I saw a vast crowd...from every nation, tribe, people, and language...Revelation 7:9
Two men set out in their canoe for the neighboring island. It was a full day's row across 40 miles of open ocean. This was very common practice quite some time ago, and in many places, it still is. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day in the Solomon Islands.
Unfortunately, a storm came out of nowhere and blew the men off course. They didn't see land for 6 weeks, and it was a miracle they survived. A plane had spotted them and dropped them some food. They finally landed in Papua New Guinea, about a thousand miles from where they began.
When they made it home, they were excited to share how God had answered their prayer and saved them! They had prayed over and over "Our Father... Our Father... Our Father..." A missionary later asked them why they had only prayed these two words. They replied those were the only two English words they knew. The missionary suggested they could pray in their own language. "No," the men said, "God doesn't understand our language."
Hopefully, you know as well as I do that God created all people, loves all people, and understands all people. But these men did not know that. The only Bible they had ever seen was English; the only church was English; the only people who seemed to know God personally were English. For these men, Christianity would always be foreign until the Bible was in their language.
The beautiful part is that Bible translation efforts came out of this story; today one of these men's grandsons is the senior translator in the Solomons. The sad part is that the great misconception in this story is not unique to the Solomon Islands. All over the world missionaries have heard people say "God doesn't understand our language." My heart longs for the day when every single person on earth would be able to easily pick up God's Word and understand who He is and how much He loves them!
Unfortunately, a storm came out of nowhere and blew the men off course. They didn't see land for 6 weeks, and it was a miracle they survived. A plane had spotted them and dropped them some food. They finally landed in Papua New Guinea, about a thousand miles from where they began.
When they made it home, they were excited to share how God had answered their prayer and saved them! They had prayed over and over "Our Father... Our Father... Our Father..." A missionary later asked them why they had only prayed these two words. They replied those were the only two English words they knew. The missionary suggested they could pray in their own language. "No," the men said, "God doesn't understand our language."
Hopefully, you know as well as I do that God created all people, loves all people, and understands all people. But these men did not know that. The only Bible they had ever seen was English; the only church was English; the only people who seemed to know God personally were English. For these men, Christianity would always be foreign until the Bible was in their language.
The beautiful part is that Bible translation efforts came out of this story; today one of these men's grandsons is the senior translator in the Solomons. The sad part is that the great misconception in this story is not unique to the Solomon Islands. All over the world missionaries have heard people say "God doesn't understand our language." My heart longs for the day when every single person on earth would be able to easily pick up God's Word and understand who He is and how much He loves them!
The opportunity to know God deeper
Think for a moment of the blessings in your life. Some examples may be a good father or mother, electricity, being born an American citizen, having diverse friends, a certain teacher, pastor, or someone who has saved your life. For me, one of the biggest blessings in my life is the Bible.
Scoff if you must, but the Bible has shaped my parents' love for me and my siblings. It shaped the church I grew up in. It shaped many of my teachers, bosses, and friends. To a debatable extent, it has definitely shaped the government and larger society I grew up in.
Now obviously, since English is the native language of almost everyone I’ve mentioned here, having an English Bible has been instrumental. I really can’t imagine not having the Bible in my language. John Wycliffe first translated the Bible into English in the 1300’s. For this crime, he was posthumously declared a heretic, excommunicated, and his bones dug up and burned! (Turns out the Pope frowned upon giving people the Bible in their common “vulgar” language! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe)
Hundreds of years later, an organization named after Wycliffe is striving to translate the Bible into every language that will use it, and there are over 7,000 known languages in the world! That’s why I’ve joined Wycliffe – to help give that great blessing to others. The Bible has transformed millions of people into disciplined and loving individuals. It certainly transformed me and my parents before me and their parents before them. There are still millions more yearning for the opportunity to know God deeper!
Hopefully, this has answered the questions of ‘Why Bible Translation at large?’ and ‘Why would Noah do Bible Translation?’ Please send me your questions and comments!
How does a translation project work?
First, there are a couple prerequisites.
A translator:
There must be someone willing to do the translation who knows the target language well and can write well.
Resources:
The translator must have a proper text to translate from, the technology or materials to write with, and adequate support. There are many kinds of support. Encouragement will be crucial, since translating can be a tedious process. Financial support is usually necessary, since translating doesn't usually pay for itself. Linguistic and theological support will be crucial at many stages.
Secondly, it's important to know what you're aiming for.
Wycliffe's criteria for a good translation are:
Clear, Accurate, Natural, and Acceptable
The meaning must be clear to the target audience. The translation must be accurate to the original text. The language, flow, and style must be natural to the target audience; otherwise the translation will seem awkward or foreign. Finally, the translation must be theologically acceptable; there is no substitute for being true to God's Word and character.
