Preparation of Selections

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UBS TRANSLATION OFFICERS MANUAL

Checking Scripture products for faithfulness Preparation of Selections In our Bible work it is clear that we are not able to reach everybody with a complete Bible or New Testament and, even if we could, we know that the potential reader will not necessarily read it with the eagerness we would hope for. A selection has the potential of reaching that wider audience in a different way. In many cases the selections represent the first contact with a person. If these are effective, it can prepare the way for a more solid, extensive and complete presentation of the Scriptures, e.g., a portion, a Gospel, a New Testament or a Bible. The preparation of a selection is something that requires knowledge both of the biblical text and the potential reader or audience. It is an area where most Bible Societies could vastly improve their products. There are at least five areas that are important in the development of a selection: 1. Preparation and quality control. 2. Personnel training. 3. Production. 4. Distribution. 5. Evaluation of the product. This presentation considers the first of these areas. When we talk about quality and quality control, we think about the quality of the form, the quality of the content, the compatibility between the two of them, and the total product. Attention to the steps mentioned in the quality control sheet (Appendix 1) helps to improve the different aspects of the selection and its effectiveness as a whole. 1. Audience research A selection should be directed to a specific group of potential readers. The first step in the preparation of a selection is the identification of an audience to which it will be directed. This implies establishing what are the existing needs and opportunities and determining the characteristics of the target group, e.g., age, sex, level of education, social context, Christian/non-Christian, urban/rural. If it is a selection for a special day or an important event (e.g., Asian Games) it is likewise necessary to make a study to identify the characteristics of the audience that will meet on that occasion.

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Just as we go to the church to worship God, or go to a political meeting to hear what a party has to say, or attend to a presentation of a Shakespeare play to explore a timeless plot, so the potential reader will read a Bible selection expecting to find something in it. What is that person going to find? This area is the responsibility of our marketing colleagues, but as we do our checking and evaluation we as translation officers must also have a clear understanding of the target audience and the specific need for which the selection is designed. 2. Objective or goal A specific selection is directed to a special group to reach a well-defined goal. Therefore, the second step in the preparation consists in determining the purpose of the selection. No selection should be done without deciding first its objective and where and how it can be used. What do we want to accomplish through the selection? Selections can be used for a wide range of audiences and purposes, e.g., - encourage interest in the Christian faith; - comfort the suffering - promote spiritual growth - teach a biblical truth - answer a situation where a human need arises. Once we decide for whom and for what we are preparing the selection, we find that we have taken a significant step forward in the preparation process. We have to think about the selection not as an end by itself, but as a part of a communication process of the Christian faith. It is preferable for specific selections to be part of an integrated plan and programme of a national Bible Society. Selections help us to begin the process and can lead toward another goal (e.g., reading the New Testament or the Bible). 3. Text used: what version? The version of the Bible we are using should meet the requirements established by the UBS. Normally we would use a version published by UBS. Selections may also be produced from work that is in progress, with text that has been approved by a TO. If a Bible Society opts for a version published by another agency, there would have to be agreements with that agency, and royalties may have to be paid. Some translations show the doctrinal bias of the entity that sponsored the translation and would not be recommended for Bible Society use. For instance, a Bible Society would not publish a portion of John's Gospel taken from the New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses. In Latin America the Spanish-speaking societies have two UBS versions available: Dios Habla Hoy3 and Reina-Valera (1995). The NT of the Biblia en Lenguaje Sencillo (Bible in Basic

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Spanish) is also available in electronic form. We need to choose a version in keeping with the target audience. In the last few years in Latin America the number of Bibles and New Testaments in indigenous languages has increased dramatically. The introduction of computers to the translation projects in the 1980's has borne fruit in the form of electronic texts. This provides great opportunities for local production of a great variety of materials in the indigenous languages of the continent. 4. Title The title of a selection should be related to the text and be eye-catching for the potential reader. The title together with the art work should get that person's attention and motivate him/her to accept and read the selection. It is important that the titles (and subtitles) are consistent with the text and that they respect the passage's structure. (See 7.1 below.) 5. Content and meaning The most difficult and important part in the preparation is the selection of the Bible text, but having followed steps 1 and 2 makes it a lot easier. The message of a selection should be a complete message. In linguistic theory and in literary analysis, we talk about the discourse unit. This unit varies in size e.g. a paragraph, a complete letter. The Bible selection, of course, becomes a discrete discourse in itself. The content of a selection should be relevant. A Bible text used out of context, is often no more than a pretext (for many things!). We need to have imagination and creativity when selecting Bible passages. We need to make full use of the great variety of subjects presented in the Bible. We also should avoid partisan themes that focus on matters that are insignificant and marginal in the Bible (e.g. Mormons pay a lot of attention to 1 Co. 15.29 and the baptism for the dead, but it is the only reference in the Bible to this subject). In choosing more than one passage from the same book, or a variety of passages from different books, it is important to ensure that these supplement and complement each other. Who would think in publishing Song of Songs 7 combined with 1 Corinthians 7? We might be in for a surprise! 6. Integrity and cohesion of the text It is necessary to maintain the integrity of the biblical text. The biblical materials we are dealing show structure, meaning and purpose. Do those who design and plan selections respect those purposes in the selection that is being produced?

