Pioneering in Timor
by Dwayne Janke
Indonesia
To move Bible translation forward, the dynamic multi-language team working energetically in the Timor region has had to pioneer in two important ways: software and translation strategy.
As the Wycliffe personnel in Timor introduced computer software for Bible translation used elsewhere, they found that the Timorese translators routinely mangled their draft Scripture files.
“Most of them had never used a computer before,” says Wycliffe's Chuck Grimes, who gives leadership to the national Bible translation movement in the Timor region. “We began to realize that pretty much all of the software is designed for educated Westerners, who already have a body of knowledge about what computers are supposed to do.”
Our Word: "bullet-proof"
He turned to an old Wycliffe friend, John Wimbish, a developer of some previous translation software in the organization. Wimbish, who serves with The Seed Company, a project-funding partner of Wycliffe U.S., created a program called Our Word. Specifically aimed for the low-end user, the “bullet-proof” program has worked extremely well.
“It’s being used on about 50 computers around the world so far. We now have several whole New Testaments that have been drafted on it and are nearing completion.”
Chuck’s record for successfully training someone to use the software is 10 minutes—the amount of time he had with a local translator on one remote island who showed up just before Grimes needed to catch a ferry. That team has been using Our Word effectively ever since.
Another new strategy being use in the Timor region is the “front translation approach.” When the first four language projects started, Grimes expected the work to progress simultaneously. But Timorese teams suggested that the Kupang Malay translation be done first, so they could model their translation on it. Kupang Malay is spoken mostly around the capital city region but is also used more widely as a trade language.
Their request was embraced. Now each team drafts their translations based on the Kupang Malay Scriptures, published and dedicated in 2007. These act as a front translation for all the others, accelerating the time needed to finish each NT.
Before the Kupang Malay front translation was available, several teams tried to draft their mother tongue translations from the Indonesian Bible, which Grimes describes as “difficult for many to understand.” It took six months to draft the Gospel of Mark. The story was far different when the Kupang Malay New Testament was available.
“One guy said it took him 10 days,” recalls Chuck. “Another guy in another language said it took him two weeks.”
Photo by Alan Hood
See related story, Celling the Word
Dwayne Janke is Editor of Word Alive magazine (Wycliffe Canada).
帝汶的科技先驅
印尼帝汶地區一個活力充沛的多語團隊，卒先以兩個重要的形式推動聖經翻譯，這兩個形式就是電腦軟件和翻譯策略。
自從帝汶的威克理夫人員向當地譯經團隊引介一套在別處已開始使用的電腦軟件後，他們便發現，帝汶本地的譯經員不時會把翻譯草稿搞垮了。
負責帶領帝汶地區本地聖經翻譯運動，威克理夫成員葛謙卓（Chuck Grimes）說：「他們大多從未用過電腦，我們慢慢發覺，原來這些軟件主要是設計給受過教育的西方人士使用的，後者大都已經相當認識電腦的一般操作。」
Our Word 的「防彈」程式
他轉身向著一位威克理夫的老朋友韋比殊（John Wimbish）。韋比殊現時在種子公司服侍，這個美國威克理夫的伙伴機構，專門為語言項目籌募經費。韋比殊過去曾在機構內開發了好些翻譯軟件，近日研發的程式名為Our Word，特別為低端用者而設計，其「防彈」程式運作得非常好。
「這套程式至今已在世界各地約五十台電腦上使用。我們用它開展了幾本新約聖經的翻譯，那些初稿已接近完成。」
葛謙卓的最快紀錄，是用十分鐘就成功教懂別人去使用這套軟件 —— 當時他在一個偏遠的小島上，一名本地譯經員待他和太太趕忙上船之際才出現。那譯經團隊此後一直使用Our Word，很有效率。
帝汶地區採用的另一個新策略是「前線翻譯進路」。當首四個語言項目展開時，葛謙卓預期工作可以同步進行，可是帝汶本地團隊建議先完成古邦馬來語的翻譯，以之作為其他翻譯的榜樣。古邦馬來語（Kupang Malay） 於首都一帶流通，但更是廣泛使用的貿易語言。
他們的要求獲得接納；現在，每個譯經團隊都按著於2007年出版和奉獻給神的古邦馬拉語聖經，製作本身的初稿。古邦馬拉語成了其他團隊的前線翻譯，最終使每個需要新約聖經的語言群體，更快得到神的話語。
古邦馬來語的前線翻譯完成以前，幾個譯經團隊曾嘗試按照印尼語聖經 —— 那被葛謙卓形容為「對很多人來說難以明白的」翻譯，去製作自己母語的譯本，可是結果要用六個月才完成馬可福音；直至古邦馬來語新約聖經完成，他們改用這譯本為藍本後，故事發展就大大不同了。
葛謙卓憶述：「有人告訴我他用了十天，又有另一個族群的人告訴我用了兩星期。」
攝影 Alan Hood
相關故事, Celling the Word