The process of language development includes dictionary-making. We have not helped the Badwe'e people do their dictionary yet, so we are preparing one for them to add to and improve.
It is over 3000 words in length.
We are confident of the completeness of only one part of the dictionary, the adjectives. This is because the adjectives of Bantu languages are usually a "closed set". Otherwise stated, they are few in number. The other words used do qualify a noun are nouns.
The 12 adjectives in Badwe'e have the following meanings:
"light" and "dark"
"small" and "big"
"same" and "different"
"new" and "old-fashioned"
"cold" and "hot"
"genuine"
"complete"
I hope that the rest of the dictionary can become somewhat more complete now.
6/07/2010
6/02/2010
"Genesis" in Badwe'e is now being checked
Mary and I are comparing the Badwe'e translation of Genesis with the Hebrew text and finding many ways to assist the Badwe'e translation team in improving it. One of our advantages is knowing about those "literary devices" that were used by the human author of Genesis to lend prominence to the part of the text that was deemed most important.
Another important literary device is backgrounding. It may be hard to recognize for someone unable to read the Hebrew.
Fortunately, our main Badwe'e translator is now going to seminary and is learning Hebrew.
We expect that the benefits from this will be a more exact translation, which also maintains its high standard of clarily and naturalness.
Another important literary device is backgrounding. It may be hard to recognize for someone unable to read the Hebrew.
Fortunately, our main Badwe'e translator is now going to seminary and is learning Hebrew.
We expect that the benefits from this will be a more exact translation, which also maintains its high standard of clarily and naturalness.
5/04/2010
Community Mobilization
The So community has completed a period of reflection about the need of a written form of their language and of a translation of God's Word. They have sent some members of their community to a program which was held by SIL and by CABTAL at the SIL training center. Please pray that they will return from it with a new understanding about how a whole community can be involved in the Bible Translation task.
Janvier Ekoalea Succeeding in Seminary
Janvier Ekoalea is praising the Lord for a largely successful conclusion to the first year at seminary. Keith and he have had conversations about the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek texts. We are grateful for the instruction that he is receiving and see this as a very promising new development in the Lord's work.
New Literacy Campaign
Keith and Mary helped the Badwe'e and Nzime language communities complete new literacy manuals in the first quarter. Pray for new interest in becoming literate with a simplified writing system.
A Catechism Being Tested
Three pastors in the Presbyterian church have inaugurated the use of a catechism that we have prepared with the Reverend Ernest Njyelo. These were published in a test edition of 25 copies and are being used within these three parishes.
The catechism is a translation of Rev. Harold Kallemeyn's work, entitled "I Belong to God".
One point that we see being made in the catechism is that Africans need to understand themselves as covenant-keeping participants in three families. One is the ethnic group, but the other two are the Church and the human community. We hope to print a larger number of these books in June.
The catechism is a translation of Rev. Harold Kallemeyn's work, entitled "I Belong to God".
One point that we see being made in the catechism is that Africans need to understand themselves as covenant-keeping participants in three families. One is the ethnic group, but the other two are the Church and the human community. We hope to print a larger number of these books in June.
Sunday School Guide and Daily Devotional Book Prepared for Publication
The Badwe'e scripture use team was approached by the Presbyterian Church literature committee to translate the denomination's Sunday school materials and daily scripture meditations into Badwe'e. The team was able to complete this and is now in the process of getting them published. The Presbyterian Church contributed a considerable sum toward the publication of these materials to be used by pastors and lay preachers. Please pray that the publication process will soon be completed and that they will be delivered to the remote Badwee area. We pray that this will contribute to the spiritual edification of the Badwe'e people.
One of the people who was instrumental in doing the translation of this book was a young man, called Diphat, who is still twenty. He is the son of Janvier Ekoalea who was the main translator of the Badwe'e New Testament. One of the challenges that Diphat had was to make certain the all the expressions for key terms used in the NT also were incorporated into the devotional readings.
One example of this is that the local people, who were evangelized in a neighboring language, had understood the idea of forgiveness to be merely that of "putting up with", and many of them still use a Badwe'e word for that. They tried to get Diphat to put it into the devotional book. However, with the arrival of the NT, a key term expression for "forgiveness" had been introduced which was a little long, consisting of about five words, but which more accurately expressed the gracious act of God by which sin is put away and remembered no more. The new and more Biblically correct terms are now incorporated into the devotional and Sunday school materials which will be distributed and used soon.
One of the people who was instrumental in doing the translation of this book was a young man, called Diphat, who is still twenty. He is the son of Janvier Ekoalea who was the main translator of the Badwe'e New Testament. One of the challenges that Diphat had was to make certain the all the expressions for key terms used in the NT also were incorporated into the devotional readings.
One example of this is that the local people, who were evangelized in a neighboring language, had understood the idea of forgiveness to be merely that of "putting up with", and many of them still use a Badwe'e word for that. They tried to get Diphat to put it into the devotional book. However, with the arrival of the NT, a key term expression for "forgiveness" had been introduced which was a little long, consisting of about five words, but which more accurately expressed the gracious act of God by which sin is put away and remembered no more. The new and more Biblically correct terms are now incorporated into the devotional and Sunday school materials which will be distributed and used soon.
