Three and a Half Years!
News is out about the Bible Society effort in Zambia to see two local language NTs through to completion in 3 and 1/2 years. We rejoice in this great news!
After I received a short briefing on the project, I started receiving questions for which I don't have answers. It would be really helpful if someone knowledgeable of the situation could post a reply telling us a bit more. Things such as training of the translators (i.e., in advance of the start of the actual translation, and 'on the job'), how many consultants were involved (and what was their personal familiarity with the languages; did they need to work with back translations, for example??), level of support of the churches, any funding advances or challenges, etc. Basically: what were the project variables which contributed to such a speedy finish?
Also, in addition to the 3 and 1/2 years to completion, I heard that there is another year or so left of typesetting, final checks, and various 'clean up'. Could someone comment on that as well?
Thanks for any information on this published, innovative work.
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Hi, Chris. Thanks so much for the response to Freddie's request. I really like your group reviewing procedure. It gives time and place for developing community approval, the recognition of dialect acceptability through public reading, and community ownership. I also am interested in more of the details of your three and a half year project. I was involved in a four language translation project in Ghana (SC's Volta-Ghana) which started translation in 2001 and dedicated the NTs in early 2009. Some preliminary linguistic studies had been done earlier, along with alphabet development and community awareness activities. However, the training of two translators for each language, as well as the literacy materials development and the computer/paratext training was all done within the eight-year funding period. The first Gospels was checked individually, but every other book was approved by a single senior consultant with two CITs present in a group checking setting, using a verse by verse, oral back translation approach. Drafting was completed in the first four years. From the third to the seventh year, group checking sessions were held after every three months, once the work of team checking, community review and the CIT's first exegetical read through had been completed. A series of consultants from Ghana and Africa Area came to try the cluster checking method being developed, and all were happy to see a thorough job being done by teams following the exegesis of a neighboring dynamic equivalence version. OT work is currently underway. So we may understand your model better, would you let us know a few more details about the composition of your team, the training courses they have had, their work schedule and your checking process in the time frame mentioned above?
That is amazing! 3 and a half years! How many Translators were involved? What kind of checking system did they use? How many verses did each Translator work on everyday? I mean drafting, harmonisation, incorporation of Reviewers' comments and suggestions, TC checking etc. We shouldn't rush to produce Scriptures that will immediately need to be revised. As a Translator, I have my doubts. Anyway, bravo! I hope to meet any member of the team some day.