Deep in the Forest in Maine

Where would you expect a translation workshop for the Tenek language – a language spoken by the Tenek Indians of Mexico – to be held? If you were to hazard a guess, you probably would not imagine it might be held in Maine. A few years ago, BI staff would not have been able to imagine it either.

It was the brainchild of Translation Consultant Ross Hodsdon that local pastors might benefit from seeing a translation workshop in process. They would better understand all that is involved in putting the Word of God in a vernacular language, perhaps understanding for the first time that just plugging words into a computer program does not result in an accurate, natural-sounding rendering of the Word of God in the receptor language. So Ross began the concept of holding workshops in the US, whenever feasible, and inviting area pastors to attend those workshops.

Tenek translator Fernando Angeles and his wife, Christy, are happy to come to the US, where Christy’s parents live. It allows them to get away from the many day-to- day interruptions that make concentrating on a translation workshop almost impossible in a Tenek village, while providing them with a steady source of electricity. Although the Hodsdons and the Angeles had met in Maine on previous occasions for such workshops, they had never before met in a hunting camp in northern Maine, outside the town of Patton.

That location provided up-close and personal contact with wildlife. Fernando had the opportunity to successfully pull in several nice trout, and both of them witnessed large moose step from the woods. Thanks to the generosity of a young couple, the Hodsdons and Angeles, along with Consultant-in-Training Anna Beth Wivell, were able to spend three days in the hunting camp in this remote spot. It provided a never to be forgotten time of work and respite.

The workshop in its entirety lasted 10 days, giving the translator and the consultants time to work through the book of James and a good part of the book of Acts. Fernando had sent material well in advance, permitting Ross to study it and zero in on areas that appeared to him to be unclear or questionable. During the 10 days of the workshop, day-long sessions were held in three different churches, allowing area pastors to see actual translation work in action. The Angeles were happy when suggestions were made that will result in an improved understanding of the text by Tenek readers.

The next Tenek workshop is scheduled to be held October 11-14, 2010, at Northland International University in Dunbar, Wisconsin. By holding the workshop there, faculty and students will be able to see a workshop in action. At the same time the Scripture translation workshop is being held, Dr. Connie Champeon, Literacy and Linguistics Coordinator at Bibles International, will conduct a literacy workshop with Christy Angeles in another room. Interested Northland students will be able to attend that workshop as well, exposing them to the intricacies of literacy work. Bibles International has already recruited Northland students to travel with teams to Asia, where they are able to use their skills and gifts in a tangible way.     Pray with us that the Lord will continue to call out gifted students to serve Him in the area of literacy and translation so that the work at Bibles International might continue to grow, advancing the cause of Christ around the world.

We praise the Lord for those three days spent deep in the forest of Maine. Besides providing a brief time of rest and enjoyment, they also provided a retreat center where work on the Tenek language moved that translation project closer to the day when the Tenek people will hold their New Testament in their hands.