Gateway Language Translation

Introduction

Note

This module answers the question, “What is the Gateway Language Manual?”

The Gateway Language Manual is for the use of translators and checkers of the Gateway Language (GL) resources. It contains instructions for translating the unfoldingWord resources from English into a GL, checking the translated GL resources, and aligning the GL Literal Text and GL Simplified Text to the original languages.

Before translating or checking any of these resources, please read the manual carefully. It presents the unique properties of each of the resources, the purpose of each one, and how each one functions as part of a complete translation package for the use of Other Language (OL) translators.

If you fail to understand the properties and purpose of the resource that you are translating or checking, that resource will not be able to fulfil its purpose and the translation package that you produce will be defective. But if you follow these guidelines and understand well how each resource functions, you will produce a set of translation resources that will allow the OL translators to create accurate, natural, and clear translations of the Bible in their own languages.

See also

The Gateway Language Strategy at http://ufw.io/gl/.

What Needs To Be Translated?

Note

This module answers the question, “What must be translated in the Gateway Languages?”

In order to have a useful set of resources to support a high-quality Bible translation, the following materials must be translated into the Gateway Languages.

We recommend that you translate the resources basically in the order given in the list above, although it is not necessary to finish an entire resource before starting the next. By translating some of the basic modules of UTA first, the translators will gain knowledge of how to translate well, and also make that knowledge available in the GL for the rest of the translation team. Translating the OBS resources next will give the translation team members valuable experience in translating as they work through a simplified presentation of biblical content. Then the translation team will be ready to start translating the UTW.

The following table illustrates the unfoldingWord resources that are under development in English (column one), and which of those are to be translated into the Gateway Language (column two). A few of those are then to be translated into the target language (column three). The target language translator will not directly translate the GLT, GST, GTN, and GTW, but will use them as resources to translate the Bible into the target language.

_images/GLManualimage1.png

Color Explanation Note:

Blue = resource gets translated from English to GL to OL

Brown = does not get translated

Green = get translated just to GL

Pink = resources that become the OL Bible

It is important that you translate the text of the ULT and the UST before you translate UTN, UTW, and UTQ. This is because the text of the GLT (the translation of the ULT into the Gateway Language) provides the context for the other three resources. Without this context, the translators of UTN, UTW, and UTQ will not know how they should translate. For the same reason, the text of OBS should be translated before the Notes, Questions, or Words resources that belong to OBS. It is not necessary to complete all 50 stories of OBS before starting to translate the other resources, however. You can start to translate the resources for an OBS story after that story is complete. For the books of the Bible, you will need to translate in a similar way: First translate the ULT and UST for a Bible book, then the UTN, UTW and UTQ resources for that same Bible book. This is necessary because the ULT, UST, UTN, and UTW are not yet complete for all of the Bible books. This is also a good translation procedure so that the translation team can see how the resources work together very early in the process. This is instead of translating the entire ULT before the entire UST, or the ULT New Testament before the UST New Testament. If desired for long books, you could translate all of the resources for each chapter before moving on to the next chapter. Once all of the resources for a Bible book have been completely checked, then an OL translation team could start using them to translate, without having to wait for the entire Bible to be ready.

We recommend that you translate all of the translation resources for a Bible book together. For example, you would translate the ULT of Titus, then the UST of that same book. Then you would use those to translate the UTN, UTW, and UTQ for Titus. Then you would repeat the process for the next book. (For information about which books of the Bible to translate first, see the UTA module Choosing What to Translate.)

Why Translate Two Bibles into the Gateway Languages?

Some people might ask this question, because adequate Bibles already exist in most of the Gateway languages. However, the existing translations are end-user Bibles, designed to be read and studied by people who speak those languages in their homes and churches. The Bibles that we are translating are not end-user Bibles. They are Bible texts designed to be used in conjunction with each other and with the other translation helps as a set of tools that will allow speakers of other languages to use them to translate a Bible into their own languages. What translators produce from these tools will be an end-user Bible.

To make an end-user Bible, it is always best to translate from more than one version so that the translator does not fall into the habit of following too closely the form of any one version. Also, it is always possible to translate something in more than one way in a target language, and often the biblical language has more than one possible meaning. Looking at multiple versions that between them reveal these differences gives the translator a window into those things that a single version would not give. This benefit is maximized when the two (or more) source Bibles use very different styles, such as literal and simplified. Having a literal version and a simplified version side by side gives the translator a “three-dimensional” view into the original text, allowing him to see both the form and the meaning at the same time. It is for this purpose that we are providing the ULT and the UST.

See also

Translating translationAcademy, Translating the UST

Translating translationAcademy

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating translationAcademy?”

See also

Translating translationAcademy, Translating translationNotes, tA module Introduction to translationAcademy, The Gateway Language Strategy at http://ufw.io/gl/.

Adaptations Must Be Made

In order for TA to be useful in the Gateway Language, it must be adapted from the English version. The examples of different grammatical structures in TA are all taken from English, but they will all need to be changed so that they illustrate the grammar of the Gateway Language. Do not just translate the English examples unless the Gateway Language works the same way. For example, it is unlikely that possessives work the same way in the Gateway Language as they do in English. Please change those examples so that they illustrate what possesives do in the Gateway Language. Please also change any descriptions of sentence structure and parts of speech whenever necessary so that they describe the Gateway Language rather than English.