Now, on to the Stages of Translation!
FIRST DRAFT: A preliminary, tentative translation that will be tested
and improved. Revisions continue throughout successive drafts.
REVIEWER CHECK: Speakers of the target language read through the
translation to make corrections and suggest improvements.
BACK TRANSLATION: Rendering a translation back into a language
of wider use, usually in a word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase format.
The back translation enables consultants who do not know the target
language to evaluate the accuracy and adequacy of the translation.
CONSULTANT CHECK: A skilled and experienced adviser meets with
the translation team to discuss the wording of the translation, verse-by-
verse. The adviser may share how known problem passages have been
handled by others and also give advice on broader and more general
aspects of the program.
EXEGETICAL CHECK: Ensuring accuracy in translation and
faithfulness to the source text by comparing the translation to the
original Greek or Hebrew.
CONSISTENCY CHECK: Ensuring consistent translation of key
biblical terms, important theological concepts, Bible names and parallel
passages throughout the entire text. Reasons for necessary variations
are clarified.
REVISION: Changes made to the translation to improve accuracy and
readability, making it more faithful to the original meaning and more
natural in expression in the target language. Every translation goes
through many revisions. Revisions require follow-through, entering
corrections and further rechecking.
FORMAT AND STYLE CHECK: Ensuring that supplemental material is
prepared and checked, including a preface, footnotes, glossaries, maps,
pictures, captions and introductions to the books. Verses and chapters
are numbered, and spelling, punctuation and paragraphing are checked.
PROOFREADING: The long, intense and demanding task of checking
all the details of an entire manuscript, including those listed under
“Format and Style Check.”
TYPESETTING: Once final decisions are made on the aesthetic
presentation of the book (size and style of print, overall layout and
design, etc.), the edition is ready for print.
First, there are a couple prerequisites.
A translator:
There must be someone willing to do the translation who knows the target language well and can write well.
Resources:
The translator must have a proper text to translate from, the technology or materials to write with, and adequate support. There are many kinds of support. Encouragement will be crucial, since translating can be a tedious process. Financial support is usually necessary, since translating doesn't usually pay for itself. Linguistic and theological support will be crucial at many stages.
Secondly, it's important to know what you're aiming for.
Wycliffe's criteria for a good translation are:
Clear, Accurate, Natural, and Acceptable
The meaning must be clear to the target audience. The translation must be accurate to the original text. The language, flow, and style must be natural to the target audience; otherwise the translation will seem awkward or foreign. Finally, the translation must be theologically acceptable; there is no substitute for being true to God's Word and character.
Now, on to the Stages of Translation!
FIRST DRAFT: A preliminary, tentative translation that will be tested
and improved. Revisions continue throughout successive drafts.
REVIEWER CHECK: Speakers of the target language read through the
translation to make corrections and suggest improvements.
BACK TRANSLATION: Rendering a translation back into a language
of wider use, usually in a word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase format.
The back translation enables consultants who do not know the target
language to evaluate the accuracy and adequacy of the translation.
CONSULTANT CHECK: A skilled and experienced adviser meets with
the translation team to discuss the wording of the translation, verse-by-
verse. The adviser may share how known problem passages have been
handled by others and also give advice on broader and more general
aspects of the program.
EXEGETICAL CHECK: Ensuring accuracy in translation and
faithfulness to the source text by comparing the translation to the
original Greek or Hebrew.
CONSISTENCY CHECK: Ensuring consistent translation of key
biblical terms, important theological concepts, Bible names and parallel
passages throughout the entire text. Reasons for necessary variations
are clarified.
REVISION: Changes made to the translation to improve accuracy and
readability, making it more faithful to the original meaning and more
natural in expression in the target language. Every translation goes
through many revisions. Revisions require follow-through, entering
corrections and further rechecking.
FORMAT AND STYLE CHECK: Ensuring that supplemental material is
prepared and checked, including a preface, footnotes, glossaries, maps,
pictures, captions and introductions to the books. Verses and chapters
are numbered, and spelling, punctuation and paragraphing are checked.
PROOFREADING: The long, intense and demanding task of checking
all the details of an entire manuscript, including those listed under
“Format and Style Check.”
TYPESETTING: Once final decisions are made on the aesthetic
presentation of the book (size and style of print, overall layout and
design, etc.), the edition is ready for print.
See how translating for understanding is important.
God's work, Not ours
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8 - 9 NIV
In several recent conversations, I've focused on how we are saved - the fact that it is God's work and God's righteousness that save us, not our own! As with salvation, Bible Translation is ultimately God's work. It is His ministry, not ours. I am not
trying to separate God’s work from ours, but to point to Him as the originator, orchestrator, and guarantor of Bible Translation!
