“With My Whole Stomach”
(Day Workshop in Sahr, Chad)

The Day (pronounced “dye”) Old Testament translation workshop in Sarh, Chad, from July 28-August 11, 2010, demonstrated how idioms must be respected in translation. Chief Language Consultant Dr. Troy Manning teamed up with Joshua Hedges, a translation consultant who has been living with his family in Chad for a couple of years and has been learning the Day language. Also attending the workshop were Philippe, the head translator; Moise, the back translator; and Salomon, an assistant translator. Natoingar Phulber, a member of the Day committee, also attended many of the days so that he could offer his help and encouragement to the team.

The book of I Chronicles and several chapters of II Chronicles were checked for accuracy to the Hebrew text. The Day language structure has many differences from the Hebrew structure. For instance, a negated sentence places the negative word at the end of a statement. So when God tells Nathan the prophet to speak to David in I Chronicles 17:4, the Day language says, “Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt build me a house to dwell in – not.” That must have been quite a disappointment!

In English, we say that we show emotion “with our whole heart.” Languages vary in how they identify the seat of emotions. The Day people locate it in the stomach. They say that they love the Lord with their “whole stomach.” If a person is nervous, their “stomach is lifted.” If they feel calm, their “stomach has fallen.” Isn’t it amazing how each language has its own design and beauty?

In II Chronicles 5, the translation committee took many hours discussing the details of the construction of Solomon’s temple. Each measurement needed to be exact, and the types of wood and the decorations of the pillars had to be specified. The verb for “overlay with gold” had to show the correct action, since Day specifies whether the material is spread like plaster or like powder.

By the time the group finished the intense task of working through the description of the temple in minute detail, they were overwhelmed at the thought of what it must have been like at the climax in II Chronicles 5:13-14: “Then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” What a glorious sight it must have been!

Dr. Manning introduced a spreadsheet to Joshua and the translation team to help map out the progress and completion of the translation. The translators are conscientious and hard-working, but they had not yet determined the completion date for the translation of the Old Testament. Based on the team’s pace of doing around 10-15 verses per day, they established the goal of finishing the work by 2019. As they work through the Old Testament then, they will need to do around 200 verses per month.

Dr. Manning was also able to preach at various churches in the area. In two churches, he preached from passages in Matthew, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. Since the two Old Testament books have been translated but haven’t yet been printed, he printed out portions from these books so that the people could follow along in Day. The people probably heard these passages that day for the very first time in their own language! No wonder many came forward after the service to purchase their own copies of the New Testament. A whole boxful of approximately 35 copies was sold, and the leaders had to take down names of around 20 more who wanted their own copy. An entire box of the Sara Madjingaye (a dominant language in the area) New Testaments was also sold. Hopefully the Day trial editions of Exodus and Deuteronomy, which should be printed soon, will be as popular among the people.

Pray for the translation team as they work on the remaining books in the Old Testament. Pray also for the preparation and acceptance of the upcoming trial editions. Pray too that God will provide the funds to sustain this project so that the Day people can indeed have their finished Bible by 2019—or sooner!