Some articles will not apply in the Gateway Language and can be skipped. For example, if the Gateway Language has both a singular and a plural form of “you,” it is not necessary to translate the article, “Forms of ‘You’ — Singular.”

Many articles of TA contain verses from the UnfoldingWord Literal Text (ULT) in order to illustrate different translation difficulties. These will all need to be replaced by those verses in the Gateway Language Literal Text (GLT). This may mean that you will need to translate the example verses from English as you translate TA and then go back and replace them with the actual verses from the GLT when that has been translated.

We want TA to be useful for the translators that speak your Gateway Language, so please make any changes that are necessary so that it works well in your language.

See also

Checking the GL translationNotes (GTN), Checking the GLT

Translating the ULT

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating the ULT?”

Translation Theory for Translating the ULT

The ULT is designed to be used in conjunction with the UTN and the UST as a tool for Bible translation. Unlike the UST and unlike an end-user Bible, the ULT is designed to reflect the forms of the source languages, so that the OL translator can see what they are. By using the ULT, the OL translator can “look through” it to see how the original Bible expressed the biblical ideas.

As you translate the ULT you must try to retain the grammatical and syntactic structures of the original as far as the target language (GL) will allow. If the original structure does not make sense in the target language, then you will need to change it into a structure that does make sense. It is not useful to make a translation that the OL translator will not be able to understand. But as far as the target language will allow, retain the structures of the original in your translation of the ULT. It is possible that the OL expresses that meaning in the same way.

Notes About Making a “Literal” Translation

  1. It is not possible to maintain a one-for-one correspondence between words in translation. One word from the source language may require a phrase for its translation in the target language, and vice-versa.

  2. Even though the ULT is a “literal” text, that does not mean that every word from the original language will be translated in the same way each time it occurs. We will always seek to use the meaning that the word has in its context, using whatever English word or phrase is closest to that meaning.

  3. Both Greek and Hebrew can make a sentence without using a verb, while English cannot. For the ULT to make sense, the verb will always be supplied (usually “is”).

  4. Greek makes abundant use of participial clauses. For the English of the ULT to make sense, often this must be changed to a relative or adverbial clause.

  5. The general rule is, retain the structures of the original unless English sense does not allow it. If it does not, make the necessary adjustments.

What Method Should Be Used to Translate the ULT?

When translating the ULT, keep the English source open in front of you. This means that you should not use any methodology that includes a step of blind drafting. The reason for this is that blind drafting is a method that translators use in order to produce natural target language translations. Through blind drafting, the translator replaces structures from the source language that would be unnatural in the target language with structures that are natural for that target language. But the ULT is a tool that must retain the original, biblical language structures in order to be useful to the translator. The best way to guard these structures is to translate with the English source ULT open in front of you so that you can be sure to keep these structures as they are in the English ULT, as far as the target language will allow.

Does Translation of the ULT Require a Back Translation?

We expect that the people translating the text into the GL will be well-educated and have good theological training. They will be connected into church networks that will have adequate resources for checking the translations against the English source as well as the original biblical languages.

For these reasons, back translations of the text will usually not be necessary. An exception to this is if the translation was done by a secular translation company. In this case, either a church network that speaks that GL will need to check the translation or a back translation into English may be necessary, done according to the guidelines set forth in Back Translation and following modules.

What Are the Structures of the ULT That Should Be Retained?

The translation of the ULT needs to retain the original grammatical forms (as far as is possible), the idioms, and the figures of speech of the original so that the OL translator can consider them and use them if they communicate the right thing in the target language. If those forms get changed in the GL translation of the ULT, then the OL translator will never see them and the UTN about them will not make sense.

Keep in mind that the ULT and the UST are only going to be translated into the GLs, because they are translation tools for the use of the OL translator. We want these tools to be as useful as possible.

For the ULT, this means that it should retain structures that we would not always retain in an end-user Bible. The GL translator must understand that this translation will lack naturalness and sometimes also lack clarity because it is aiming at reproducing these original language structures and figures of speech that may not translate well into the GL. Wherever the ULT translation lacks clarity, however, there should also be a note to explain the meaning of the structure for the OL translator. The UTN and the UST will provide the meaning wherever that meaning is in doubt in the ULT. In this way, the tools will work together to provide the OL translator with a full set of information about both the form and the meaning of the original Bible.

Examples

Grammatical Forms

The ULT of Luke 2:47 reproduces a grammatical form from the Greek source language that is also natural in English, but that might not be natural in other languages. When talking about the boy Jesus at the temple, it says, “All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” The nouns “understanding” and “answers” refer to events, not things, and so must be translated as verbs in many languages.

The UST of the same verse gives an example of how these nouns can be translated as verbs. It says, “All the people who heard what he said were amazed at how much he understood and how well he answered the questions that the teachers asked.”

When translating the ULT, however, these nouns should be translated as nouns if that will make sense in the target language.

Idioms

The ULT of Matthew 2:20 reproduces an idiom from the Greek source language. It refers to Herod and his soldiers who were trying to kill the child Jesus as, “those who sought the child’s life.” In some languages this is clear, and in others, it is not.

The UST of the same verse tries to make the meaning clear by translating this idiom as, “the people who were trying to kill the child.” Many GL Bibles do the same thing.

When translating the ULT, however, this idiom should be translated as it is, so that the OL translator can consider it and use it if it makes sense. The UST and the UTN will provide the meaning.

