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Translation News April 2022

BMBrian Migliazza · Apr 6, 2022, 2:32 PM · Last modified: Sep 28, 2026, 11:39 AM
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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.

April 2022

  • Locally Rooted - Phil King
  • New Translation Consultant - **Murali Garnipudi (**South Asia) 
  • New Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting - DIU
  • Translation/Exegetical Advisors Training - Thomas Hemphill 
  • Translation Training Updates - Phil King
  • Bible Translation 2023 Conference - 13-17 October 2023
  • Oral Translation Services News - Nathan Payne
  • New Publications - Sue McQuay
  • 10 Biblical Terms I Wish Christians Had in English - Jost Zetzsche
  • Now With The Lord - 
    • John Callow (1933-2022)
    • Dick Hohulin (1931-2022

Useful Links
 SIL Translation Services

  • International Leadership Team
  • Area Translation Coordinators

 -- from Greg Dekker, ITS Director --
 Last month in the ITS News I opened the Newsletter with a thought on SIL’s relationship within the Church. This was the first in what continues this month as a 3-part introduction to three “anchors” which are shaping SIL planning these days. This month Phil King, International Coordinator for Translation Training and Development, talks about the anchor, “Locally Rooted” and how this concept impacts SIL and all of us as partners in the Bible Translation Movement.

Locally Rooted
 Phil King

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. … 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12)

 Just like the wider church, the global Bible translation movement is a reflection of the body of Christ, with each part making its own unique contribution. During the ITS leadership team face-to-face meetings in January, we spent some time thinking about how this also applies to International Translation Services.

 We too are part of the body: an integrated whole that connects translators, facilitators, managers, consultants, trainers, researchers, and resource developers, whether in their own local contexts, or working remotely with a regional or global perspective. Whether local exegete or global administrator, we all have an important role within the church, the body of Christ.

 Paul continues his metaphor by stressing that: 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

 Are there ways that we might subconsciously be saying ‘I don’t need you’ to other parts of our body? This might be the perception when global conversations and decisions are only accessible to part of the body, when meetings are scheduled only to fit those in certain time zones, or discussions are only held in languages that exclude some of the body. It might also be communicated when local movements choose not to engage with global initiatives, or say ‘they don’t understand our context’. It’s communicated every time we say ‘we already know how to do this best’, rather than ‘we can all learn from each other’.

 These are challenging issues to address as we seek to be the body of Christ that is, more than ever, both locally rooted and globally cohesive. How can we make sure we communicate to all parts of the body that we don’t just value you, we need you? Please do share your ideas for how we might do this better together!

New Translation Consultant
 Murali Garnipudi

Murali Garnipudi - South Asia
 Congratulations to Murali Garnipudi (Rhema For the Nations, India) on completing all the requirements for certification as an entity-level Translation Consultant, including completion of 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. Reverend Murali has been working with Beulah/ Rhema for the Nations in India since 2010 in a number of roles: video editor and technician for Jesus Films, audio technician for the VAST Oral Bible translation, and Exegetical Facilitator with a local team. In 2013 he began as a Consultant-in-Training (CiT) with several translation teams. Murali received a B.Sc. in Computers (2005) and then in 2007 studied for a Bachelor of Theology at Immanuel Theological Seminary. He also trained in general linguistics and translation with Wycliffe India. He has a Master of Divinity from Guntur Theological Seminary (2017), a Diploma (2017) and a Bachelor in Bible Translation (2020) from the Senate of Serampore. As part of his CiT training, Murali has been consulting with various teams in India and also in other countries. Murali and his wife Tanuja are blessed with two boys, Danny and Manvith Joy.

 His primary mentor, Paul Schmidt (SC Translation Consultant) writes:  

  • I have had the privilege of working with brother Murali for the past six years and witnessed his growth both spiritually and professionally, first as a Translation Facilitator and the past four years as a Consultant-in-Training (CiT). 
  • I commend him for his patience and perseverance, and wholeheartedly recommend him as a Translation Consultant!

