In this interview, Barbro Lindström from the Institute of Bible Translation in Moscow answers various questions about, how to You translate the Bible into a language people understand.
How do you translate a word from the Bible if it doesn't exist in the language you're translating into?
For example, there is no word for "love" in the Siberian language of Chantic. The translation team therefore ran into difficulties when translating the Gospel of John chapter 3 v. 16. After much deliberation, it was decided to use the expression a Christian mother uses for her newborn baby - they "place it in their heart". In terms of expressions from nature, Yakutsk in Siberia, for example, is very different from the area around the Mediterranean where the New Testament writings took shape. The absence of agriculture, and in particular fruit trees, makes it impossible to use the word "fruit", which is often used in the Bible. Therefore, when translating the word wine into Nentecostal, wine was called juice made from berries. You can also use a loan word and create a note on the same page or a glossary at the back of the Bible explaining the meaning of the word. You can create a descriptive sentence explaining the meaning of the word in several words and you can use idioms from the target language.
How do you make the language readable and understandable?
We want people to truly understand the meaning of the Bible. To make sure we use language that people understand, we always test the texts thoroughly before they are published. We do focus group meetings with people of different age groups, from different social strata in society, people with different levels of education and finally both Christians and non-Christians. We ask them to read the text and retell it to us. Then we ask specific questions to see if they have really understood the text. We collect their reactions and give them to the translators, who then adapt the text to make it more reader-friendly and understandable.
In this process, it is also important that the original meaning of the text is not lost. It is often non-Christians who translate the Bible into a population group's own language. Translators always work with an exegetical text researcher who is a Christian and who is familiar with both the original text and the language they are translating into. When the text is tested, the exegete reviews it again and checks that the original meaning is not lost.
It sounds like a very thorough job that needs to be done. Can't a population group have to wait a long time for the Bible to be published in their own language?
We don't wait to publish the Bible until all its books have been translated. Instead, we publish the books of the Bible as they are translated. We might start by publishing one of the Gospels, then the Book of Psalms, and then perhaps the four Gospels in a single edition. Therefore, a population group does not have to wait several years for the entire Bible, but will receive the books of the Bible in their own language on an ongoing basis.
What about the Old Testament? Isn't it more important that the New Testament is translated?
This is a really interesting question. A Karakalpak friend told me the other day: We really need the Old Testament. Without it, we have no background to understand the New Testament. Everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus, so if you don't have access to the Old Testament, you only get a 'half' understanding of the New Testament.
Furthermore, Muslims find it easy to relate to the Old Testament. Muslims are familiar with biblical figures like Abraham and Joseph, and this can be a bridge to bring them into the New Testament. Finally, some populations outside the West share the same lifestyle as the Old Testament characters. They sacrifice animals as sin offerings, they are nomads and travel around with their animals. Therefore, these people groups can relate to the Bible's message in a very practical way when they read the Old Testament.
The translation of both the Old and New Testaments is therefore an important and highly effective tool for bringing the Gospel to all peoples, including those who have not yet heard the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ - in a language they understand.