Figures of Speech

The ULT of John 1:17 reproduces a figure of speech from the Greek source language. It says, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (This figure of speech is called “personification;” see the TA module Personification.) This figure of speech refers to grace and truth like people who can come and go, and it refers to Jesus Christ like a doorway that they can come through. In some languages this makes sense, but in other languages it does not. The plain meaning is that Jesus Christ acted toward us with grace and taught us true things about God.

The UST of the same verse tries to make this plain meaning clear by translating it as, “Jesus Christ was kind to us far beyond what we deserved, and he taught us true things about God.”

When translating the ULT, however, this figure of speech should be translated as it is, so that the OL translator can consider it and use it if it makes sense. If it does not, the UST provides an alternative way to translate it.

See also

Adapting the ULT, Checking the GLT, Translating the UST, tA module Translation Difficulty.

Translation Glossary for the ULT

A list of decisions as to how to translate some senses of the source language words and phrases into another language is called a Translation Glossary (TG). Such a device is especially useful when more than one person works on the same project because it helps keep everyone using the same English terms. See Combined ULT-UST Translation Glossary

The ULT Contrasted with the UST

The ULT seeks to represent the language forms of the original in a way that also makes sense in English and other Gateway Languages. The UST (unfoldingWord® Simplified Text) seeks to represent the plain meaning of the original Bible text. This means that:

  • The ULT reflects better than the UST the grammatical structures of the biblical languages.

  • The ULT reflects better than the UST the parts of speech of the biblical languages. The ULT, for example, will seek to use nouns where the original uses nouns, adjectives where the original uses adjectives, and so forth.

  • The ULT will reproduce the form of the biblical language logical connections. Thus, for example, the ULT will read, the righteousness of faith, even though the logical relationship between righteousness and faith is not further specified. Is it the righteousness that comes by faith? Is it the righteousness that vindicates faith? All that the righteousness of faith explicitly signals is that there is some close association in the text between righteousness and faith, and that we can probably rule out a number of conceivable logical relationships between the two concepts, but not all possible relationships, as the foregoing example illustrates. In contrast, the UST will choose the one logical relationship that seems most likely.

  • The ULT will reproduce the linear succession of ideas found in the original, even when English may prefer a different arrangement of the same ideas.

  • The ULT will not present information that is only implied in the original. For example, in Matt. 26:5 it says, For they were saying, “Not during the feast, so that a riot does not arise among the people.” The part of the sentence, with the implied information included (in bold) would be, “Let us not arrest Jesus during the feast.” The ULT will not overtly represent this implied information, while the UST will include it.

  • The ULT reflects as much as reasonably possible the written style of the original. It reads, for example, “Paul…to Timothy…” instead of English’s preferred, “Dear Timothy, [new paragraph] this is Paul.”

  • The ULT will depart from closely representing the structures of the original only when it must do so to avoid violating the rules of English grammar, or to avoid giving the wrong meaning.

  • The ULT is not meant to be a refined, polished English version. It is meant to present the structure of the original in a way that is as meaningful as possible, so that it can, in turn, be translated into other languages.

  • Even when the ULT is ambiguous or not entirely clear (as is often true of the original), the ULT must never promote to the MTT the wrong meaning.

Translating the UST

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating the UST?”

See also

Translating translationAcademy, the Gateway Language Strategy at http://ufw.io/gl/.

Translation Theory for Translating the UST

The UST is designed to be used in conjunction with the ULT and the UTN as a tool for Bible translation. Unlike the ULT and unlike an end-user Bible, the UST does not use figures of speech, idioms, abstract nouns, or grammatical forms that are difficult to translate into many languages. The purpose of the UST is to show the plain meaning of all of those things wherever they occur in the ULT. Because the UST lacks these things, it is not a beautiful end-user Bible. An end-user Bible will use the figures of speech and idioms that speak naturally and beautifully in the target language, but the UST does not use them.

As the OL translator uses both the UST and the ULT together as his translation source, he will be able to see the figures of speech, idioms, and other forms of the original Bible in the ULT and also see what their meaning is in the UST. Then he can use the figures of speech or other forms from the ULT that are clear and natural in his language. When the forms in the ULT are not clear or natural in his language, then he can choose other forms in his language that have the same meaning as the UST translation or the Notes. When translating the UST, please do not use idioms, figures of speech, or difficult grammatical forms in the GL translation. The purpose of the UST is to change all of these problematic grammatical forms into more universal ones to make them easier to translate, and to make the meaning as clear as possible.

The primary goal of the UST is to express the meaning of the Bible as clearly as possible. In order to do this, it follows these guidelines.

The UST must avoid:

  1. Idioms

  2. Figures of speech

  3. Events out of order

  4. Difficult or specialized grammar:

    1. Complex sentences

    2. Passive voice

    3. Abstract or verbal nouns

    4. People speaking of themselves in third person

The UST must explicitly include:

  1. Participants where these are unclear

  2. Implied information that is necessary for understanding

When translating the UST, please do not use in the GL translation those things that the UST must avoid. The purpose of the UST is to change all those problematic forms into more universal ones to make them easier to translate. Also, be sure to include all the named participants and the information that has been made explicit so that the meaning can be as clear as possible.

What Method Should Be Used to Translate the UST?