I've been telling people, "This wasn't our idea, this was God's idea." Consider the very next verse: "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph.2:10). The good work of translation was God’s idea. He has prepared me for Bible Translation and prepared specific opportunities for me. He has prepared all of our good works for us to do, and He has made us to do them!
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8 - 9 NIV
In several recent conversations, I've focused on how we are saved - the fact that it is God's work and God's righteousness that save us, not our own! As with salvation, Bible Translation is ultimately God's work. It is His ministry, not ours. I am not
trying to separate God’s work from ours, but to point to Him as the originator, orchestrator, and guarantor of Bible Translation!
I've been telling people, "This wasn't our idea, this was God's idea." Consider the very next verse: "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph.2:10). The good work of translation was God’s idea. He has prepared me for Bible Translation and prepared specific opportunities for me. He has prepared all of our good works for us to do, and He has made us to do them!
What is He calling you to?
Don't brush it off. Weigh the cost and consider that pleasing God is worth more! Yesterday I told a few coworkers "If all I ever get out of life is a 'Kudos' from God, I'll be happy!"
So how is God the guarantor of Bible Translation? He desires that every
people know Him and reveals that every people will be praising Him in heaven. (Psalms 64:9, 1 Timothy 2:4; Revelation 7:9)
How will they know Him? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:14-17)
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to every people, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 NIV
Many believe Christ will not return until the Bible is available in every viable language. How else could "every nation" (which really means every people group) understand the gospel? Most people will never understand it until they hear it or read it in their heart language, the language they spoke at home growing up.
Faith Shatters Walls
When the Israelites entered the promised land, there was a walled city standing in their way, the city of Jericho.[i] The Israelites were not equipped to besiege a city. But surely God had a plan; He had brought them here! He told Joshua to march the entire army around Jericho daily for seven days. On the seventh day, they were to march around seven times and then blow their trumpets and yell. The walls would fall down, and the Israelites could storm in.
Joshua 2-6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+2-6&version=NIV
Joshua apparently believed that the Lord would make the walls of Jericho fall. Walking around them each day didn’t make any sense. No one makes a city collapse by walking around it. To the human eye, God had given them an impossible task and an unreasonable method to achieve it. But Joshua believed.
Joshua couldn’t take Jericho by himself. God’s instructions were clear: the whole army must march together. It’s doubtful many of them believed the walls would fall this way, but they obeyed! Am I willing to “go out on a limb” to obey God? Would I have walked around Jericho? The Israelites’ faith in the Lord God Almighty had to be great, just like Wycliffe’s founder Uncle Cam’s faith was.
In 1945, Wycliffe first entered Peru to begin Bible Translation. Wycliffe’s founder, Cam Townsend, explained their plan to government official José Jiménez Borja.[ii]
Borja asked if Cam had the translators to do the work. “No, but God will provide them,” was Cam’s reply. Borja asked if Cam had the pilots or the airplanes to get translators into remote places. “No, but God will provide them.” Borja asked if Cam had the funding. “No, but God will provide it.”
Borja acquiesced to Cam’s impossible plan: “If you come back with all of these things, you have my blessing.” As Cam left, Borja told his secretary: “There goes the craziest gringo[iii] I’ve ever seen!” Only a few months later, Cam was back with translators, pilots, and funding, ready to start!
God has already shown us in Scripture that every nation, tribe, people, and language will be represented in heaven.[iv] But walls stand in the way: language barriers. God has also provided a plan to tear down these walls so that people from every language may be added to His kingdom. Wycliffe plans to have a Bible translation project started for every language that still needs one by 2025.[v]
Translators cannot do this alone. God’s instructions are clear: the whole Church must march together. God has called Vicki and me to Bible Translation, and we are asking you to march with us. He has given us an unreasonable goal of having a full partnership team in place by January – unreasonable to the human eye. It is actually more unreasonable to think that God would lead us here and not make the walls fall! It is unreasonable not to believe that God will do the impossible. He already split the Red Sea and the Jordan River for the Israelites, and then He shattered the walls of Jericho. God has already worked miracles in our family, and if we are faithful, He will continue. His plans are always bigger and better.
Will you march with us? www.wycliffe.org/partner/noahvickismith
[i] Jericho was perhaps the oldest city in Canaan and the first walled city.
[ii] the Minister of Education’s assistant.
[iii] foreigner
[iv] Revelation 7:9
[v] https://www.wycliffe.org/about Wycliffe is against compromising the integrity of the Scriptures in order to accomplish this goal. See also a similar inspiring goal at https://eten.bible/