The translator transformed

Abdullah is one of the translators of the Uzbek Book of Proverbs. Little did he know, when he first agreed to check a United Bible Societies translation 14 years ago, how his life was to change.

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — In 1987 Abdullah’s wife was working at the Academy of Sciences in Tashkent. There she met two translation specialists working on the translation of the New Testament into Uzbek. One was called Simon, the other Peter.

One day she brought home a paper in Uzbek. The translators had asked her if her husband would check it against the Russian text from which it had been translated for them, as the regular translator was out of the country. He agreed.

“Peter and Simon liked the work I did,” he says, “including the notes I kept and the changes I made.” As a result Peter went to see him and asked if he had the time to provide some more substantial help. Having agreed, he was given the Book of Genesis.

“As he did the work, God in turn was working on his heart. “Before that time,” he says, “I had never read the New Testament, but when I read it I believed that it was true.”

“I checked the Uzbek translation against the Russian, and then he gave me the New Testament Epistles. In the course of two or three years I checked the whole of the New Testament. They were very happy with my work.”

As he did the work, God in turn was working on his heart. “Before that time,” he says, “I had never read the New Testament, but when I read it I believed that it was true.”

When the revised New Testament was published, he had the opportunity to read it and check it again.

“Then I understood what I hadn’t understood before. I believed in its message and began to worship God regularly.”

In 1995 he and his fellow translators began work on the Old Testament. He has been working on it ever since.

“I particularly enjoyed translating the books of Kings,” he says. “The relationship between God and the kings is very interesting, especially God’s relationship with David and King Solomon. We can learn a lot from it.”

Whilst preparing the Old Testament, Abdullah has been offered several other jobs, including one in the office of the president of the Republic.