When translating the UST, keep the English source open in front of you. This means that you should not use any methodology that includes a step of blind drafting. The reason for this is that blind drafting is a method that translators use in order to produce natural target language translations. Through blind drafting, the translator replaces structures from the source language that would be unnatural in the target language with structures that are natural for that target language. But the UST is a tool that carefully avoids certain structures that can be difficult to translate in some languages, as explained above. If the translator is using blind drafting, he might accidentally replace the simple structures of the UST with structures that are natural in the target GL but unwanted in the UST, such as idioms and figures of speech from the target GL. In order to guard against replacing these structures, it is best to translate the UST with the English source text open to look at.

Does Translation of the UST Require a Back Translation?

We expect that the people translating the text into the GL will be well-educated and have good theological training. They will be connected into church networks that will have adequate resources for checking the translations against the English source as well as the original biblical languages.

For these reasons, back translations of the text will usually not be necessary. An exception to this is if the translation was done by a secular translation company. In this case, either a church network that speaks that GL will need to check the translation or a back translation into English may be necessary, done according to the guidelines set forth in Back Translation and following modules.

Examples

The following are examples of ways that the text of the Bible can be unclear for some languages and what the UST does to overcome those problems. When you translate the UST, make sure that your translation of the UST also avoids these problems.

Passive Voice

Passive voice is a grammatical construction that is common in Greek and English but it is not used in many other languages, so it can be very confusing. For that reason, it is not used in the UST. In passive voice, the receiver of the action changes places with the actor. In English, the actor normally comes first in the sentence. But in passive voice, the receiver of the action comes first. Often, the actor is left unstated. In that case, the UST will fill in the actor. See “Missing Participants” below.

For example, the ULT of Romans 2:24 says, “… the name of God is dishonored among the Gentiles because of you.”

The action is “dishonor,” the actors are “the Gentiles” (non-Jews), and the receiver of the action is “the name of God.” The reason for the action is “because of you.”

The UST rearranges the verse to put the actor and the receiver of the action in a more normal order. It says, “The non-Jews speak evil about God because of the evil actions of you Jews.” This is clearer for many languages. When you translate the UST, make sure that you do not use any passive voice constructions.

Abstract Nouns

The ULT of Romans 2:10 says, “But praise, honor, and peace will come to everyone who practices good…”

In this verse, the words “praise,” “honor,” “peace,” and “good” are abstract nouns. That is, they are words that refer to things that we cannot see or touch. They are ideas. The ideas that these nouns express are closer to actions or descriptions than they are to things. In many languages, therefore, these ideas must be expressed by verbs or description words, not by nouns.

For this reason, the UST expresses these nouns as actions or descriptions. It says, “But God will praise, honor, and give a peaceful spirit to every person who habitually does good deeds.”

When translating the UST, avoid using abstract nouns. For more information on abstract nouns, see the TA module Abstract Nouns.

Long, Complex Sentences

The UST avoids using long or complex sentences. In many languages, long or complex sentences are unnatural and unclear.

The ULT translates the first three verses of Romans as one complex sentence. It says,

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand by his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was born from the descendants of David according to the flesh.

The UST breaks that into five sentences that are more simple in form. It says,

1I, Paul, who serve Christ Jesus, am writing this letter to all of you believers in the city of Rome. God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me in order that I should proclaim the good news that comes from him. 2Long before Jesus came to earth, God promised that he would reveal this good news by means of what his prophets wrote in the sacred scriptures. 3This good news is about his Son. As to his Son’s physical nature, he was born a descendant of King David.

When translating the UST, keep the sentences short and simple.

Missing Participants

The UST often fills in the participants when these are lacking in the original Bible and the ULT. In the original biblical languages, these participants could be left out and still understood by the reader. But in many languages these must be included for the translation to be clear and natural.

In the ULT, Romans 1:1 says, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…”

In this verse, there is a participant that is left unstated, but still understood. This participant is God. It is God who called Paul to be an apostle and who set him apart for the gospel. In some languages, this participant must be stated.

Therefore the UST of Romans 1:1 says, “God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me in order that I should proclaim the good news that comes from him.”

When translating the UST, be sure to include all of the participants that are there in the UST.

Events out of Order

The ULT of Luke 2:6-7 says,

6Now it came about that while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her baby. 7She gave birth to a son, her firstborn child, and she wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth. Then she put him in an animal feeding trough, because there was no room for them in a guest room.

In some languages, events need to be told in the order in which they happened, or else the story will be confusing and hard to understand. People might understand from these verses that Mary delivered her baby outside in the street, and then looked for somewhere to stay and, after a long search, ended up putting him in an animal feeding trough.

The UST tells these events in the order in which they happened, so that it is clear that Mary was already in the shelter for animals when she gave birth. It says,

6-7When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay in a place where visitors usually stayed. So they had to stay in a place where animals slept overnight. While they were there the time came for Mary to give birth and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in wide strips of cloth and placed him in the feeding place for the animals.

Figures of Speech

The ULT of Romans 2:21 says, “You who preach not to steal, do you steal?”

This is a figure of speech called a rhetorical question. It is not a real question that is used to seek an answer. It is used to make a point. In this case, Paul is using it to scold his audience and to condemn their hypocrisy. Many languages do not use rhetorical questions, or they do not use them in this way.

To show how to translate this meaning without a rhetorical question, the UST says, “You who preach that people should not steal things, it is disgusting that you yourself steal things!” When you translate the UST, be sure to not use rhetorical questions or other figures of speech. (For more examples of figures of speech, see the TA module Figures of Speech. and the modules linked there.)

