation Many Middle Eastern cultural items and flora and fauna, e.g. camels and donkeys, are not known in some cultures. In these cases, pictures of such items can be inserted in the appropriate places. Some teams would add the equivalent word for “animal” before the name of the animal, so in the language it would be “animal sheep”, “animal camel”. For certain nouns, some cultures use that of the main, common or wider language of communication, e.g. "angels", "cherubim", etc. Long descriptions of such terms would distract from the main focus of the sentence so a glossary or footnotes would be included to provide explanations. Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 of this interview! *name changed for security reasons

How do you express concepts that do not exist in some cultures? What do Bible translators do when there isn't a corresponding word in the target language? Coral* is a member who has served among the Mauwake people in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a translator and translation consultant. She is currently helping other consultants in East Asia and in the Asia-Pacific taskforce. Here's part 2 of our interview with Coral: On significant biblical concepts which haven't been easy to translate “Angels”, “apostles”, “disciples”, “stewards”, “servants”, “slaves” and related terms are often hard to translate. Some translators have used “God’s workman” or “God’s heavenly workmen” for angels, to indicate that whatever powers they have, have been bestowed by God. However, these may not adequately portray the powers given to angels in certain situations. The apostles are sent as Jesus’ servants or students. In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed to God to remove the cup from him. That is a cup” of punishment and death. In contrast, to the Mauwake people, the cup signifies forgiveness and wishing for healing from sickness. When a man has been very sick and no cure could be found, his family will think of different causes such as anger from enemies and possible sorcery. They will send messages to relatives from different villages to come on a certain day. Food and two cups with water will be prepared; one cup will contain leaves. They will sit in a circle, and the cup without leaves will be passed around. As each person holds the cup, he/she will say whether he/she has any grudges against the ill person, and for what reason. Those with nothing against the sick person will also say so and wish him to be well. It is believed that by speaking into the cup of water, the sins/grudges will be no more and the sick person released from them. The water in the cup will then be thrown outside the village, and the cup with leaves will be sprinkled on the sick person. After many weeks of discussions, we substituted the cup in the passage with “the arrow you gave me”. In the Mauwake culture, that is the act performed when the village chief punishes a person with impending death. To address accusations of “changing” the Scriptures, a footnote was included to explain the meaning of the “cup” symbol in biblical culture, and the reason for its replacement with a figure of speech that would be better understood in the local culture. Further comments Translators need to know the target culture and language well, and be aware of the pitfalls in translation. The translator needs to know the Scriptures well, and internalize the passage of the text, whether narrative or non-narrative. At the same time, the translator needs to take into account the local people’s worldviews, their way of life, and the socio-linguistic concepts and cultures. Translation is not just dealing with words, but with worldviews and concepts, and the wisdom of choice of words and phrases, to convey those concepts. Read part 1 of the interview here. *name changed for security reasons