Sometimes I Have to Look Like I'm Working

The reading glasses are on the nose. The computer is up and running. The clipboard beside it is stuffed with papers. The coffee cup is emptying fast. It may look like I'm working. But really, I'm having FUN. This part of the translation process is called Exegetical Checking. What I'm doing is going over the chapters of the book of Acts that have been through multiple previous stages of work, to see if any exegetical problems cropped up while the Palawano wording was being smoothed out. 

This isn't the initial exegesis. Bill does that before he starts on a new book, and continues while he is making an initial draft. But at the end of the taping, after Bill and the translation committee work the material over, some changes are introduced. The guys focus their attention on so many things, such as which word to use, which affixation to use, which discourse features to use. Now it is time for an objective observer to re-check each chapter to make sure some part of the intended meaning hasn't been lost or changed anywhere. 

In years past, I did this step with books spread out all over the table. Now most of what I need is right here on my computer, thanks to a program from Wycliffe/SIL and UBS called Translator's Workplace. It contains multiple versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Greek helps, and other resources. Bill loads my laptop with the latest work via his thumb drive. He gives me both the version in the Palawano language, and a back translation of that chapter. The back translation puts the Palawano version back into literal English, to make it possible for someone like a Translation Consultant, who doesn't know Palawano at all, or me, who doesn't know Palawano super well, to check the translation. I print out the back translated chapter I want to work on, and load it on my clipboard. Then I start opening up all the resources I want to use. The program even allows me to magnify the size of the type, which helps these middle-aged eyes!

I look at all those resources to double check that each aspect of the meaning is accounted for. Word order is different in Palawano, so sometimes it isn't easy to sort it out. Some information that is implicit in the text has to be made explicit. For example, Acts is full of place names, but Palawano demands that you say whether the place is a town or country or lake or sea the first time the place is mentioned. You can't just say, "Antioch in Pisidia," but have to say "town of Antioch, in the country of Pisidia." And when the apostles meet up with Simon the Tanner, or teach at Solomon's Colonnade, well, the Palawanos don't have tanners, or colonnades. So a bit of explanation is sometimes necessary. 

Here are some examples of things I've noted: In Acts 1:10 and 7:55 it says, "gazing intently into heaven," but needs two verbs in Palawano -- one that means "looking up," and one that means "staring, or looking intently." Acts 2:9, in a long list of nationalities, "Medes," and "Elamites" were inadvertently left out or got accidentally deleted during editing. In 6:11, the back translation said only "incited" but NIV says "secretly persuaded." It turns out that the Palawano word used, sutsot does inherently contain the element of "secretly." Some of my comments to Bill are simple, and he can fix them right away, for instance a typo, or a phrase actually in the Palawano version, but accidently left out of the back translation. But other times a question will arise that he needs to go back to the committee to check on.

To me the whole process is like doing a puzzle. I enjoy seeing how all the pieces fit together. It also reminds me of a treasure hunt. I have fun unearthing clues from my different resources, and following the trail through to the end. The end, of course, is a clear, accurate Palawano New Testament. 

As of today, I have exegetically checked chapters 1-18. But my part here is just one small step in the process. More steps follow exegetical checking. The next one is the "naive" Comprehension Check. In the comprehension check, we bring in a "naive" Palawano, that is, one who has not been involved at all in the translation process so far, and see how well he or she understands Acts. Then, after any problems discovered are corrected, it is time for the Consultant Check. That is the big deadline we are working toward right now. Our translation consultant is scheduled to come in and do her check in mid-September, but she needs the completed Back Translation sent to her several weeks ahead of time, so she can go over it before she comes in. That means it needs to be all finished and sent a couple of weeks from today! We are down to the wire.

So, even though we are having fun, we realize the seriousness of what we are doing. We would appreciate prayer for wisdom and strength for us and for all the Palawano people who work alongside us in this project.