Idioms

The ULT of Deuteronomy 32:10 says, “he guarded him as the apple of his eye.”

The word “apple” here does not refer to a kind of fruit, but instead refers to the pupil, the dark center of a person’s eye. The phrase “the apple of his eye” is an idiom that refers to anything that is extremely precious to a person, or the one thing that is the most precious to a person. In many languages this idiom makes no sense, but they have other idioms that have this meaning. The OL translator should use one of these idioms from the target language in the OL translation, but there should be no idiom in the translation of the UST.

To show the meaning of this verse, the UST expresses this in plain language, without an idiom. It says, “He protected them and took care of them, as every person takes good care of his own eyes.”

The Notes add another way to translate this that makes the meaning clear. It says, “He protected the people of Israel as something most valuable and precious.” When you translate the UST, be sure that you do not use any idioms. Only use plain language that makes the meaning clear. (For more information on idioms, see the TA module Idiom.)

(For more examples of how the UST avoids difficult grammatical constructions, idioms, and figures of speech, see the section of examples in Translating translationAcademy.)

People Speaking of Themselves in Third Person

The ULT of Genesis 18:3 says:

He said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant.”

Here Abraham refers to himself in the third person as “your servant.” To make it clear that Abraham is referring to himself, the UST adds the first-person pronoun “me.”

The UST of Genesis 18:3 says:

He said to one of them, “My Lord, if you are pleased with me, then please stay here with me, your servant, for a little while.”

When editing or translating the UST, be sure to include the indications of the first person that are there in these passages of the UST so that it can be as clear as possible.

Implied Information

The ULT of Mark 1:44 says:

He said to him, “Be sure to say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

This was all that Jesus needed to say to the man whom he had just healed of leprosy, because the man was Jewish and knew all about the laws concerning being clean and unclean. But most modern readers of our Bible translations do not know that information. For that reason, the UST makes this information explicit that was left implied in the text. This information is indicated in italics below.

The UST of Mark 1:44 says:

He said, “Do not tell anyone what just happened. Instead, go to a priest and show yourself to him in order that he may examine you and see that you no longer have leprosy. Then make the offering that Moses commanded for people whom God has healed from leprosy. This will be the testimony to the community that you are healed.”

When editing or translating the UST, be sure to include all of the implied information that is there in the UST so that it can be as clear as possible.

See also

Checking the GST, Translating translationAcademy

Specific Editing Guidelines for the UST

  • Only use quotation marks at the beginning and ending of direct speech. Do not put quotation marks at the beginning of each verse, even though the speech may span several verses.

  • Do not use contractions.

  • Periods go inside the quote marks. The position of question marks and exclamation points depends on usage.

  • Capitalization issues: in general, we are following the practice of the 2011 NIV.

  • All pronouns are lower case (except when beginning sentences and except for the first singular “I”).

  • Capitalize titles (Son of Man, King David, the Messiah).

  • Use vocabulary and phrases that differ from the ULT. The two translations fail to help the MTT when they are the same.

  • Where possible, use common vocabulary that is easy to translate into another language.

  • Spell out numbers up to and including ten (e.g., one, two…). For numbers larger than ten, use numerals (e.g., 11, 12…).

  • Metaphors may be transformed into similies or substituted with the plain meaning of the metaphor. Similies may be the preferred option when the metaphor is extended over several clauses or verses.

Translation Glossary for the UST

A list of decisions as to how to translate some senses of the source language words and phrases into another language is called a Translation Glossary (TG). Such a device is especially useful when more than one person works on the same project because it helps keep everyone using the same English terms. See Combined ULT-UST Translation Glossary

Adapting the ULT

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for adapting an existing Bible translation to be the GLT?”

See also

Translating translationAcademy, Translating the UST.

Using an existing translation as the GLT

Can I use an existing Bible translation as the Gateway Literal Text (GLT)?

We do not recommend that you use an existing Bible translation as the GLT without adapting it to become a translation resource. A GLT is a translation resource that is intended to enable translators to see the structures of the original languages. Existing Bible translations are not intended to do this. Instead, they are intended to communicate God’s message in a natural way to speakers of the Gateway Language. The translation resources that you develop will enable translators to create Bibles in their own languages that do that. But an existing translation in your language is not the kind of resource that will make this possible.

If you attempt to use an existing Bible as a translation resource, you will find that you need to make excessive adjustments in the other translation resources in order for them to work together. For example, you will need to add hundreds of translation notes to explain the meaning of words that are not used anymore or that may have changed meaning over time. Such notes would be inconsistent with the current system of translation notes. They would not address a translation issue and so would not refer to any article of translationAcademy, as all translation notes currently do.

You would also need to add hundreds of translation notes to tell the translator about the many words and phrases that are not in the original but were added by the translators of your existing Bible in order to make it speak smoothly in the Gateway Language. If you do not alert the translator to these places, the GLT will not serve the function that the translator expects and requires of a GLT.

As an example, consider what would be required if we used the King James Version as a translation resource. Let us consider Matthew 17:25 as an example.

And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? (Matt 17:25 KJV)

We would have to add notes to address several further issues just in this sentence. One note would have to explain the meaning of the strange construction “was come.” Another note would have to explain that the word that the KJV translates as “prevented” actually means “anticipated.” It does not mean that Jesus stopped Peter from doing what he wanted to do. (The word has changed in meaning since 1611, when the KJV was first published.) Other notes would have to explain the archaic words “thinkest” and “thou.” It would be necessary to address the issue of the KJV not using quotation marks. The ULT would not require any of those notes:

And having entered into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon?” (Matt 17:25 ULT)

The need to add so many more notes would create much more work for translators. It would also deprive translators of a resource that would show them the structure of the Greek text. Translators working with the ULT instead of the KJV would not need these notes, because the ULT was created from the beginning to be a resource for translators, not to be a Bible translation to use in church.

