Categories
Madagascar

A Natural We!

Sometimes translating the simplest of words can be more complicated than it might, at first, seem.

Categories
Do Not Use

Posts from the Past: I Speak Bible

One of the occupational hazards of life as a Bible translator is having to answer well meaning people when they ask how many languages you speak.

Categories
Minority Language Translation

Why Not Teach ‘Em All English?

Four reasons why we need to translate the Bible and not just teach everyone English.

Categories
Translation

When Dictionaries and Concordances Lie

In order to accurately translate a word, you have to look at the whole sentence or paragraph that it occurs in; it’s not enough just to look in the dictionary to see what the word could mean and take your choice. 

Categories
Madagascar

Madagascar: What’s in a name?

Why Madagascar is two syllables short of what it should be.

Categories
Observations

There Is No Such Thing as A Literal Translation

Let’s stop using the word “literally” when we talk about Bible translation; it literally makes my blood boil!

Categories
Observations

Words Don’t Mean What People Think They Do!

In Official Malagasy the word hazo means ‘tree’ or ‘wood’, but in the Tandroy language, the only meaning of hazo is ‘coffin’!

Categories
Bible & Mission

Pentecost, Babel and Diversity

Sometimes people say that at Pentecost, God reversed the Tower of Babel, but that is exactly what He didn’t do. At Pentecost, God underlined the linguistic diversity that He introduced at Babel.

Categories
Observations

The Future of Mission 3: Photographs and Languages

How group photographs and the use of language reflects some changes in the mission world.

Categories
Africa

MANI: Impressions

Some initial reflections on a pan-African missions’ conference, including some important lessons for other conference organisers!