Consultants Help Bridge the Gap  by Susan Hossack

During my first term working as a Bible translation consultant, I often wondered if the translators could complete the translation process on their own without the help of a consultant. The more I have worked with translators, the more I am convinced they really can use our help. Consultants have a vital role to play in bridging the gap between the biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and the target language (i.e., the language of the translation). To accomplish this goal, the consultant also has to help bridge the gap between the biblical languages and the language of wider communication (LWC). This latter language is the official language of the country the translator lives in (English, Spanish, French, etc.).

Translators need to have a good grasp of the LWC in order to use the translation helps available to them, since these tools are often only in the official language of their country.  They need to readily understand the various Bible versions available to them in the LWC and be able to use them as references for their translation work, but for the majority of our translators, the LWC is a second language. So even though they know it well, they often misunderstand some of the nuances of the language. This is where the consultant can step in to guide the translator. As the translators and consultants grapple with the biblical languages and the LWC in order to produce a clear translation in the target language, several difficulties arise.

Sometimes the way a word is translated in the LWC becomes misleading to the translator. In French, the expression used for thanksgiving is actions de grâce (“actions of grace”). As we were correcting the Psalms, I discovered the translators had not understood this expression to mean thanksgiving.  So they had translated it as works of grace. Once they understood the real meaning, they adjusted their translation and used the word in their language for thanksgiving.

When the French and Spanish speak of a flock of sheep, they do not use the word for the genus. Instead, they speak of the ewes. Since the translators want to be precise with their translation, they transfer this directly into their language with an expression that means mother of sheep or female sheep. So the consultant has to point out that the biblical language is actually speaking of the whole flock of sheep, not just the females.

Sometimes the biblical languages and the target language are closer in style and vocabulary than the LWC. This is the case in Matthew 18:16b. In French it reads, On règlera toute affaire sur la parole de deux ou trois témoins. (“Will settle all dealings on the word of two or three witnesses.”)  The Greek text reads: “On mouth two witnesses or three stands every word [i.e., saying].” In the Dagba language of Chad, Africa, it has been translated, “As according mouth of persons two or three will set on things all together.”

Westerners are often confused when the Bible speaks of fearing God. They think only of the aspect of being afraid of displeasing him and trembling before him. In some African languages the concept of obeying or honoring is expressed as fearing the spirit. For example, “honor your father and your mother” is translated in Dagba by I bol ndil bura’i ku ku kô’i. (“Fear the spirit of your father and of your mother.”) So when they hear of fearing the Lord, they understand that it speaks not just of being afraid, but also of obeying and of giving honor.

Helping translators transmit the Word of God into their language using words that capture precisely and succinctly the meaning of what God spoke to the original readers makes our job as consultants deeply satisfying and worthwhile.