‘I ask only to live long enough to finish this translation’

From a report by the Rev Dr John Harris, Translations Director of the Bible Society of Australia

Joseph Mala (left), chief of Lowainasasa village, is working hard, despite his advancing years and ill health, to complete the Lombaha Bible translation. When he heard that the Rev Dr John Harris (right), Translations Director of the Bible Society in Australia, was holding a workshop on Pentecost Island he decided to attend. Ambae, Vanuatu. Photo: Unspecified (VAN02DJ-1.JPG)

AMBAE, Vanuatu — Joseph Mala is the chief of Lowainasasa village on this small island in the north of Vanuatu, and is at an age when most people would have been retired for 10 years or more.

But, despite his advancing years and ill health, his focus is not on rest and relaxation but on completing the translation of the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament into his language – Lombaha.

Very sick

“I have been very sick and I used to pray to God to make me well and strong again,” he said. “But all I want now is to live – I ask only to live long enough to finish this translation.”

Mr Mala first became involved in the translation in the mid-1980s, when Father Charles Tari was working on it. Although he had many official duties to perform as chief he believed in the importance of the translation project and made time in his busy schedule to work with Fr Tari.

When Fr Tari died in 1999, however, Mr Mala was left as the only experienced translator on the project. By then an old man with deteriorating health, he was helped by two younger men who initially gave him administrative support. As the chief became more ill, however, they started helping with the translating.

Mr Mala eventually suffered a heart attack and went to Port Vila to live with his son and to be near the hospital. His mind was always on the translation project, however, and he worried that the two young men had not had enough training to cope on their own.

When he heard that the Rev Dr John Harris, Translations Director of the Bible Society of Australia (BSA), was conducting a workshop on Pentecost island, he decided to attend and see how the two young Lombaha translators were coping.

Struggling

At the workshop he could see that they were really struggling and made a difficult choice – rather than staying in Port Vila where he could be close to a doctor he decided to go back to his village, which, after heavy rain, is completely cut off from the outside world. If he were to have another heart attack in these conditions, his life could be in danger.