Here is a further example. These are the notes that would have to be added to one phrase in Romans 11:2:

Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? (KJV)

Wot ye not οὐκ οἴδατε The word Wot is an archaic form of the word “know.” Alternate translation: “Do you not know”

Wot ye not οὐκ οἴδατε The word ye is an archaic form of the second person plural pronoun. Alternate translation: “Do you not know”

saith λέγει The word saith is an archaic form of the third person singular verb. Alternate translation: “says”

Elias Ἠλείᾳ See Translation Academy, translate/translate-names. The name Elias describes the same man who is known as “Elijah” in the Old Testament. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use the same name for him in both testaments. Alternate translation: “Elijah”

The original ULT required three notes. Without adapting the sentence to be a translation resource, you would need to add the four notes above. You would need to add notes like this for most of the verses in the Bible. Rather than doing that, it would be much faster and easier to adapt the Bible translation to be a translation resource, or to translate the UST. The resulting resource set would also be easier for the translator to use.

For these reasons, we recommend that you either translate the ULT or adapt your existing Bible translation to become a translation resource. You would then call it something else, such as “The Literal Text (based on the KJV).” Then there would be no confusion between the resource that you were supplying to translators and the Bible version that people use in church.

Prerequisites for Adapting an Existing Translation to be the GLT

What is needed to adapt an existing translation to be the GLT?

In order to adapt an existing translation and use it as the ULT for a GL, it is necessary that the existing translation be a literal translation. That is, it should follow the same order of clauses as the original biblical languages and reproduce the original biblical idioms and figures of speech. Most Bibles that were translated into GLs in the first half of the twentieth century or earlier are literal translations.

It is also necessary that the Bible that you adapt as the ULT not be encumbered by copyright. That means that it must be in the public domain or have a license that permits us to reproduce and translate it. (For more information on copyrights and licensing, see the TA module Open License.)

If the Bible is very old, you will need to update the language and the style so that it uses words that people use now and “talks” in the way that people talk now. Even though the ULT has a literal style, it must use words that people know so that they can understand it.

Methodology for Adapting an Existing Translation for the ULT

What are the steps for adapting an existing translation for the ULT?

Because adapting an existing translation is a process of editing rather than of translating, you should not try to follow any translation methodology. Especially do not follow any methodology that uses blind drafting. Instead, you should follow these steps:

  1. Read the chapter in the English ULT and the Notes for that chapter. If you are beginning to translate a book, also read the overview of the book.

  2. Read the chapter in the Bible that you are adapting as the ULT.

  3. Go through the chapter and change old words to words that people use now.

  4. Using the list of UTW for that chapter, check to make sure that a good translation for each of those words is used in the Gateway Language ULT.

  5. If some sentences are put together in a strange way, check to see if they are also that way in the English ULT.

    1. If the sentences are also put together in that same strange way in the English ULT, it is because the original Bible has that structure. Leave them as they are. There will be a note that will explain that structure.

    2. If the sentences are not put together in that same strange way in the English ULT, then change the sentence so that it is clearer for modern readers, using the structure that is in the English ULT.

  6. If you see that any verse or phrase in the Bible that you are adapting is very different than the English ULT, then change it so that it is more like the English ULT.

  7. If you see that any verse is missing in the Bible that you are adapting but it is there in the English ULT, then translate that verse from the English ULT.

  8. If you see that any verses are in a different order than in the English ULT, change them to the order that they are in the English ULT.

  9. After finishing the adaptation of a Bible book, now align it to the original biblical language. This will show you places where the adapted book is still not literal, so you will need to change those places so that they are more literal (more like the original languages). See gl-alignment.

After you do these things so that the text is ready to use as the GLT, you will need to translate the UTN. As you translate the UTN, you may see that there are parts of your adapted ULT that should be different so that the note can make sense. Also, you may see that some TN need to be changed so that they can refer to the right parts of the adapted GLT. In this way, you will need to make changes to both the GLT and the Gateway Language Notes as you adapt them to each other so that they make sense and are truly helpful for the OL translator. (For more information about this process, see Translating translationNotes.)

Does Adapting a Translation of the ULT Require a Back Translation?

How does the church ensure the translation conforms to these guidelines?

We expect that the translation that has been adapted as the ULT already went through a series of checks to ensure that it accurately reflects the original meaning of the biblical text. This would have been done by the entity that originally translated and published the Bible translation. We also expect that the people adapting this translation for use as the ULT in the Gateway Language will be well-educated and have good theological training. They will also be connected into church networks that will have adequate resources for checking the adapted translation.

For these reasons, back translations of the text will usually not be necessary. An exception to this is if the translation was done by a secular translation company. In this case, either a church network that speaks that GL will need to check the translation or a back translation into English may be necessary, done according to the guidelines set forth in Back Translation and following modules.

Translating translationNotes

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating or adapting the translationNotes?”

