"Before we had computers, I remember typing out a translated book of the Bible for the Barai translation team to read," says Peter Evans, a Wycliffe Bible translator for the Barai people of Papua New Guinea. "They made corrections, and I retyped the entire book. I must have retyped it at least three times before we had it right. . . . But when we got computers, of course, we typed it the first time and then all we had to do was just correct a few words here and there. I'd say computers saved us five years of translation time."
That kind of technology boost is much needed. According to the Summer Institute of Linguistics, a sister organization of Wycliffe Bible Translators, only 299 of the world's 6721 languages have an adequate translation of the Bible, and 752 more have an adequate New Testament. A thousand translation projects are under way around the world, and up to 1000 additional languages need a translation. It takes 8-34 years to translate the New Testament into a language.
Besides saving typing time, computers--often a laptop computer powered by a solar charger--help translators solve translation problems faster and better too. Presently, a handful of software programs are in use. A program called CARLA (Computer-Assisted Related Dialect Adaptation), for instance, takes translated material done in one dialect and provides a first-draft manuscript in another dialect. Another program, "Cecil", analyzes tones and speech patterns. "Shoebox" assists in data organization and dictionary making, and "Fiesta" improves consistency and reduces errors.
Much existing translation software is being replaced by LinguaLinks (TM), a master program developed by SIL, the United Bible Societies, Pioneer Bible Translators and Missionary Internship. Contained on a single CD-Rom disk, the program contains as much information as can be contained on 450 regular floppy disks. It features "electronic field manuals" on translation, anthropology, linguistics, language learning, literacy and sociolinguistics. "The system will contain the expert knowledge of seasoned translators," says Carol Anne Dowsett, an SIL communications specialist.
Computers are revolutionizing translation in other ways. A global e-mail network linking SIL, LBT and UBS is changing the way translators work and cooperate together. Translation consultants, for example, can communicate with remote language teams by e-mail.
Desktop publishing is tranforming Scripture publishing. At the village level, for example, shell books--simple book layouts that feature artwork and page numbers, but no words--are now being used. Translators only need to type the text onto shell book layout sheets and then print them on simple local presses, such as a silkscreen press.
Desktop publishing is also replacing the traditional hand-written means of producing elaborate non-Roman alphabets. The Vai language in Liberia, West Africa, for example, uses more than 200 symbols, compared to the 26-symbol Roman-based English alphabet. SIL is now experimenting with font creation using Apple MacIntosh software. "It saves tons of time, hassles and errors, " says Margaret Swauger. In Canada, Electronic Publishing Services of the Canadian Bible Society has designed two families of non-Roman "syllabic" typefaces, one for Cree and one for Inuit. (A syllabic character incorporates both a consonant and vowel into a single symbol.)
"The Word of God deserves the very best," says Jack Popjes, director of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. "The early monks used to change clothes every time they began a new page, and they washed their hands every time they wrote the word 'Jesus'. If they made a mistake, they wouldn't correct it; they would scrap the whole page, burn it ceremonially and start over again with a fresh page.
"With that kind of heritage, I think we should use the very best technology to do an absolutely top job to produce God's Word."
Debbie Faulkner is a freelance writer from Calgary, Alta.