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When preparing the selection, we seek to maintain the discourse unit according to the biblical context. We need to assure the effective and faithful communication of the passage's meaning according to that context. This presupposes a sound exegesis based upon the criteria accepted by the UBS. The text chosen should not distort the message of the complete text from which it was taken. To achieve this it is recommended that additional material be prepared to help the reader to make a bridge between his/her own circumstances and the original setting. Brief introductions can help the reader to understand the historical and literary context, e.g. - a short explanation of the location of the passage in the Bible story; - a few words to relate the text to the whole book from which the passage was taken; - a brief indication identifying the author, the original audience and the intention when the book was written; - some words to focus the selection's message or subject; - a short passage, which serves as link between the text and the reader. When quoting several passages from the same book or from different books, we can use bridge material to maintain the integrity of the text and guarantee the cohesion of the discourse in the selection. We need to avoid a fragmented content or an incomplete presentation of the subject. For instance, it is important to identify the participants. So a selection should not begin "And he said," without explaining who was talking and with whom. information can be drawn from the preceding passage so that if Jesus is the one speaking, it may become "Jesus said... ". Sometimes implicit information becomes explicit. If a selection began with the words "The next day..." without any other temporal reference, we would draw attention to this. A selection might conclude with a sentence or short paragraph to encourage further thought on the matter, or to help the reader to discover further meaning. 7. Compatibility between form and content From linguistics and semiotics we learn that everything around us is communicating in some way. We are addressed continuously by a number of "voices" each speaking its own language to us: movement, spatial relationships, color, the clothes we wear, body language, gestures, etc. Also, in a Bible selection there is a convergence of several factors that are going to "communicate" something to the potential reader: the paper we use, the illustrations we prefer, the text we select, the font we opt for, etc. A Bible selection should be a harmony. We want to "listen" to a symphony of these voices, not to a debate between competing elements.

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7.1 Title-content Not long ago, I saw on the cover of the journal of the South American Missionary Society the title "The Day Isidro Lost his Trousers". It was a piece about the Wichi project in the Argentine Chaco. Since Isidro is my colleague, it immediately grabbed my attention. I read the whole piece and almost at the end I found an insignificant mention about the day that Isidro did not make it to the translation office due to the fact that someone had stolen his pants while they were drying in the sun. The title created certain expectation and I felt cheated since it had little or nothing to do with the article. In a Bible selection there should be interrelation between the title, the theme and the content. 7.2 Art work-content We need to define the potential reader and, therefore, the most adequate means to reach that person: quality of the paper, type of illustrations, color selection, artistic genre, etc. We should be aware of the challenge of finding illustrations, photos or drawings that go together with the text to produce a harmonious whole. Each culture has its own artistic expression and iconic inventory and, for that reason, we should be careful not to attempt to use only one style for different audiences. For instance, many ethnic groups in the South America reject Annie Valloton's drawings. They ask, "Why it does not have eyes? Is it a ghost?". They prefer more realism in the art. The important thing is the Bible text, and the aim of the illustration or the art is enhance and draw attention to the text, to invite the reader to engage with the text. One of our colleagues has said: "El texto biblico es senor de la ilustraci6n y no la ilustracion senora del texto biblico . With this in mind we should look for harmony and balance between text and illustrations. 7.3 Theme-content The subject or theme of the selection should inform the choice of passage(s) and be informed by the selected passage(s). The lack of correspondence may provoke a certain reaction and rejection from the reader who does not find consistency in the presentation. 7.4 Audience-content The content should be relevant. You don't choose Ga. 3.15-24 for eight-year-old children. Those who prepare the selections need to understand the language, culture and needs of the target audience. They need to understand the message of the book from which they select a

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passage. Besides, the size of the passage should correspond to the reader's age, level of literacy, and concepts of visuality.

8. Format The format and design of a Bible selection help to - give the selection an attractive appearance (as long as it is in keeping with the aesthetic ideas of the target "culture") which will encourage the potential reader to accept the selection; - impact the potential reader and move him/her to read the selection; - facilitate the reading and the understanding and assimilation of the message. The combination of the size of the type, the font used and the intensity of the color should produce something neat and legible. Different fonts should be used to differentiate between Bible text, introductions and bridge materials, but the use of a smaller type face than that of the Bible text should be avoided. 9. Testing Before the selection goes into production, it should be tested among the target audience in order to check its acceptance and detect any implicit meaning that could go against the main message of the selection, e.g. illustrations, cultural background. TO's can work with Bible Society colleagues to design procedures for testing. Many times we prepare selections in a hurry and this important aspect of the process is neglected. As a result we produce something less effective that it should have been. We should encourage Bible Societies to avoid the rushed production of Bible selections. Discipline and a systematic approach are required to plan well beforehand the audience, purpose, theme, text selection, design, and production of a selection. We are part of a team effort. 10. Copyright The copyright of the translation used should belong to UBS or, at least, be available to the UBS. Copyright needs to be indicated in the selection. 11. Colophon The following data is given in the colophon:

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• the version of the text used; - copyright; - address of the Bible Society; - some words encouraging the reader to read the Bible. Likewise. the group sponsoring the selection can be mentioned or the target group of the selection indicated. Let's remember: Creativity is not magic!

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