MAKING ONE WHERE THERE IS NONE, OR MAKING A GOOD ONE BETTER

                                                                         by David Parker 

The Bibleless population is estimated to be approximately 350 million persons representing more than 2,000 languages.[1] This is roughly a third of the world’s languages.  The one and only all-purpose resource provided by God to plant churches in each people group is the Bible; therefore, Bible translation needs should be a consideration in every cross-cultural church planting program.  First, a Bible; then, a convert, then, a church.  The Bible is essential to faith and life; we must make it available to everyone (John 20:31 and 1 John 5:13).  Every missionary would testify that his job is not complete until his people receive God’s word in the language of their hearts.  Paul saw the Great Commission as a duty (Romans 1:14 and 2 Timothy 2:10); and so did William Nevins.  “I wonder that we who have the Bible, and think so much of it, and have such means of multiplying and circulating copies of it, do not resolve at once to attempt, within a reasonable period, to give it to the world, since the world can only have it by the gift of those in whose possession it now is.”[2] Taking on the God-honoring, commission-completing task of Bible translation for two thousand languages won’t be easy; but it is our duty.  It is also groundbreaking, strategic, and important!  Imagine this – a people who’ve never had a Bible receive one for the very first time.  Those words will change everything for them!  They do change everything, don’t they?

I constructed my title to answer the question, “How do we accomplish this?”  We need to identify Bibleless peoples, then, understand who they are, pray for them, own one, and begin faith steps toward meeting their need.  Then, we must listen to our missionaries already on the field who are working with an inadequate copy of the Bible.  Most Bible translation efforts are conducted by good-intentioned, but imperfect persons.  Some translators are uneducated and fearful; others are uneducated and dangerously confident; some proceed with sectarian bias.  Missionaries often feel compelled to engage in Bible translation out of necessity in order to disciple believers and to establish the church; they use unique analogies to help the uninitiated understand the urgency of the local Bible situation.  However, before we can engage effectively in these two areas, we need to dismantle some false assumptions regarding Bible translation.  This article won’t tackle them all; but I hope it will serve to enlighten Bible translation stewards.

The False Assumption of One Translation

Accurate and widely-accepted Bibles are often the product of many translation efforts.[3] Some people imagine that the very first Bible produced for a Bibleless people will be perfect; but, the truth is, that first Bible will invariably contain unintentional mistakes.[4] These can be minimized through the participation of several skilled translators and many others who read the translation drafts and provide helpful comments.  Mistakes are most commonly found after documents have been printed and distributed.  Why didn’t God keep Abraham from lying, Moses from hitting that rock a second time, David from watching roof tops, or Peter from sleeping and then cursing?  Had He intervened, these great leaders would have been even better.  The unembellished reality of the biblical record is that godly saints serve the Lord imperfectly.  Even on a good day, my testimony may be prone to accusations of hypocrisy.  God is more than my testimony declares Him to be, and He allows this.  Our purest motives and finest efforts are fallen, not infallible.  Translation initiatives for Bibleless peoples should be carried out with excellence; but they will need to be revised.

The False Assumption of One Source Text

While it is possible to translate the Bible into another language from only one source, it is not ideal; and in most cases, it is unwise.  From what does a Bible translator work when he sits down to begin his translation?  He uses the most accurate Bible available in his own heart language; if he is multi-lingual, he uses the best Bible/Bibles available in other languages which he speaks.  A source text for Bible translation is, in fact, a resource.  Careful Bible translators will equip themselves with every available, accurate resource relevant to their task.  Having a multitude of “counselors” is a good thing.  The Bible tells us that credible testimony is only established when two or more witnesses affirm the matter.  When the King James Bible was translated, the translators not only had several earlier English translations and the original languages before them; but they also used several foreign language translations as well.[5] No Bible translation effort should be deemed credible which fails to consult the original biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek.[6]

The False Assumption of One Translator

The translation work of William Tyndale defeats any would-be attempts to discredit individual translation efforts.  Tyndales are rare.  Tyndale and Spurgeon represent remarkable historical figures who tend to make most of us feel inferior; but their skills, like our own, are in measure the grace of God.  While I join the ranks of those who marvel at the gift of genius, I am convinced that most translation work should be conducted by teams.  Team translation involving mother tongue translators has several advantages:  1) first language speakers are the ideal translators in any language rather than second language speakers;  2) multiple sets of eyes are preferable when it comes to the tedious work of translation and editing a document the size of the Old or New Testament or the entire Bible;  3) few individuals possess all the skills and knowledge needed in the task of Bible translation; therefore, the work of several members working in roles correspondent to their individual education, skills, and experience produces a better quality translation than may be achieved by any lone translator; and  4) the prospect of theological subjectivity of key texts in the translation is greatly reduced through the candid, grace-seasoned discussion among multiple team members.  The legacy of the KJV argues for both individual and team translation in that it is the product of a team, the majority[7] of whose final work came, unquestionably, from the earlier effort of an individual.[8]

The False Assumption of One-word Equivalents

It is very difficult to discuss translation in non-technical terms.  This is further complicated if the intended audience knows only one language.  Many people have the mistaken idea that translation is simply a matter of exchanging words in the source text for an equivalent word in the new language.  While this may appear to be a beautiful academic theory, languages often don’t have direct one-word equivalents (e.g., English has one word for “love” – two if you count, “charity” – but Greek has four words for “love”).  In addition, languages have different rules for the order of words (Hebrew normally starts with a verb; some languages end with verbs.  Genesis 1:1 in the Hebrew reads, “In the beginning, created God the heaven and the earth”; but verse two follows the exact word order as we have in the KJV).  Some of the difficulties in translation are the combined result of the lack of one-word equivalents and the complexity of different rules of grammar (e.g., in English, Jonah 4:3 reads, “for it is better for me to die than to live”; while the Hebrew reads, “because good is my death from my life”).  The difference here is the disparity between the way English and Hebrew express a comparative (English, “better . . . than”; Hebrew, “good . . . from”).  These and many more differences demand an intimate knowledge of the languages translated from and into.

Whether we are involved in attempting to get a Bibleless people their very first copy of God’s word or in helping a missionary give his people a more accurate Bible, entering into this mission-essential endeavor requires an ever-growing understanding of the true nature of this work.  Beginning this important work in naivety means, we may never make it to the finish line.  God has left the task in our imperfect hands.  Now therefore, O God, strengthen [our] hands[9] and heads.

David Parker

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