See also

In order to understand this topic, it would be good to read: Translating translationAcademy, Adapting the ULT

Guidelines

TN offer alternative ways to translate a phrase from the ULT. It is important that the phrase that you use to translate this kind of note be a direct substitute for the phrase that it replaces in the ULT. In other words, the phrase has to have the same grammatical construction as the phrase in the ULT. It needs to fit into the sentence in the ULT just like the original phrase did.

In order to make sure that the phrase in the GL note fits the sentence in the GL ULT, you must be able to always look at both the English note and the GL ULT as you translate. Translating the TN while having the source visible is the most efficient way to translate them and this will also reduce the number of errors in translation. (For more information on the types of TN, see the TA module Using the translationNotes.)

Does the entire Bible need to be translated first?

It is not necessary to have the entire ULT and UST Bible translated before translating the helps (TN, TW, TQ). The translation of these resources for a book could be started after the translation of that book is complete.

When I Am Translating the Notes, Do I Need the ULT and UST Available and Translated?

Yes. When you translate the Translation Notes for a book of the Bible, you must also have both the GLT and the GST in front of you, in final form, if possible, and fully aligned. You must have the GLT available so that you can copy the part of the GLT text that the note is talking about directly into the note. You must also have the GST text available because the Notes often refer to it. In that case, you need to be able to see what the GST says in order to translate the note in the best way. Also, you need to see what the GST says so that you can make the Alternate Translation (AT) in the note different from the reading in the GST. The AT should offer a third alternative beyond the GLT and the GST.

In addition, the Translation Notes directly comment on parts of the GLT text, so you must read the part of the GLT text that the note comments on in order to properly translate the note. After you read and understand the GLT text, then you can translate the note so that it makes sense together with the GLT text that it refers to.

It is also helpful to have the English ULT and English UST available as you translate the English TN in case its relationship to the GLT and GST is not clear. This can help you to see what the note is talking about and to judge whether or not the note is relevant to the Gateway Language or if it needs to be modified.

When I Am Translating the Notes, Should I Translate the Snippet?

No. The words in bold text are the part of the note that is a direct quote from the Gateway Language Literal Text (GLT). That part is quoted from the GLT so that the Note can talk about it. When you translate the Translation Notes, make sure that you always copy that part directly from the GLT. For example, the following is the text of Ezra 7:19 from the ULT, with the part that the note is about in italics (the snippet), and the note.

Ezra 7:19 (ULT) And the vessels that were given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

>The idea behind the abstract noun service can be expressed with a verb such as “use.” Alternate translation: “to use in the temple of your God”

The word service is a direct quote from the ULT so that the note can talk about it. You must copy that part from the GLT - Do not translate that part of the note from English. It is important that that part be exactly the same as in the GLT. If you are using tC Create, you can easily see the word or words that you need to copy because they will be part of the snippet, that is, the text that is highlighted in yellow in the Scripture pane. In order to see this highlighting, the GLT and GST must be aligned already to the original language.

The last sentence in the note above is an Alternate Translation (AT). It is an alternative way to express the same meaning as the snippet and must fit into the verse in the same way as the snippet does. In other words, the phrase in the AT must be a direct substitute for the phrase that it replaces in the GLT. This means that the AT has to perform the same grammatical function as the snippet from the GLT. It needs to fit into the sentence in the GLT just like the original phrase did. For this reason, it may be necessary to expand the snippet in order to accommodate the different grammatical form of the AT.

In order to make sure that the phrase in the GL note fits the sentence in the GLT, you must be able to always look at both the English note and the GLT as you translate.

May I Use Blind Drafting?

No. Do not use any method that includes blind drafting to translate the Notes. Always translate the Notes with the GLT and GST in front of you, and the English Notes also visible. Always translate the Notes with the GLT and GST in front of you and the English Notes also visible. Translating the Notes while having the source visible is the most efficient way to translate them and this will also reduce the number of errors in translation. (For more information on the types of notes, see the TA module Using the translationNotes.)

How Does the Church Ensure the Translation Conforms to These Guidelines?

We expect that the people translating the text into the GL will be well-educated and have good theological training. They will be connected into church networks that will have adequate resources for checking the translations against the English source as well as the original biblical languages.

Becuase the Notes talk about grammar and figures of speech, it is highly recommended that the people translating them into the GL have training in linguistics as well as in biblical studies. They will need to know how to adapt the Notes for the grammar of the GL.

Adapting the TranslationNotes

May I Change a Note So That It Makes Sense in My Language?

Often, the ULT in the target GL will say things in a different way than the ULT said them in English. In order for the note to be useful in the target GL, you will need to adapt the note so that it talks about the text as it is in the GLT. This means that you will need to sometimes change the note so that it makes sense and is helpful for the translators who will use these Notes as resources to translate the Bible into Other Languages (OLs).

May I Delete a Note that Does Not Apply to My Language?

Because languages can be very different from each other, sometimes there will be notes that are important and necessary for some languages, but that are not needed for other languages. If there is a note that does not make sense when applied to the GLT text, then you as the translator will need to modify the note so that it does make sense in relation to the text in your target GL.

If the note does not apply at all to the text of the GLT, then you may delete that note from your translation of the TN. But be sure to think about it very carefully before you delete a translation note to be sure that it is not necessary for the OL translator who will be using the GL translation to translate the Bible into his language, which may work differently than the Gateway Language.

May I Add a Note that Would Help with Translation in my Language?

