Translation News - Feb 2022

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 International Translation Services (ITS) works in collaboration with colleagues in SIL and other agencies to creatively steward and advance the translation practices, tools, methods, and training necessary to enable a supportive environment for individuals and communities to flourish and engage with Scripture.
 We value: Interconnectedness. Capacity Building. Diversity. Innovation.

February 2022

• “Rocket orbiting the Earth is on a collision course with the moon!” - Greg Dekker
• New Consultants 
  • Peter de Niet - Africa 
  • Sarah Adams - Eurasia 
  • Fletcher Hardison - Asia
• Editorship of The Bible Translator - UBS 
• Textual Criticism Short Course for Translators & Exegetes - Thomas Hemphill 
• UBS Translation Resources - Andy Warren-Rothlin 
• New Biblical Hebrew Courses - Baruch Kvasnica

Useful Links
 SIL Translation Services

• International Leadership Team
• Area Translation Coordinators

“Rocket orbiting the Earth is on a collision course with the moon!”
 Greg Dekker (ITS Director)

The headline jumped off the page at me! I thought, “Wow! Something was obviously done wrong somewhere along the way.” I read on… “After breaking through the Earth's atmosphere and launching the weather satellite toward its destination, the rocket's second stage propulsion boosters malfunctioned, stranding it in orbit with not enough power either to advance or to return to Earth.” I’m thinkin’, some engineer - or maybe several engineers - on the second stage propulsion boosters lost their job on that one!

 We sometimes hear the words “It’s not rocket science”, an idiomatic way of saying, “It ain't that hard!” I’ve heard people say that Bible translation is not rocket science. I disagree.

 There are many (a million?) things that can go wrong in the process of accurately, naturally, and clearly rendering God’s Word in a language best understood by a given community or individual. You know the stories… a discourse marker improperly used which makes the Biblical narrative sound like a fairytale; a word or concept used which attributes wrong meaning to core teaching of Scripture. Mistakes found even in a final revision are not unusual. I recently heard testimonial from a respected translator and translation consultant who confessed that even after years researching and “sweating” over what seemed to be good representations in the target language of concepts in the original, this person admitted that they may have missed expressing it exactly right. Wow! After years of painstaking work and focus on every detail - linguistic considerations, cultural and anthropological considerations, studying the intent of the original author - this well educated, conscientious, hard-working translator admits they may have missed expressing it exactly right?!

 Bible Translation IS rocket science. Let no one tell you otherwise.

 My respect for you, my colleagues and partners in the Work, who work tirelessly to get it right has only been boosted (pun intended!) over many years of working alongside you. My hat is off (to show respect) to you! Getting it right is so important. Can it be done in 2 years? Can it be done with a modicum of training and orientation? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Are there degrees of accuracy and quality that we aim for? I haven’t seen this in the translations I read and rely on.

 In our recent face-to-face team meeting, the International Translation Services leadership team took up the topic of quality assurance in Bible translation. We discussed how we might contribute to a discussion on this topic in the days ahead. Maybe a conference? Where we invite papers to be presented on the topic? Maybe a series of virtual roundtable discussions? Whatever the means or venue, it is a timely topic. We all very much want God’s Word made available to people in the most efficient way possible. And, we want the message to be clear, natural, and accurate. Let’s talk soon about ways to continue to improve both.

New Consultants
 Peter de Niet, Sarah Adams, Fletcher Hardison

Peter de Niet - Africa
 Congratulations to Peter de Niet (Reformed Mission MERN). Michael Jemphrey (SIL Francophone Africa Domain Team Leader for Translation) announced that the SIL Accreditation Committee for Translation Consultants in Africa has reviewed his dossier and accepted the recommendation that Peter be declared a translation consultant. He was mentored by Hans Hoddenbagh.

 Since 2013 Peter and his wife, Ineke, have worked with the Dutch Reformed Mission MERN (Évangélique Réformée Néerlandaise) in Guinea-Conakry. He serves the Mogofin language community as the project coordinator and exegete for their Bible translation program. Peter has an MA in Theology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2010) with a specialization in Bible Translation. He has written several entries for the Key Terms of the Old Testament (KTOT) dictionary. As part of his training to become a Translation Consultant, Peter has been (co-)consulting with various teams from SIL and PBT in Guinea, Senegal and other African countries.

 Michael Jemphrey says: 

• Thank you to Peter's mentor, Hans Hoddenbagh, and all who have helped and encouraged Peter to this point. 
• May the Lord bless Peter and all with whom he works as a consultant.