His supervisor, Sudharani Prathipati, says:   

  • Brother Murali has demonstrated a genuine interest and involvement in the work of God, also relates well with his co-workers.
  • He shows a good degree of sensitivity and tolerance to differing situations and viewpoints and the ability to resolve conflicts.  
  • He is a respected worker and growing leader with Beulah/Rhema for the Nations and has served in many capacities: such as teaching, checking, conducting workshops, technical skills, helping in the translation, etc. 
  • I believe Murali is able to motivate co-workers and others and I am personally convinced of his commitment to Christ. He is a life-long learner and willing to serve others. 

New Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting 
 Dallas International University

Dallas International University is developing a new graduate certificate in translation consulting (GCTC) to be launched next year in June 2023. Please email George Payton for further information. This new translation Consultant-in-Training (CIT) program will combine practical experience on the field with coursework in the academic environment, providing a broad range of learning experiences that enable CITs to gain competence in a variety of skill areas necessary for working as translation consultants. This offers another training option for translation CITs and their mentors that can be taken at a single educational institution. It also serves organizations who wish to outsource any portion of consultant training.

 The GCTC program focuses on two types of competencies within the "Competency-Based Certification" system that Translation Consultants must be able to demonstrate in order to successfully fulfill their roles: 1) General Core Competencies, and 2) Technical Translation Competencies.  

  • The GCTC enables individuals to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) that contribute to being certified by their sponsoring organizations as translation consultants. 
  • This program provides a learning experience that facilitates CITs developing and demonstrating competence in five core areas. 
  • This program offers a guided mentoring curriculum that equips the CIT to reach outcomes that satisfy competency standards in each area. 
  • It is designed to facilitate developing both the technical and interpersonal skills that are necessary for working as Bible translation consultants. 
  • The CIT’s sponsoring organization, not DIU, is responsible for certifying them as a fully recognized translation consultant.

Translation/Exegetical Advisors Training
 Thomas Hemphill 

We would like to announce the brand new EMDC Affinity Group for Translation/Exegetical Advisors! The aim is to teach on topics that are relevant for the day-to-day work of translation advisors and exegetical advisors, such as exegetical issues, linguistics, orality, SE, anthropology and more.  The purpose is not to introduce new ideas or initiatives, but to reinforce topics Translation Advisors and Exegetes might already know something about, and which are useful in their day-to-day work.

 If you are already signed up for EMDC, you can click here to access more information about the group. If you have not signed up with EMDC, click on EMDC.online to get enrolled. For further information, email Thomas Hemphill.

 All topics will be run twice a day at different times, so that everyone in the world can attend at least once in their waking hours. We aim to have approximately one topic a month.  So far, we have Internalisation scheduled for 11 May, Names of God scheduled for 16 June, and we are currently working out dates for other topics such as Biblical Geography, Scripture Engagement for Exegetes and more.  Keep your eye on on this landing page as more topics get added! 

Translation Training Updates
 Phil King

EMDC.online now offers several different communities to participate in and grow your skills alongside others: check out the 'communities' tab. You can find groups devoted to Bible Translation and Language Technology, Bible Storytelling, Global Diaspora, and groups focused on French, Spanish and Indonesian speaking contexts. Let me highlight particularly the new Translation / Exegete Affinity Group, with upcoming sessions on 'Internalisation' (11 May, with Bron Cleaver) and 'Names of God' (16 June, with Paul Lawrence). Also, the next session of the Bible Translation Training and Development CoP is scheduled for 12 May, with the topic still to be finalised. Just log in to the EMDC platform to sign up for any of these.

 The Digital Training Library (DTL) continues to be developed, primarily by Biblica and Fuller. They write: As you are thinking about your training needs this year, are there ways you might incorporate the DTL courses into your training toolbox? Some of our existing clients are using the DTL creatively in combination with their existing training programs. You can find all the details about the certificates and scholarships on the DTL website. Contact Susie Lipps for further details.

 DTL is currently accepting applications for scholarships to cover the cost of these training certificates. But don't wait. The application deadline is May 1st! 

