Getting his feet wet
Levi Lenz says that he’s recently gotten his feet wet in the Bible translation process. Levi and his co-worker, Dan Hulley, have been hard at work on portions of the Old and New Testaments.
Have you ever wondered what exactly happens in the process of translating the Bible into a tribal language? I asked Levi to detail the experience of translating his first 125 verses of Scripture.
Levi explained that he has just had this first Bible portion checked by an experienced translator. Prior to this check, Levi drafted the verses from the books of Joshua and Mark into the vernacular, which were recorded by a translation co-worker from the tribe to ensure the language flowed naturally.
He described that draft being further checked two or three times by a translation helper before it was put back into English to be checked for any missing content. Then the draft was checked again as the translator read paragraph by paragraph to the translation co-workers, who then repeated what they understood. After making needed revisions, there was one more comprehension check, a spelling and grammar check, and finally those verses from the Bible were ready to be printed and placed in the hands of people.
“It’s not an easy process and the translation of God’s Word is not something to be taken lightly,” Levi observes.
“We are very excited to be able to get some printed Scripture into the hands of believers here in the coming months,” he continues. “We are also praying that having printed Scripture books will encourage the literacy program as people see the importance of reading the printed Word for themselves.”
Lisa Kappeler, the experienced translator, weighs in on Levi’s first translation check. “What a privilege to be a part of it,” Lisa writes. “Two team members, Dan Hulley and Levi Lenz, were having Scripture portions checked. For Levi, it was his first check … What an incredible opportunity! He and his Welsh co-worker, Dan, had done such a great job. … It was so neat to see how well their translation was communicating to the tribal people. … Praise the Lord for more Scripture available in this tribal language.”
Levi and his wife, Robyn, are excited and grateful to be a part of the weighty and wonderful ministry of sharing the glorious truth of God’s Word in a language that has never before acknowledged or known Him.
You can help put a Bible in the hands of people who do not have one yet for as little as $35. That's how much it costs to translate and print a single verse, and provide materials to teach people to read and understand it. Give today.