Diverse challenges for the Enxet
translation project

Story provided by Dr Bill Mitchell, UBS Americas Regional Translation Coordinator

PARAGUAY — A workshop for translators who are setting to work on the Old Testament in Enxet took place in Rio Verde, in Paraguay’s Chaco region, at the end of February. The United Bible Societies (UBS) and the Anglican Church in Paraguay have been planning the project for more than two years. Some of the discussions highlighted very basic practical needs, particularly since the Enxet people live in the Chaco, a huge inhospitable plain which extends across Argentina, Paraguay and part of Brazil.

“The Chaco has low shrub, jungle-type vegetation and a climate that reaches extremes of heat, 45 degrees Celsius in the summer,” explains Dr Bill Mitchell. “The Anglican church, through partner churches in the UK – and I think through Tearfund, as well – has found finance that enables them to build an office and accommodation for the translators and their families, who will be there for five or 10 years.

Solar panels

“There is no electricity, but our teams work with computers so that they can use the Paratext software, and so on. Now it’s all set up with solar panels so the computers will be powered by the sun.”

Day-to-day work has to take account of the extreme temperatures.
Commenting on an earlier project in the Chaco, Dr Mitchell says, “In the summer they started at 6.00 am and worked until 10.30am. By then the temperature was in the 40s and there was no air-conditioning so they started again at 5.00pm and worked till 9.00pm with little lamps and so on, because in that central part of the day the heat was incredible.”

Fourth language

Another challenge arises from the issue of language. For, ironically, the language in which most of the Enxet-speakers’ training is conducted is Spanish.

“Spanish would be their fourth language,” explains Dr Mitchell. “Their second would probably be one of the neighbouring group, and their third would be the national language which, in that area, is Guaraní. And their Spanish is not sophisticated, it’s basic.”

The same problem surrounds their Bible reference books, most of which are in Spanish, although the Guaraní Bible is obviously a great asset.