For the same reason, sometimes you will realize that the OL translator will need a note in order to understand a phrase in the target GLT, but there might not be a note already written for that phrase because it was not necessary for the English ULT. In that case, you will need to write a new note and include it in your translation. Usually, these Translation Notes will be to explain a phrase or way of saying something that is normal in the GL but that is not normal in the OLs that you know of. When writing your translationNote, follow the same style and format of the existing Translation Notes.

Remember that speakers of many different languages will be using these GL Translation Notes to help them translate the Bible. There will be many things that you will understand about the Bible in the GL that the OL translator may not understand. For that reason, if you think that there is something difficult to understand in the GLT, write a note that can help the OL translator to understand it. There will probably be many OL translators who will benefit from reading the translation note and who will make a better translation because of it.

Because the Translation Notes need to be adapted in these ways and not simply translated, it is best if the people adapting the Notes be people who are well educated in both linguistics and biblical studies so that they can understand the various problems that the Notes explain.

See also

Checking the GL translationNotes (GTN), Translating translationWords, Translating translationQuestions

Translating translationWords

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating translationWords?”

See also

Translating translationAcademy, Adapting the ULT, Translating translationNotes

Guidelines

It is important that the OL translators understand all of the words that they are translating. But some of the words in the Bible are not used in everyday life in our time or in our cultures, and so the translator may not be familiar with them. Other words are used in everyday life, but they are used in a different way in the Bible. Some of these words have very important or special meanings in the Bible. They tell us a lot about God and his relationship with us.

In order for the OL translator to completely understand these words, we have provided the definitions in UTW. When you translate this list into the GL, it will help all of the OL translators who will use it to translate the Bible for their people with good understanding.

Does the entire Bible need to be translated first?

It is not necessary to have the entire ULT and UST Bible translated before translating the helps (TN, TW, TQ). The translation of these resources for a book could be started after the translation of that book is complete.

What Is the “Definition” Section of translationWords?

TW entries have several parts; the first part is “Definition.” This gives the meaning of the word as it is used in the Bible. Please do not use definitions from a modern GL dictionary, because the way words are used in the Bible can be different from the way they are used in modern, everyday life. We want to make sure that the OL translator understands the way that the word is used in the Bible.

It is possible that the GL might express the idea of the English UTW by using different words for that idea in different contexts. That is, the GL may use different words when the idea is talked about in different ways. Each of these GL words for the UTW word may have a part of the meaning of the English word.

In this case, you will need to list each of those words at the top, separated by commas. Several of the English UTW entries already have multiple words at the top like this, such as “prophet, prophecy, prophesy, seer, prophetess” (see the Prophet UTW article). Then, in the “Definition” part, you will need to list those words in separate paragraphs with a definition for each one. The OL translator can then choose the word that he needs to understand from that list and translate it correctly in the passage that he is translating.

What is the “Translation Suggestions” Section of translationWords?

The second part of a TW entry is “Translation Suggestions” or “Translation Strategies.” This section gives different ideas for how the OL translator can translate the word. This section gives more than one way to translate the word because it can mean slightly different things in different contexts. Be sure that you understand the differences of meaning between the different contexts in which the word is used so that you can translate them correctly.

In the GL, some of the UTW are not used in all of the same contexts as the English UTW are. In that case, you will need to adjust your translation of this section. If one of the Translation Suggestions does not work in the GL, then do not translate that Translation Suggestion. Instead, write a Translation Suggestion that shows how that word is used in the GL. Think about the different ways that the word is used in the Bible, and try to make sure that there is a Translation Suggestion for each of the primary uses. We want the OL translator to see and consider the differences and the similarity in meaning between the uses of the word so that he can choose the best word in his language to express those meanings.

As you translate the ULT and UST, you may find that you need to add a meaning to a word in the UTW entry, or you may need to add another word to the entry because the GL uses more than one word for the idea of that important UTW. Go ahead and do this as you find more words or meanings for the words.

Under the “Translation Suggestions” or “Translation Strategies” section is a line that says, “(See also…).” You only need to translate the words “See also,” and you only need to translate this one time, not for every UTW. The rest of the line will be created automatically if the translation is done in translationStudio Desktop.

Do I Translate the “Bible References” and “Examples for the Bible Stories” Sections of translationWords?

The third and fourth parts are “Bible References” and “Examples from the Bible Stories.” You only need to translate these words of the titles, and you only need to translate them one time, not for every TW. You do not need to translate the rest of these parts. They will be created automatically if the translation is done in translationStudio Desktop.

See also

Translating translationNotes, Translating translationQuestions

Translating translationQuestions

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for translating translationQuestions?”

See also

Translating translationAcademy, Adapting the ULT, Translating translationWords, Translating translationNotes

Guidelines

We want all translations of the Bible to communicate clearly the message that God wants them to communicate. One tool that we are providing so that the OL translators can make sure that their translations are communicating correctly is translationQuestions (UTQ). The OL translators will use UTQ to conduct community checks of each chapter of the Bible that they translate.

Does the entire Bible need to be translated first?

It is not necessary to have the entire ULT and UST Bible translated before translating the helps (TN, TW, TQ). The translation of these resources for a book could be started after the translation of that book is complete.

If the ULT Has Not Been Translated

In order to translate the questions for a book of the Bible, the ULT of that book must be translated already. The purpose of the questions is to check the translation of the ULT, so it serves no purpose to translate the questions first.

See also

Translating translationNotes, Translating translationQuestions, Checking the GL translationNotes (GTN), Checking the GLT