  • Foundations in Bible Translation (English, Hindi, Spanish)
  • Biblical Greek - Beginner (English, French, Indonesian, Hindi, Spanish)
  • Biblical Greek - Intermediate (English, French, Indonesian, Hindi, Spanish)
  • Biblical Hebrew - Beginner (English, French, Indonesian, Hindi, Spanish)
  • Biblical Hebrew - Intermediate (English, French, Indonesian, Hindi, Spanish)

As I've mentioned in previous newsletters, this is a new initiative, so there aren't many testimonials available yet. If you want to test out its potential usefulness in your context, the first three modules of Foundations are still free, so you can give those a trial run. Please do share with me any feedback that I can report back to the Steering Committee. 

Bible Translation 2023 Conference
 13-17 October 2023

Save the dates of 13-17 October 2023 for the next Bible Translation Conference - this link will soon be updated with the 2023 information. Email the organizers for further information. This time, the conference will have a hybrid format with both in-person and online participants. Here are some general dates to keep in mind:  

  • Call for Papers -- January 2023  (specific date TBA)
  • Abstract submissions -- January to May 2023 (specific dates TBA)
  • Early Bird Registration --  opens April 2023 (specific dates TBA)
  • It is not too early to start your research if you would like to submit an abstract.

The BT Conference 2021 Proceedings can still be purchased on this BT Conference website by translation colleagues who did not attend the conference.  Access to the Proceedings is free for those who registered.  

Oral Translation Services News
 Nathan Payne

The Oral Translation Services Unit is pleased to announce a major new release of the SIL Transcriber software. The new release allows users to do drafting, recording, peer review, testing and consultant check for Oral Bible Translation and Storying projects. Go check it out.

 We're also happy to report that initial field testing of the Oral Exegetical Tools materials for Jonah is underway. We expect these materials to be very helpful for translators who are primarily oral learners. Contact me if you want to learn more.  

New Publications
 Sue McQuay

The much-requested ePub version of Katy Barnwell's Bible Translation: An Introductory Course in Translation Principles, Fourth Edition is now available at online distributors, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple. The materials are designed for the classroom but are also suitable for self-study, such as by those who are already qualified in biblical languages and exegetical skills and are training as translation consultants. Read more about the book. Additional Materials are available online.

 From SIL's Read Online PDF e-Book series, these are two popular releases:  

10 Biblical Terms I Wish Christians Had in English
 Jost Zetzsche

Congratulations to Jost Zetzsche on his recent article in Christianity Today, entitled 10 Biblical Terms I Wish Christians Had in English. Since 2016, Jost has been curating UBS’s (United Bible Society) Translation Insights and Perspectives (TIPs) tool. His latest book is Encountering Bare-Bones Christianity. It is fascinating to see how languages around the world translate the Bible in different and often insightful ways. Peeling back the linguistic layers allows us to see how other languages and cultures view God through the language they use.

 Jost says: Human language is a marvel, one that opens pathways to remarkable spiritual insights. Each successive insight in the global conversation between speakers of thousands of languages and God can enrich our understanding of who God is and how he works in our lives today.  

Now With The Lord

John Callow (1933-2022)
 SIL Africa & Global

 An influential colleague, John Callow, passed away on 01 March 2022, at the age of 88. He joined Wycliffe UK in 1955 and in 1958 completed his PhD research in Brazil (Apinaye). He was then assigned to work in Ghana (Kasem). In 1967 he was trained by John Beekman in Mexico as a Translation Consultant. In 1974 Beekman and Callow published their seminal study on "Translating the Word of God." John worked extensively with the Semantic Structural Analysis (SSA) resource, taught at many SIL schools, ran field translation workshops and trained many translators to become consultants. He then served with the Eurasia team in the 1990s until his retirement.  

Dick Hohulin (1931-2022)
 SIL Philippines

 Our beloved colleague, Dick Hohulin passed away on 13 March 2022, age 90, after a brief battle with cancer. Dick served a lifetime with SIL Philippines amongst the Ifugao people. He was a noted translation leader, Translation Consultant, and author of Translator’s Notes. Link to Richard M. Hohulin obituary from his four sons.  

Useful Links

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 

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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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