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Sometimes the words aren't there

Gordie Hunt and a Manjui believer work on Bible translation.

Bible translation isn't simply a matter of swapping out words. Sometimes words or even concepts don't exist in another culture and language. That's what Gordie Hunt faced as he tried to put 2 Corinthians into the language of the Manjui people of Paraguay.

It’s a foreign concept

How, for instance, do you translate "God of all comfort, who comforts us" from Chapter 1, in a culture where each person considers himself the center of his own universe?

“Why would I want to help anyone else to be happy, to feel good, when it’s all about me?" Gordie asked. "The idea of caring for and of helping another brother is foreign.”

After he prayed and asked others to pray, he and his Manjui co-workers decided that the answer was a little-used term: tika'peiliski – a person who feels mercy and helps others.

That stinks

In Chapter 2, Paul speaks of "the fragrance of Christ," and later, of "the aroma of death" and "the aroma of life." Paul is talking about incense or perhaps perfume -- things the Manjui people have never encountered.

But after praying and asking others to pray with them, "we found that the illustration of a good odor wafting out wasn't a foreign idea at all. What would possibly come up in their imagination was the odor of cooking meat or the smell of flowers blooming, rather than perfume, but that is OK.”

You did what, where?

And then there's the letter "written in our hearts" in Chapter 3. The Manjuis "had never even seen paper until we came along,” wrote Gordie. So now they could understand what a letter is. But how do you explain a letter written on someone's insides?

It was necessary for Gordie to work closely with Manjuis, especially Sesa, his primary co-worker on translation, and to have a good understanding of not only the Manjui language, but their culture -- their worldview and their way of thinking.

But more importantly, prayer is vital to the humanly impossible task of clearly expressing God's message in another language. It's good to be reminded of our dependence on Him.

Tags: Bible translation, Bible translator, Mission News, Prayer, Latin America, Manjui People Paraguay,
POSTED ON Jul 06, 2014 by Ian Fallis