The translator transformed through his work: Nasimkhon’s story

Nasimkhon Rakhmonov is working on the translation of the Book of Isaiah into Uzbek. Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Photo: Norwegian BS/Dag Smemo (UZB04DJ-56.JPG)

UZBEKISTAN — Back in 1987, Nasimkhon Rakhmonov, a talented linguist who works on old Turkish manuscripts at Tashkent University’s Oriental Institute, was asked by the Institute for Bible Translation to check a translation of the New Testament into Uzbek that was being undertaken outside the country. Then aged 40, he had no particular interest in religious matters. He could not have known at that point how this new task, initially just an academic challenge, would totally transform his life within just a few years.

“Reading the New Testament many times over awoke a religious yearning within me,” he recalls. “I was particularly stirred by Paul’s Letters. They are so practical and spoke so clearly about everyday life. They got right into my heart and I found within them many good suggestions for leading a right life.”

Having started out as a reviser, Mr Rakhmonov found himself becoming more and more involved in actual translation work, operating through the Bible Society of Uzbekistan when it was founded a few years later. In March 2001, he was one of the proud observers as the first book of the Bible ever to be published inside Uzbekistan – The Proverbs of Solomon – was launched (see Latest News #145). Since then, he has worked on books including Ruth, Samuel and Jonah and is currently the main translator of the Book of Isaiah. Nowadays, technology allows him to collaborate effortlessly with fellow translators in the US and Argentina.

“None of my university colleagues have reacted negatively to my becoming a Christian,” he says. “Some of my students are Christians, and I now use biblical texts in my teaching. We look at people like David, Abraham and Moses and I tell my students how many biblical figures appear in Uzbek literature of the Middle Ages. We compare these texts with the Bible, setting them against each other.

“I’m the only Christian in my family so far. My wife reads the Bible, but has not yet become a Christian. My children are interested in my work and read what I translate, but they don’t go to church.”