WHAT IS A TRANSLATION WORKSHOP?
In our latest Prayer Request update, you will see see a mention of a Translation Workshop coming up in April. Here, where I have a little more room to write, I will try to describe in a little more detail what that’s all about, and explain that prayer request in a little more detail.
Translating the Word of God is not only an enormous undertaking, it is a humbling and sobering task! There is always more to learn about how to determine the meaning and how to communicate it well. Experienced translators and consultants can teach others a great deal, and good dialogue between those of us who are involved in the same ministry is both interesting and helpful. Often, there are new reference works and software for us to learn about together. To communicate so much to dozens of translators, it is more efficient to gather everyone together for a workshop… traveling to each tribal allocation to cover the same material one-on-one with each translator would take too long and run up huge travel bills.
This translation workshop in particular is a little different. It is called a “Team Translation Workshop.” We will not only be gathering all our translators in the Philippines together with some of our mission’s translation consultants, but we will also have each translator’s teammates… their church planting co-workers, join us. The purpose of this is so that everyone can learn together to facilitate the translation. The church planters are familiar with the Bible and they know the tribal language, and they are the ones who will be using the translation, so it is important that they learn how to give good input to the translator. It is also helpful for them to understand the translation process and the principles involved so they will have less questions concerning the translator’s work. Co-workers can also have a part in the translation process itself, and we will explore that together at the workshop.
OUR DILEMMA…
That explains why I need to communicate with my Palawano translation helpers. I need to let them know about the workshop, and find out which of them (how many guys and which ones, specifically) can come to the workshop. They in turn need to know in time to make provision for their families during the time they will be gone, etc. But all this is difficult since they are all on Palawan in the village and I have no way to contact them! My main helper Giyang comes out to town from time to time to buy supplies since he is also our village clinic medical worker. I have left word with people in town which they will pass to him if they see him.
Is is critical that we are able to find out who can come to the workshop very soon so we can book their tickets (we cannot buy tickets without knowing the passengers’ names), and flights are filling up due to the Philippine schools Easter break.
PLEASE PRAY…
So if you think of it, please pray that Giyang will come out to town and get my letter. Pray, too, that two or three of the translation helpers I need will be willing and available to come to the workshop.
BUT MOST OF ALL…
Pray most of all that we will learn to translate better… and faster, and thus to make good progress to quickly get the Word of God into the hands of the Palawano church.