Bible translators ‘face same pressures as any other Africans’

EAST AFRICA — Managing translation teams naturally involves tasks such as providing appropriate training in linguistics and the use of computer technology. In many contexts, though, those responsible for translation projects also have to deal with much broader issues, as Dr Margaret Muthwii, a UBS Translation Consultant based in Kenya, explained in a recent interview at the World Service Center.

Photo: Dr Margaret Muthwii, a UBS Translation Consultant based in Kenya [photo: UBS/Dag Smemo WR404/15 KEN06DJ-137]

“We must always remember that, in many African countries, translators have to divide their time between their translation work and providing for their families. Much of the time they live like any other African. Finding the money to send their children to school is a particular challenge.

“In Tanzania, for example, the translators have to keep their farms going throughout the year, so it’s very difficult to stick to a strict schedule for completing the translation work. We have to live with unpredictability: the translators are not there for us all the time.

“Even in Kenya, where translators receive more financial support, we have to release them just before the rainy season, as they need to go and help their relatives with the farm work. We try to make sure that all the translators working on a particular project come from the same area, so that they all go off at the same time.

“This is one reason why translation projects can take many years to complete. We are keen to address this problem, and we are looking at the possibility of giving translators more financial support. That way, they would not have to worry so much about school fees and other domestic costs.

“The communities awaiting the finished Bible would also benefit. If a project takes a very long time, say 30 years, there is a risk that some of the words used in the earliest stages of the translation have become obsolete by the time the finishing touches are being made. Then you have to do some revision work before you have even published!

Technology

“Another way in which we can speed up the translation process is by providing more technology. Until relatively recently, it was common for translators to write out their work by hand and then pass it to somebody else for typing. This took a long time and would often just transfer errors from one desk to another. Now there is a drive towards providing translators with computers and with access to tools such as Paratext. A lot of our work is therefore related to training translators to use this technology.

“We are training all the time! For me, the main challenge is not checking translations, it is training people to a sufficiently high standard and equipping them to cope with the work. Sometimes you have to be prepared to offer individual support to translators, as the skills that are required of them are changing all the time and they all learn at different speeds. You are constantly moving on with them, but we thank God for the way they are responding and learning.

Big challenge

“It used to be thought that older people made better translators than younger ones, as they were more experienced. Now, though, people are starting to accept that young people can make a significant contribution to translation work, especially because the vocabulary they use is more up-to-date.

“So a big challenge for people managing translation projects is to find the right balance of young and old translators.

“In Kenya, for example, 74 per cent of people are under 29 years old, so you cannot only use translators who are in their 50s. You must find at least one or two translators who are around 30 years old. In fact, review teams now insist that translation teams contain a certain percentage of younger people.

Long-term validity

“The younger translators often point out words that are no longer used by the younger generation! If there is any debate about the choice of words, we give preference to the words used by the younger translators, as this will ensure that the translation has long-term validity. Some people who love to preserve their language accuse us of letting their language die off. We simply point out that it’s still the same language, just with some different words.

“But however hard we try to plan ahead and ensure that we have strong teams in place, we must always bear in mind that anything that affects a community also affects Bible translation. If there is a drought, for example, or if war breaks out, the translators are hit just as badly as the rest of the community. Sometimes your planning is really thrown off course, because you might aim to achieve a certain amount in a season and then find that your translators cannot work. Our work cannot thrive when the Christians we are serving are suffering. We are the same people! So the cry and the prayer of the Church are our prayer and our cry, too.”

The second part of this interview with Margaret Muthwii will appear in the next edition of World Report. (WR 404/15 - 08.06) [1 photo]