Metaglossia: The Translation World

Le Cercle Émile Storck traduit actuellement une partie de l’œuvre poétique du Gueb-willerois. « Aujourd’hui, on ne peut rééditer des œuvres en ...

This year marks the 400th birthday of the most widely distributed and most widely read translation of the Bible ever. Begun in 1604, the King James version was completed, approved and sent to the royal printer in 1611. Such a hallmark in history undoubtedly warrants attention. How has the Bible changed throughout history? How will it go forward in a technological age that’s moving beyond the printed word? Gruenewald, Innovation Leader for the YouVersion online Bible, explores the possible futures for our sacred text.

‘If we are to understand the word of God, God needs to translate himself into our language, so that his words can speak deeply to each person,’ reflected Elvis. ‘It’s the translation of the word of God into my language that is at the base of my own faith.’

Elvis Guenekean was once an atheist, an eager student of humanistic philosophy, and firmly set against Christian faith. It was the process of translating Scriptures into his own language and the persistent prayers of his wife that God used to bring Elvis into a relationship with Jesus.

Photo by Zeke Du Plessis
‘When my wife would return home from prayer meetings, I would mock her, asking her a series of philosophical questions,’ he remembers. ‘I aimed to persuade her that God didn’t exist and that her faith was useless.’ He remembered that his remarks often made her cry, but also that he never dissuaded her from praying for him. [...]

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Some delegates have expressed dissatisfaction over a number of articles in the constitution which they argue contravenes against the teaching of Islam while some opposite sections of the document relating to the statues of the capital Mogadishu and language, among others.

Translation is a fraught act in every culture. Sometimes, as last year’s fracas over A.K. Ramanujan’s essay Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples And Three Thoughts on Translation showed us, even talking about translation is a fraught act. Ramanujan’s essay, which investigates the complex relationships between a story and the discourse of and about that story, was dropped from a list of prescribed reading for the University of Delhi’s undergraduate history course following protests which claimed, with deplorable inaccuracy, that the essay was blasphemous.

The affair of the Three Hundred Ramayanas indirectly highlighted the outsize influence translation has in a multilingual country, with much of its folk and classical corpus told, written and read in verse. That verse forms the main body of English poetry translations published in India today. But while classical translations still make up most of the books in this market, the impact of contemporary poetry in translation is more variable and less easily understood.

“We’ve never really published contemporary poetry, by living poets, in translation,” R. Sivapriya, managing editor, Penguin India, says. “The classics, largely pre-19th century work, tend to come from long-existing classical languages.”

The purpose of this consultancy is to complete the proofreading and quality control of the contents of the newest edition of the Immunization Summary, to be published in 2012. For details please see the terms of reference.

Minimum Qualifications and Competencies

• Expert mastery of the English language.
• Meticulousness and attention to detail.
• Excellent analytical and conceptual ability.
• Prior experience proofreading texts and statistical compendia in English, preferably dealing with public health or international development topics.
• First-level university degree in English, humanities, or social sciences.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organization.

Duration: One month and 12 days (from September 1, 2012 through October 12, 2012).

How to apply
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and signed United Nations Personal History Form (P11 form) to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line “Immunization Summary Proofreader” by August 02, 2012. Please indicate your ability, availability, and daily rates to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications without daily rate will not be considered.

And Elvis was an atheist!

Sorry, not this Elvis, the Elvis of the album cover, but Elvis Guenekean! Elvis, from Central African Republic, was an eager student of humanistic philosophy and dead set against the Christian faith. But as he got involved in translating the Scriptures into his own language and, as his Christian wife persistently prayed for him, God’s Word brought Elvis into a relationship with Jesus. That’s why Wycliffe Bible Translators do what we do!

There are lots of great stories around the Wycliffe Bible Translators websites and blogs at the moment, but I really enjoyed this one about Elvis Guenekean from the Central African Republic.

Wycliffe colleagues working on this project have come home to UK and Elvis is now leading the project!

I was far from fluent in their language, and their discussions delved into topics foreign to me. But spending a week with them made me appreciate their creativity and courage more than ever. Some sixty men, and a few women, gathered at the JAARS Center in late September 2011 to share their projects, discuss needs, and seek God for the future of software development for Bible translation.
People gifted in computer skills, such as these software developers and other team members, are sometimes classed as quiet and introverted, but I did not find them so. One by one they addressed their colleagues, talking animatedly and often with humor about the special software they were developing and how it would be used to accomplish Bible translation, and related projects, faster and easier.
And when this group worshiped before the day’s packed schedule began, their strong, expressive voices blessed me as much as any practiced choir. They praised God for his creativity—and asked for gifts of creativity in return. They called Jesus their Vision and Vision Provider.

Does language research invalidate grammar instruction? Why can't students transfer what they have learned to their speaking and writing?

I hear the same two comments at English-language arts conferences all the time: 1. “I’ve heard that research has proven grammar, usage, mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction doesn’t work.” 2. “I teach grammar and they seem to get it. They pass my tests and do okay on the standardized tests, but they don’t transfer the learning to their writing or speaking. And they just don’t retain what we’ve covered. Their next-year teacher always asks why I don’t teach grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling.”

So, should we bother teaching grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling? Some would say “No.” This is what Dr. Stephen Krashen recommends, at least until high school. Dr. Krashen finds that students learn grammar, usage, mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary most efficiently through free voluntary reading, not explicit instruction or even writing, as my old National Writing Project colleagues would advocate. Now, to be fair, Dr. Krashen does see the value of teaching some usage issues and grammatical terminology. And he advocates teaching students how to use language resources, such as language handbooks, to correct errors and improve writing style. But he, and others of his ilk, certainly support the overall position described in the first comment listed above. My view is that the collective jury is still out on this research question.

Irrespective of the research into the effectiveness of explicit grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling instruction, the writers of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) certainly affirm the need for instruction in these skill and content areas. In fact, grammar, usage, mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary now have their own CCSS Language Strand in the English Language Arts Standards. Apparently, language instruction is back in style.