Sarah Adams - Eurasia
 Linda Humnick, Chair of the SIL Eurasia Consultant Technical Evaluation Committee (CTEC), announced that Sarah Adams has qualified as new Translation Consultant. Sarah studied gerontology at university, and thought she might devote her life to ministering to the elderly, perhaps specifically people with Alzheimer's disease. However, upon hearing about the need for Bible Translation around the world, she felt God's leading to change directions in order to help provide His word to people who do not yet have it. She completed an M.A. in Applied Linguistics at GIAL (now Dallas International University), then moved to West Asia to serve with SIL in November 2006, joining a translation project after language learning. Interestingly, she has worked with a number of older colleagues over the years, and some joke that her gerontology training has come in handy. Her project team leader encouraged her to complete a mostly online study program to grow in her knowledge of Biblical languages, while continuing to serve in West Asia. In 2017, she completed the M.A. in Biblical Studies with a New Testament focus from Multnomah Biblical Seminary. Sarah loves being a part of the Bible Translation work, and is so thankful for all the local and expat colleagues she has the opportunity to work with.  

Linda writes:  

• Eurasia’s Consultant Technical Evaluation Committee met and unanimously approved your qualification for the role of Translation Consultant. 
• We praise God for what He has done in your life and ministry to bring you to this point, and we want to express our appreciation for your hard work, diligence, and desire to use your gifts in consulting services.
• We would especially like to add our thanks to all those who have invested in your development through their mentoring and guidance, prayers, finances, and other types of support.
• In the process of reviewing your dossier, we have learned about your excellent technical and interpersonal qualifications and the service you have already offered to teams and colleagues. 
• We especially appreciate your deep commitment to lifelong learning. 
• Most of all, we are grateful for your commitment to Christ and to communicating the truth of Scripture. 

Mark Robinson (SRA Director), says: 

• I’m so excited to see Sarah reach this milestone in becoming a Translation Consultant. 
• Her love for learning, enjoyment of studying the Scriptures in the original languages, and her passion for using her gifts for the blessing of the peoples of our region have all come together in this new phase of her ministry. 
• I look forward to seeing how God will use Sarah to impact many other language communities.

Fletcher Hardison - Asia
 Congratulations to Fletcher Hardison (SIL Asia) on completing all the requirements for certification as an entity-level Translation Consultant -- including successfully completing the Asia TCDW 2020! Angie Foo and her Asia Bible Translation Coordination Team have verified that he is a qualified Translation Consultant and is now able to work independently with translation teams.

 Fletcher and his wife, Amy, joined Wycliffe USA in 2012 and have been working in Southeast Asia since 2014, after completing the M.A. in Linguistics (2013) at the University of North Dakota. In addition to consulting, he continues working as a translation facilitator with a local team. Michael Martens (mentor) and Charlie Hanawalt (supervisor) have overseen his mentoring over multiple checking sessions with Tammy Price, Kathy Taber, and Roger Hanna.  

Editorship of The Bible Translator
  

The Bible Translator is the leading academic journal dedicated to the theory and practice of Bible translation. It has been published continuously since 1950, and exists firstly to serve those directly involved in Bible translation, aiming to encourage sharing of the results of their research and records of their practice. It exists also to provide a forum for a wider community of scholars and students. The Bible Translator warmly welcomes submissions from all colleagues working in Bible translation!

 As of January 2022, the editorship of The Bible Translator is passing to a new team comprised of Marijke de Lang, Andy Warren-Rothlin, and Clare Knowles:

• Marijke de Lang is a UBS Global Translation Advisor based in the Netherlands with responsibility for projects in Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe, as well as several sign language projects. Her PhD from Leiden University was on the rise of historical and literary criticism in the synoptic study of the Gospels from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
• Andy Warren-Rothlin is a UBS Global Translation Advisor based in Switzerland with responsibility for projects in Nigeria, Chad, Pakistan and West Asia, UBS’s Bible Translation Roadmap and TAZI work. He is also a member of the SIL Board of Directors. His PhD from Cambridge University was on Hebrew grammar in the Psalms.
• Clare Knowles is Translations Coordinator at Bible Society New Zealand. Her PhD from Otago University was on translation tendencies in Old Greek Isaiah.

Textual Criticism Short Course for Translators and Exegetes
 Thomas Hemphill

Do your translators and exegetes feel overwhelmed when they have to make textual criticism decisions? Do they struggle with making sense of all the textual notes and commentaries, especially when it comes to the baffling BHS apparatus?  

Thomas Hemphill (SIL Eurasia Translation Coordinator) will be teaching a course, Introduction to Textual Criticism for Translators and Exegetes, through the EMDC platform in March 2022. The four 90-minute sessions will include a brief look at the textual history of both testaments, which textual sources are the most important, and how to use the apparatus in the Greek UBS, the Hebrew BHS and BHQ, as well as the HOTTP information in Paratext. We will also look at how to make use of Translator's Notes, the UBS Handbook and various commentaries. It is not a full course on textual criticism, but a useful introduction for those who have studied some Greek and Hebrew but might feel overwhelmed with how to use the textual apparatus, and how to weigh the various textual sources.  Although the course is aimed at translation/ exegetical advisors, it would also be useful for advanced MTTs and translation consultants.