1/28/2010
The Gospel of Mark Reaching toward the Goal
Colette Nkom and I finished the roughing out of the Njyem translation of Mark yesterday and we are now far along on the path of getting the rest of our future publication to the printer:
What remains before us to finish is:
What remains before us to finish is:
- The front-matter: A foreward and preface
- The glossary
- The study questions that will go throughout the book
- A recording of the text
- Proof-reading by speakers of the language. Most of these would require the recording to make sense of the text, since almost no one is literate yet in the language.
Please pray for these matters to be concluded well.
1/10/2010
Dedication of the Nomaande New Testament
Autorités administratifs, traditionnels et religieux,
Honorables invités
Mesdames et messieurs:
L'essentiel du travail du conseiller en exégèse est de faire les rapprochements entre la retraduction du texte biblique, en nomaande, et le texte biblique de la langue grec. J'ai eu l'honneur d'intervenir souvent au sens de vérifier la traduction du Nouveau Testament en nomaande. Bien que je ne suis ni Nomaande ni Grec, j'avais un attribut qui me rendait capable d'exercer ce devoir de conseiller en traduction, la crainte de Dieu. Je voulais que le produit de cette collaboration soit la Parole de Dieu et non de l'homme. C'est pourquoi je cherchais à vérifier que la traduction nomaande n'enlevait pas un seul mot du texte originel et qu'elle n'y ajoutait pas de mot de plus.
Enfin sommes-nous arrivés au moment de fêter la fin des travaux intensifs que votre équipe de traduction avait consentis de faire. Ils n'ont pas lâché le travail. Nous à la section de la traduction biblique de la SIL sommes engagés à vérifier, à la place de notre maison de publication, le contenu de la traduction. Arrivés à ce point, nous pouvons vous certifier que cet œuvre est la parole de Dieu, véhicule par excellence de la sagesse de Dieu et moyen de communication divine. A partir de quoi, Dieu parsème dans nos cœurs la semence que germe et produit en nous la vie éternelle. C'est le don de Dieu, qui s'est assuré par la communication en toutes les langues du monde que ses vrais enfants à lui naissent et prennent de leur Père céleste les traits de son caractère.
Nous ne nous arrêtons pourtant pas à la traduction du Nouveau Testament. La Bible de Jésus étant l'Ancien Testament, nous sachons que le NT que nous dédicassons aujourd'hui trouve sa place et son contexte dans l'AT. Notre croissance spirituelle ne peut pas longtemps rester normale tant que l'AT ne se trouve pas traduit à côté du NT.
Il convient donc à nous tous de nous consacrer à l'œuvre de rendre aussi beau et claire les récits et psaumes de louange du peuple de Dieu duquel appartenait Jésus à sa naissance. Nous y sommes greffés et nous occupons les places d'honneur par la grâce de Dieu. Occupons-nous donc de la traduction de toute la Bible et de sa lecture quotidienne. Que le message de Dieu prenne place dans nos cœurs par la foi, dans nos communautés, foyers et conversations. Que Dieu soit satisfait par les preuves de la présence de sa parole dans nos vies.
Honorables invités
Mesdames et messieurs:
L'essentiel du travail du conseiller en exégèse est de faire les rapprochements entre la retraduction du texte biblique, en nomaande, et le texte biblique de la langue grec. J'ai eu l'honneur d'intervenir souvent au sens de vérifier la traduction du Nouveau Testament en nomaande. Bien que je ne suis ni Nomaande ni Grec, j'avais un attribut qui me rendait capable d'exercer ce devoir de conseiller en traduction, la crainte de Dieu. Je voulais que le produit de cette collaboration soit la Parole de Dieu et non de l'homme. C'est pourquoi je cherchais à vérifier que la traduction nomaande n'enlevait pas un seul mot du texte originel et qu'elle n'y ajoutait pas de mot de plus.
Enfin sommes-nous arrivés au moment de fêter la fin des travaux intensifs que votre équipe de traduction avait consentis de faire. Ils n'ont pas lâché le travail. Nous à la section de la traduction biblique de la SIL sommes engagés à vérifier, à la place de notre maison de publication, le contenu de la traduction. Arrivés à ce point, nous pouvons vous certifier que cet œuvre est la parole de Dieu, véhicule par excellence de la sagesse de Dieu et moyen de communication divine. A partir de quoi, Dieu parsème dans nos cœurs la semence que germe et produit en nous la vie éternelle. C'est le don de Dieu, qui s'est assuré par la communication en toutes les langues du monde que ses vrais enfants à lui naissent et prennent de leur Père céleste les traits de son caractère.
Nous ne nous arrêtons pourtant pas à la traduction du Nouveau Testament. La Bible de Jésus étant l'Ancien Testament, nous sachons que le NT que nous dédicassons aujourd'hui trouve sa place et son contexte dans l'AT. Notre croissance spirituelle ne peut pas longtemps rester normale tant que l'AT ne se trouve pas traduit à côté du NT.
Il convient donc à nous tous de nous consacrer à l'œuvre de rendre aussi beau et claire les récits et psaumes de louange du peuple de Dieu duquel appartenait Jésus à sa naissance. Nous y sommes greffés et nous occupons les places d'honneur par la grâce de Dieu. Occupons-nous donc de la traduction de toute la Bible et de sa lecture quotidienne. Que le message de Dieu prenne place dans nos cœurs par la foi, dans nos communautés, foyers et conversations. Que Dieu soit satisfait par les preuves de la présence de sa parole dans nos vies.
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