Quotes and Anecdotes on Bible Translation

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Some notable quotes on Wycliffe Benin, pulled from interviews shot for the documentary that was made, and from footage taken on March 1st. I am so humbled to be involved with an organization that leaves such a positive impact everywhere it touches!

     "What Wycliffe is doing in Benin is truly important. Today, we see that it is becoming easier to touch lost souls in their own languages, and that is important for the Lord's church. That's why we give ourselves, body and soul, to do everything in our power to help Wycliffe advance its work in Benin."

--Pastor David Mensah, friend of Wycliffe Benin

     "When we read God's word in our maternal languages, we see that Christ was incarnated not only in our cultures, but in our everyday lives."

--Daniel Dedji, Director of Wycliffe Benin

     "...in 2006 we did a study to find the literacy rate of faithful church attendees.... And that revealed that more than 80% of faithful church attendees in Cotonou and the surrounding area are illiterate.... That means that these Christians are only able to listen to God's word on Sunday, and then it's another week before they hear it again. When that's the case, it's hard to have a well-rooted body of believers.... That is why Wycliffe makes literacy its field and its battle horse, and that's why literacy training is instrumental in all of our projects."

--Carole Houndjo, Language Project Coordinator at Wycliffe Benin

     "We plan to continue our holistic projects, because our objective is not to always be motivating people by pushing them from behind. No, it is to give them all the information and skills that they need, so that they themselves, they are free."

--Yvon Kohunfo, in charge of projects at Wycliffe Benin

     "When a rich man has a dream, he gets up the next day to make it happen himself. When a poor man has a dream, the next day he kneels down to pray and fast for its realization."

--Reverend Tohoubi Camille, friend of Wycliffe Benin

     Lastly, at Christmas time, our dear friends Nancy and Terry were kind enough to let me "check out" a sizable stack of books from their collection. I was glad to be armed with some new reading material, and a good number of the books I borrowed are about travel and linguistics, which have been very interesting to read.

One of the books is called The Multilingual God (2012). It is a book of stories about Bible translation from all over the world, eloquently complied in to one very impressive collection by Steve Fortosis. Since I am working with an organization that deals specifically with Bible translation, this one has been particularly fun to read, and it's making me more aware of the enormous range of questions that can arise when translating a text as complicated as the Biblical scriptures. It's helping me to better understand the dedication of the translation teams here in Benin, many of whom have been working for upwards of 10 years so that their people can read God's words in their "heart language."

As I was reading, I wrote down stories and anecdotes that I found particularly interesting, and now I'll share them here. All of the following passages are either direct quotes or paraphrased passages from The Multilingual God, telling stories from real Bible Translation projects all over the world. Enjoy!

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     "When translating Luke 11:11, Neil Anderson read aloud to the Folopa: 'Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?'

     They stared at Neil blankly. 'Why not give him a snake?' they asked. After all, a snake was a rare treat that could feed a whole family. But a fish in Folopa territory was very small and would barely qualify as a snack."

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     "To enter the home of an acquaintance in a Zanaki village, one calls out loudly at the doorway. The only people who knock on the doorpost are thieves who do not want to be identified. If they hear stirring inside, they immediately sneak away. Thus [Revelation 3:20] was actually implying that Jesus was no more than a thief.

     An appropriate translation of Revelation 3:20 in Zanaki might be: 'Behold, I stand at the door and call out. If anyone hears my voice and invites me inside, I will enter and eat with him and he with me.'"

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     "When it came to translating Christ's feeding of the five thousand in John 6 into the Samo language, the translator had to be very specific about even the type of grass the crowds sat upon.... This could be important simply because, if the wrong type of grass is named, the Samo might become distracted and incredulous, knowing, for example, that people would never sit down on a particular type of grass."

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     "Saying that Jesus 'told them plainly' (John 11:14) does not communicate clearly in the Chewa language. Chewas would say, 'Jesus smashed the matter' (like a gourd)."

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     "The Chacabo Indians of northern Bolivia have an unusual way of declaring mastery or excellence. A man known for his running ability is called habali ibo (an owner of running). Lunguists... wondered how to express 'God is love,' since in the framework of the Chacabo language, 'love' cannot meaningfully function as a noun. They decided to use the ownership concept. 'God is love' became 'God is the owner of loving.' Being interpreted, this implies, 'God is [the] supreme expert at loving'."

Other translations of "God is love":

St. Lucian Creole -- "Love is the character of God."

Jur Modo -- "God is what is in the middle of love."

Manding -- "If you say God, you say love."

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     "... for the Cuicatec Indians of Mexico, the word for worship... comes from the same root as that for a dog wagging its tail, implying the idea of worship as 'wagging the tail before God.' It is not the kind of idea we normally associate with worship in Western usage... but for the Cuicatecs the phrase indicates unwavering loyalty and intimate devotion. After all, isn't the dog a perfect example of such an attitude? Whenever a dog glimpses his master, he almost jumps out of his skin with excitement. His ears perk, his tail wags, and he stumbles all over himself just trying to please, trying to honor this being who feeds him, walks him, and occasionally gives him a doggie treat. That's worship."

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     "When Nogo, language assistant in the Usarufa language, heard in his language that Jesus told the wind and water to be quiet, he was incredulous. He cried, 'No! No! Wind and water don't obey.'

     Translators thought they'd used the wrong word and began reviewing it with Nogo. Finally he realized that it was true as expressed. Jesus had actually calmed nature's fury with a word. Many times in days to come, Nogo would be heard saying to a fellow tribesman, 'Have you heard of how this Jesus made the wind obey?'" 

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     In the Folopa language of New Guinea, the term for God is Bete of Betes. This literally means "the source of sources."

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     "God's all-sufficiency is clearly pictured in a Chewa equivalent for 'land of milk and honey.' It reads literally, 'the land of "what can a child cry for?"'"

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     "When John Lind was translating Luke for the Sierra Popoluca Indians, an Indian came to the term taciacputpa, 'to be saved.'

     'What does this word really mean?' he asked John.

     John decided to answer with a question of his own. 'How do you use that word?'

     The Popoluca gave an example. 'If a man were in jail for a crime he had committed and another man paid money to the proper authorities for the prisoner's release, this would be taciacputpa.'

     Lind went on to explain that this is essentially what Jesus did for humanity.... [He] came and paid out debt and saved us by dying in our place. The Indian verified that Lind was definitely using the correct expression for 'to be saved.'"

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     "Once they understood it, the crucifixion of Jesus had a much more profound impact on the Folopa than it does on violence hardened Westerners. At one point the Folopa watched a film about Jesus' life. Though they had been told the portrayal was a pretense by actors, the women erupted with excruciating wails of grief when they saw Jesus being nailed to the cross. They couldn't help reacting this way, because Jesus was someone they were coming to trust and truly love."

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If you were wondering whether the English Bible has any parallel examples of translation acrobatics, Jesus' teachings on worry in Matthew 6 give us an example. Did you know that in verse 27, which most of us know as "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" the original Greek actually reads, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single cubit to your height?" This is an adjustment that doesn't change the meaning of the verse (i.e. Worrying doesn't accomplish anything important) but helps the verse to speak to western readers, for whom longevity is often a more resonating concern than stature. But translators go to even greater lengths to make sure that the new translation is faithful to the original intentions of the author.

I hope these stories were as interesting and fun to read for you as they were for me!