Paratext is the software that is used to do the actual translation work on the computer. It is an extremely powerful tool that significantly speeds up the translation process. Recently the Asaro'o translation team attended a two-week workshop that introduced the basics of using Paratext. Praise the Lord with us for providing this training and working to equip this team to do the translation work more effectively.
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| Steven, Martin and Freddy after the Paratext graduation ceremony |
Members of the Madi and Domung translation teams also just graduated from a six-week workshop designed to teach basic computing, English and critical thinking. This was a stretching time for the team members and we are proud of how far each of them have come. Computers are a reality in Bible translation work and so this training is critical for that reason alone. Using English commentaries and Biblical resources and thinking about (and solving) translation problems using critical thinking techniques is also critical for a strong translation. We are thankful for God's provision in teaching these team members these important skills.
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| Nigai, Nosingke, Mailong, Nangsi, Noel and Simon after the Initial Skills graduation |
The Asaro'o team also recently had a chance to have a dedicated work session in the nearby town of Madang. It was a productive time and a great encouragement to see some new people involved in the work that haven't in the past.
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| Johnson, Martin, Freddy, Paul, Steven, Hildagard and Martha at the end of the work session in Madang town |
So Jon, do you have a hand in creating (sourcing) the Paratext software and then teaching the team to become familiar with it? And can you expand on what is meant by critical thinking techniques? Celebrating this milestone with you!
ReplyDeleteBarry & Jo
Hello Barry & Joanne. Thanks for reading and keeping up with us and our work. And for the questions!
DeleteI do not have any involvement in the development of Paratext. This is done as a joint UBS/SIL project and has a team of full-time developers that are working on the code. This software tool is used worldwide and has significantly sped up the Bible translation work over the past 10-15 years. Check out http://paratext.org/ for more info on this really important and cool piece of software.
When you are translating the Bible into a different language and culture it is very common to come up against "problems" that need to be solved. How to translate that word to make the original meaning clear, what kind of metaphor should be used here (is a metaphor appropriate), how do we balance a naturally flowing translation against translating literally. These are all serious questions that need to be discussed, Biblical resources need to be examined and decisions need to be made. This objective analysis of these problems and arriving at an appropriate judgement is what I mean by critical thinking. This is something that doesn't always come naturally to all of us and the initial skills workshop that the guys were able to attend really helped them develop that skill.
Thanks for celebrating with us! It is important for us to remember that Christ's church is rejoicing with us (even on the other side of the world).