“Listening to the Bible in one’s own ethnic language is like hearing one’s parents speaking.” On hearing that, Pastor Luo Shuyin, head of the Ethnic Minority Bible Translation Ministry of the Yunnan Provincial CC&TSPM said this was the most moving remark that she had ever heard about Bible translation for ethnic minorities.
Yunnan Province, accommodating 25 ethnic groups, has the most ethnic diversity in China. The ethnic groups of Yi, Lisu, Jingpo, Lahu, Wa, Miao, Hani, Dai, Zhuang, Tibetan, and Nu, are Christian believers. Being able to listen to sermons, read the Bible, and sing hymns in their ethnic languages is a special expression of God’s love towards ethnic minority believers.
According to Pastor Luo, there are Bible translation teams for seven ethnic groups in Yunnan. The Bible translation and printing volumes for each ethnic group are based on their varied needs. Some ethnic minority Christian populations are relatively larger, while others are smaller. Their settlements vary from concentrated to dispersed locations. All the above factors require assessment. In addition, when translating the Bible for a particular ethnic minority, the Yunnan CC&TSPM also takes into account the needs of ethnic minority Christians in the border areas between Yunnan and Sichuan.
The Process of Translating the Bible for Ethnic Minorities
In 2015, the Yunnan CC&TSPM had the seven ethnic groups mentioned above for Bible translation. When the translation work for an ethnic minority is determined, the organizations will build a team of translators comprising individuals who are proficient in both their ethnic language and Mandarin and have a certain level of education and theological knowledge. Experts, such as those from the United Bible Societies (UBS), provide guidance throughout the translation projects, utilizing a complete system and software to review the accuracy and elegance of the translations based on drafts and progress.
Moreover, the translation approach varies among ethnic minorities. Some works might start with the New Testament, while others begin with the Old Testament. Such decisions are related to the ethnic group’s religious history. For example, some ethnic minorities already had the New Testament translated with the help of missionaries, so the translation team would start with the Old Testament and integrate the previous New Testament content afterward. In contrast, some ethnic minorities had handwritten drafts of translations, prompting the translation team to adjust the content accordingly.
After forming the translation team, members will receive the help of experts, and select the Bible versions to use as a reference for translation. Pastor Luo noted that the commonly used reference versions are the New Chinese Version (NCV) and the Revised Chinese Union Version (RCUV). While RCUV has more elegant wording, if some ethnic minority translators have difficulty understanding it, the translation team will choose the more suitable NCV based on their preferences and abilities to ensure translation accuracy. Thus, NCV serves as the primary translation version, with the other serving as an auxiliary version.
Next, the translation team sets a long-term plan and allocates tasks to each member, who then begins their translation work individually at home or at an ethnic minority Bible translation center in Wuding, Yunnan. After some time, they will have meetings with experts assisting in draft reviews followed by adjustments. Upon completion of the translation, the work will go through proofreading, typesetting, and printing.
Furthermore, when a Bible translation project for an ethnic minority is completed, it is not immediately printed in large quantities. Instead, a pilot version of some parts, such as Acts, will be printed and distributed to Christian believers of the corresponding ethnic groups for feedback on readability and expressions. Based on the believers’ feedback, the translation team continues to make adjustments, during which the translation skills of team members will be continuously enhanced.
Why Invest So Much in Translating the Bible for Ethnic Minorities?
The translation of the Bible for ethnic minorities is significant but also challenging. The head of the ministry told the Gospel Times that there are many limitations to translating the Bible for ethnic minorities because translators must be from the ethnic group, understand their customs and language expressions, and possess a certain level of education and theological knowledge. “We hope to see the emergence of higher-level translation talents,” she said.
Translating the Bible for ethnic minorities requires substantial investments in terms of funds, manpower, and material resources. Moreover, it takes a considerable amount of time for an ethnic minority Bible version to be published, such as the eight years of translating the New Testament into the Bai Yi language and the 19 years of translating both the Old and New Testament into the Miao language. With Mandarin becoming increasingly prevalent today, why invest so much in translating the Bible for an ethnic minority?
The head of the ministry explained that first missionaries created writing systems for some ethnic minorities, and translating the Bible into an ethnic minority language is a valuable historical and cultural heritage.
Secondly, she said, “Listening to the Bible in one’s own ethnic language is like hearing one’s parents speaking.” It was the most moving thing she had ever heard. Although more and more people can read the Mandarin Bible, the intimacy brought by reading the Bible in one’s own ethnic language is unique and serves as one of the driving forces behind the development of the Bible translation ministry for ethnic minorities.
The Ethnic Minority Bible Translation Ministry of the Yunnan CC&TSPM began in 2003. However, before then, some ethnic minority churches had circulated handwritten and individual volumes of some biblical books. Some were translated by missionaries and others by ethnic minority individuals, which were not reviewed by experts. Yunan CC&TSPM has been collecting such pieces and volumes.
As Some Ethnic Minority Young People Cannot Read in Their Own Languages – How to Preserve the Translated Bible?
The translation of the Bible for ethnic minorities also faces practical challenges. Increasingly, young people from ethnic minorities cannot read or write in their own languages, but can only speak in the language. They usually use Mandarin in daily life. Therefore, after an ethnic minority Bible version is published, how it can be effectively used and preserved by ethnic minority Christians remains a question.
“We hope that the Bible is not just displayed but actually used, and we hope that ethnic minority believers will cherish and preserve their own languages and writing systems,” said the head of the Ethnic Minority Bible Translation Ministry.
Luo also shared inspiring testimonies. For instance, after the publication of an ethnic minority Bible version, older generations of Christians will read it, and many of them can recognize their own script. Some elderly individuals who are illiterate even begin to learn to read due to their long-term Bible reading habit, which is also witnessed among Han Chinese Christians.
Although the Ethnic Minority Bible Translation Ministry has been developing, it is still difficult to meet the needs of believers. Due to the uniqueness of this ministry, it requires substantial investments, while the purchasing power of ethnic minority believers is limited. For example, the Miao language Bible has been published twice, but many Miao believers still do not have a copy. When the Lisu language Bible was first published with 10,000 copies, they were quickly sold out due to the large demand from this Lisu branch. Some churches may only have pastors with a copy of the Bible in their own language, while believers can only listen but not read it themselves.
The ministry is continuously developing, aiming to help ethnic minorities better use their own Bible versions and assist them in publishing hymnbooks. Different ethnic minorities have their own hymnbooks. Some were translated from Mandarin and others were passed down traditionally, but they are not yet systematic. In addition, the CC&TSPM is also assessing the needs of other ethnic groups, such as the Hani and Dai groups, but after investigation, conditions are not yet set, so they will continue to follow up to help ethnic minority Christians better recognize and praise God in their own languages.
(This article was originally written in 2015.)
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Charlie Li
