Translations ministry and its impact in spreading the Gospel

“And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “… how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?”” (Acts 2:6-8) One of the most impactful ways of reaching people with the Gospel is to share the Gospel in their native language. When the language barrier is broken and a familiarity is built with people by conveying the Gospel message in their native language, they are brought closer to the message itself simply because they understand it more clearly.

Here we have briefly summarized the various impacts of the translation ministry in spreading the Gospel.

1) Evangelism in different tiers in a state / region

Tier 1 regions in India consist of the urban population where people have good communication skills in English whereas in Tier 2, 3, and 4 regions, there is a steady decline in the percentage of people with these skills. The percentage of people who know how to read and write in their own native language can also be quite low in Tier 3 and 4 regions. With the disparity in literacy, it is important to understand target audiences and find their main languages. For example, in remote areas like hilly regions, there might be communities that speak in unique dialects with little to no access to the main parts of their city or state. Translation ministries have been invaluable in reaching such communities with the Gospel and bringing them to the saving knowledge of Jesus. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

2) Unreached regions

There are many communities yet to hear the Gospel and the reasons are varied. Some communities may communicate in a language that doesn’t have a written script. Then there are regions where the people are hostile and their language is complicated to learn. For such cases, dedicated missionaries risk their lives and enter into these regions, take time to learn the native language and engage in translations ministry for those regions specifically. When Christian literature is translated, missionaries can carry these materials to these difficult places in the world and share the Gospel in their native language. Moreover, once the Gospel is taken into remote places and communities, leaders can be raised and trained in those communities with the help of Christian literature. Eventually, these leaders can plant churches in their own communities. This is one way how the Gospel takes root in regions across the world. Thus, translations ministry has played a key role in fulfilling the Great Commission – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19,20)

3) Education opportunities are less

In several communities, the literacy rate is starkly low. In such places, translations ministry can actually become a tool to not only spread the Gospel but also increase the literacy rate among the people. This has historical evidence wherein the general literacy rate of a region improved on the arrival of missionaries who took time to spread the Gospel as well as to impart reading and writing skills to people within a community. This helped the community embrace education and encouraged young people to take up new professions. The translation ministry, thus, can help communities in more ways than one.

4) Main regional languages

Apart from the main language, a state or a country can have more than one language that has a large population using it as their primary language of communication. Translations ministry can target translations into these main regional languages to have a wide reach of the Gospel. In India alone, these are the approximate number of people speaking in the main regional languages – Hindi – 540–643 million; Bengali – 118 million; Marathi – 101 million; Telugu – 99 million; Tamil – 84 million, etc. We also have countries like the US, where besides English, Spanish has a wide population of speakers, in Canada, French has a wide population of speakers, etc.

5) Outreach ministries

Translated literature is one of the key resources that support outreach ministries. Whenever outreach pastors visit regions, they distribute tracts, pamphlets or books that carry the same message they have shared with the people in simple written form. This helps the people hold on to the message and return to it frequently to be impacted more and more. It also helps those who have accepted the Gospel, to then pass on the Gospel message to their loved ones using the Christian literature in their hands translated into the language known to their loved ones.

6) Translations ministry work

The work of the translation ministry requires planning and coordination with multiple resource persons involved and overseen on the whole by coordinators or project managers.

Translators and Reviewers: A good translator must be versatile in two languages – the source language as well as the target language. If they are not fluent in either, they might compromise on the message or key information in the content in the translation process. Hence, finding expert translators and reviewers will require a streamlined process of testing and evaluation. Only when the resource person has met all criteria should they be given the translation assignment. One additional criterion that has entered into this stream of work is technology skills. Resource persons must also be familiar with using Word, PDFs, etc. When resource persons possess good computer skills, they will be able to adapt to changes and advancements that happen in the translation field.

Language experts: Language experts are required to check and approve the work of translators and reviewers from time to time. This is to ensure that the translation quality always remains excellent. Language experts are well read in the source language and in the target language. They are able to identify gaps in the translation and give suggestions for improvements. Language experts can be highly qualified professionals who may not have the time to serve as full-time translators but still hold the credentials to assess translations. They could be writers themselves or professors or students pursuing degrees in theology, etc.

A team of resource persons: Build a team of language experts, translators and reviewers for each translated language. Ensure not to rely on only one resource person for a particular task. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9) If resource persons are working part time in the translations ministry, they may not be available to work on all translations projects. In such cases, if two or more resource persons have been assessed and selected, the available resource person can be hired for the project.

Faithful to the original text: The most vital part of any translation is the accuracy of the message translated to the source language text. We thus need reviewers and language experts to ensure the translator has done the translation correctly. In cases of idioms or certain phrases specific to the source language itself, the translator must judiciously translate to convey only the intended meaning and not the idiom itself or the phrase.

Bible version: There are different Bible versions available in many languages. While translating Christian content, it is important to note the Bible version used in the source language and find its nearest equivalent in the target language. This can be decided by the organization or the Publishing house with input from resource persons and language experts. The selected Bible version in the translated language can be standardized so that all Christian content in that translated language will use the chosen Bible version. This will help the target audience remember Scripture verses better as they become familiar with the style of language used in the standardized Bible version. This also ensures that the Bible verses match between the source language and the target language in style.

Technology: Translations ministry like every other field has also experienced the influence of technology. There is a slow transition happening to using Computer Aided Tools for translation with minimal human assistance. There is also the availability of digital platforms to publish content online. To make use of all available tools for the spread of the Gospel, we must learn the latest advancements and adapt to the good changes happening in technology. In the field of translations, the use of fonts that can support digital publishing is a good step forward. By transitioning from the use of old scripts to UNICODE fonts, translated content can be published on websites or mobile apps.

Project tracker: While working on translation of multiple languages, it is good to use a project tracker. A project tracker helps monitor the progress of each project. While there are programs designed for project tracking, a simple excel sheet can also be effectively used. Maintain the tracker by entering updates regularly such as deadlines for submitting translation, review, feedback from language experts, completing payments, etc. Language coordinators can benefit greatly if they are able to view the overall status of all ongoing projects so they can plan and expedite any projects that are lagging.

The work done in the translation ministry is important in fulfilling the Great Commission by reaching out to the marginalized communities and unnoticed regions of the world. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands (Revelation 7:9). With organized research, good translation work as a team, and wise use of technology, we strive for people of all nations, tribes, and tongues to hear the Gospel in their language and get the opportunity to know Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior into their lives.