 Thomas taught the course last November 2021 at a time convenient for those in Asia, Africa and Europe. Due to a number of requests, he will be teaching the course again this March 2022 at a time convenient for those in the Pacific and the Americas (9am Sydney time).  Please check the EMDC Online upcoming class list for the dates and times in your time zone.  If you are not sure if you would like to come for the whole course, Thomas will be presenting a one hour taster session titled "Textual Criticism is Fun!" on 23rd/24th February 2022, details of which are also available at EMDC Online. If you wish to attend either course, please register at EMDC Online  Feel free to email Thomas with any questions.

UBS Translation Resources
 Andy Warren-Rothlin

Andy Warren-Rothlin (UBS Global Translation Advisor) has let us know that UBS has revamped its public translation resources page. This is intended as a key hub for access to the range of UBS and shared translation resources and tools for creating, managing, publishing and distributing translations. There is a wealth of information available here, that all translation personnel need to be aware of and use regularly! UBS welcomes your contributions to its journals (The Bible Translator is particularly keen to receive practical papers), and participation in many of its projects.

• Paratext - the world’s leading software application for creating and editing new Bible translations, writing study Bibles, and revising existing translations
• The Digital Bible Library - an online digital asset and licensing management platform for Bible translations
• UBS Translation Resources Store - a one-stop-shop for all physical and digital resources available for purchase from UBS that are specifically designed to support Bible translation, including handbooks covering all books of the Bible, monographs, training videos and topic-specific technical helps 
• Publications - packed with insights to help you in your work, providing practical examples of issues that translation teams have grappled with in the past and the solutions that have been found
• Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (SDBH)- is based on semantic domains, comparable to Louw and Nida’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
• TAZI - is a UBS special audience initiative with a vision to facilitate access to and engagement with the text and message of the Bible
• Translation Insights and Perspectives - an ongoing project to collect and share stories where biblical translations offer fascinating and unique insights into the original text
• ProgressBible - a dashboard which provides a comprehensive view of Bible translation across the world

New Biblical Hebrew Courses
 Baruch Kvasnica

In 2020 and 2021, two cohorts of Bible translators and consultants studied Biblical Hebrew at Jerusalem Seminary’s Hebrew for the Nations. Each cohort was taught by two Israeli instructors who were certified by Hebrew for the Nations. This year, starting in March 2022, Jerusalem Seminary will provide two additional three-month Hebrew courses, using this communicative model with two teachers for each class. The courses will be offered live online on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00-10:30 am US Eastern Time (4:00-5:30 PM Jerusalem Time) and will also be recorded, so catching up and review is possible.

• Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language (Level 1) - Beginners welcome! Learn Biblical Hebrew as a living language from Israelis (Hebrew for the Nations certified instructors) using an interactive spoken Biblical Hebrew methodology! 4 Credits (60 hours) $600 USD.
• Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language (Level 2) - This new offering continues education in Biblical Hebrew through speaking, reading, and writing. It either requires a prerequisite by completion of Level 1 or if you feel strong in Hebrew a placement test can be taken to enter the course. 4 Credits (60 hours) $600 USD.

Jerusalem Seminary also has three other Bible-related classes offered in March 2022 that may be broadly helpful for the Bible Translation worker: 1) Faith, Politics and Ministry; 2) Jewish Life and Literature; 3) Life and Land of Yeshua.  Check out the Jerusalem Seminary course catalog.

Useful Links

• Email the SIL International Translation Resources Office
• International Translation Services ILS Google page
• Join/visit the SIL Translation Resources Google Group
• Visit the public SIL.org/Translation site
• Purchase Translation Resources at SIL.org/Resources/Publications 
• Bamboo Project website
• Mentoring Matters website - Mentor Training Courses
• Consultant Development and Management Team

SIL Translation Services 

International Leadership Team 

• Greg Dekker - ITS Director
• Dick Kroneman - International Coordinator for Translation Research and Practice 
• Paul O'Rear - International Coordinator for Translation Resources
• Phil King - International Coordinator for Translation Training and Development
• Nathan Payne - International Coordinator for Oral Translation Services
• Bill Bivin - Global Consultant Pool Director
• Brian Migliazza - Operations Manager

Area Translation Coordinators 

• Angeline Foo - Asia 
• David Nicholls - Pacific
• Michael Jemphrey - Francophone Africa
• Jonathan van den Broek - AngloLusophone Africa
• Thomas Hemphill - Eurasia
• Rick Floyd & Mike Miller - Americas 
• Yuki Yamada - Global Sign Languages Team (GSLT) 

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Copyright © 2022 SIL International Translation Services. All rights reserved.
 You are receiving this email because of your interest in translation updates.

 This newsletter is produced by SIL International Translation Services. Editors are Tuula O'Rear and Brian Migliazza. It contains items of interest for translation personnel within SIL and related organizations. It includes notices of upcoming conferences and workshops, announcements of recent dissertations and journal articles, and pointers to useful information related to translation.
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