Translation Book Package Manual

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Table of Contents

Overview

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 presents the guidelines for translating and checking all of the GL resources.

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, it 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 complete 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 tA 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 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 two Bible texts and the related helps for those: tN, tQ, and tW.

It is important that you translate the text of the ULT and the UST before you translate tN and tQ. However, This can be done book-by-book or even chapter-by-chapter (for long books). For example, you could translate all of the translation resources for a Bible book together. In this case, you would translate the ULT of the book, then the UST of that same book. Then you would use those to translate the tN, tW, and tQ for that same book. Then you would repeat the process for the next book. (For information about which books of the Bible to translate first, see the tA 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 they 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 the form of any one version too closely. 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 give 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 the ULT, Translating the UST

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 tN 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 not, make the adjustments necessary.

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 a GL translation of the ULT, then the OL translator will never see them and the tN 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 tN 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 tN 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 talks as if grace and truth were like people who can come and go, and it talks as if Jesus Christ were 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 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 ULT, Translating the UST, tA module Translation Difficulty.

Specific Editing Guidelines

  • 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.

  • Punctuation marks go inside the quote marks.

  • 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).

  • Retain the literal nature of the text–it should complement the “dynamic” UST rather than be similar to it.

  • Use vocabulary and phrases that differ from the UST. 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…).

Translation Glossary

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.

However, a TG cannot be foolproof, because the source will often use some words to signal more than one sense, depending on context. A TG is therefore a glossary of word senses, not a glossary of words. Check back often to this page, because this TG is likely to develop for the entire life of the unfoldingWord project.

Note that occasionally, the TG’s specified translation will not be suitable. As always, the text editors must remain in control of the decision-making process. The TG is to guide you as much as is possible. If you must depart from the TG guidelines, do so and insert a note to that effect.

Translation Glossary for the ULT

Preferred English renderings appear in bold type.

  • brethren should be updated to brothers. When both genders are indicated by the context, a note from the Notes Team should be expected to appear to that effect. Do not replace the ULT text with “brothers and sisters.”

  • uioi as in “sons of Israel” or “sons of God” will remain as “sons.”

  • Call in the ASV usage “call his name”: update to “call him [+ name]” or “name him [+ name].”

  • Call in the formula of the type, “he shall be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32): keep this formula in the ULT, but be aware of the metaphor that is operative here: in this verse, Jesus will not only be called the Son of the Most High, but he will be the Son of the Most High.

  • Hand indicating power or possession: keep this metaphor in the ULT.

  • Sentence-initial or preverbal and of the type, “And Joseph said,” “And it came about,” etc.: these should be rendered in English somehow, usually as the conjunction “and.” However, a different conjunction (”but”, “so”, etc.) may be selected in cases where a specific logical relationship is clear from the context.

  • Shall vs. will : in English future expressions in general, use “will” instead of “shall,” e.g., “he is a prophet, and he <del>shall</del> will pray for you” (Gen 20:7). Note that some ASV future expressions are better updated into today’s English by using the present tense, e.g., “I shall not drink from…the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come” (Luke 22:18) can be updated to “I will not drink…until the kingdom of God comes.” Cases in which “shall” expresses obligation can usually be restructured, e.g., “You shall not steal” becomes “ Do not steal,” and “Shall I go and smite these Philistines?” (1 Sam. 23:2) becomes “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” This general preference for “will” probably conforms to the instincts of most English native speakers. However, in genres such as prophecies, blessings, curses, and in other passages focusing on the expression of the speaker’s intentionality, retain the use of “shall” in the ULT, e.g., “Yahweh said, ’Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?’” (Gen 18:17), “A deliverer shall come to Zion,” “every mountain and hill shall be made low.”

  • In speech introductions that use two verbs instead of one such as, “he answered and said,” please retain this formula in the ULT. This will provide a model for languages which also separate the mode of speech from the act of speech, as does Biblical Hebrew and, often, Greek. In the UST for the same issue, only one verb will be used.

Translation Glossary for the Old Testament ULT

  • wayehi “It came about,” “It happened that…”

  • hinneh “Behold” (when used in normal narrative passages or in narrative embedded in direct speech, such as when Joseph tells his brothers what happened in his dreams). In conversational passages, translate hinneh as, “look,” “see,” “see here,” or something else suitable for signaling that what immediately follows in the text is prominent. Some conversational contexts may make it almost impossible to give any translation at all of hinneh. – However, in direct reported speech of God, his angel, or his prophet, use “behold,” since it lends more dignity in English to the divine words than “look” or “see,” etc., would do.

  • adam (ASV: man, men) When referring to humanity in general, use “mankind.”

  • YHWH Yahweh (The ASV uses “Jehovah,” but we will not.)

  • Meshiach “Messiah” (almost always, “the Messiah,” since “Messiah” is a title)

  • Expressions of the type, “he knew his wife” or “he went into his wife” should be reproduced as is. The context makes their meaning clear.

  • na’ This Hebrew particle (נָא) must be translated on a case-by-case basis and always with great sensitivity to the specific context of the speech in which it occurs. The term often means something like, “I know/fear that you don’t want to do what I am about to tell/ask you to do, but I want you to do it anyway.” There is no direct translational equivalent for this term in English, but some general guidelines are as follows. When the particle appears with a verb in the context of a request made by a person of inferior position to a person of superior position, it can be translated as “please.” But the particle also occurs often in situations where a person of superior position gives a command to a person of inferior position, and in these cases the particle must be rendered in accordance with the interpretation of the specific context. Many instances of the particle occur in contexts where translating the particle as a separate word in English may import too much meaning into the English rendering. Because this particle is an emotive word in Hebrew, in cases like these one might use an exclamation point at the end of the specific clause in order to reflect in the English translation the emotion intended by the use of the particle. It is also acceptable to leave the particle untranslated if translating it would change the meaning from the Hebrew too much.

Translation Glossary for the New Testament ULT

  • nomikos “expert in the Jewish law”

  • grammateus “scribe”

  • egeneto de, kai egeneto “It came about” (See: “Sentence-initial or preverbal and” above).

  • idou “Behold” (when used in normal narrative passages or in narrative embedded in direct speech. In conversational passages, translate idou preferably as, “look,” “see,” “see here,” or at need as something else suitable for signaling that what immediately follows in the text is prominent. Some conversational contexts may make it almost impossible to give any translation at all of idou. – However, in direct reported speech of God, his angel, or his prophet, use “behold,” since it lends more dignity in English to the divine words than “look” or “see,” etc., would do.

  • anthropos (ASV: man, men) When referring to humanity in general, use “mankind.”

  • Messiah This term sometimes appears in the NT in transliterated Greek. In this case, this term should be translated, “Messiah.”

  • Xristos “Christ” or “the Christ” (the definite article is appropriate if the term is being clearly used as a title; Paul often seems to use *Xristos * as a second name for Jesus, but at times he clearly uses it as a title).

  • gospel gospel will be used in most cases in the ULT, while the UST will use “good news.”

  • hagioi When referring to people, “saints.” When referring to heavenly beings, “holy ones.”

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 For they were saying, “Not during the feast, so that a riot does not arise among the people.” the implied information is, “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 the ULT, 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 tN 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 those things that it must avoid in the GL translation. The purpose of the UST is to change all of those problematic forms into more universal ones to make them easier to translate. Also, be sure to include all of 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 more clear 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 the ULT.)

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 UST, Translating the ULT

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.

  • Punctuation marks go inside the quote marks.

  • 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.

However, a TG cannot be foolproof, because the source will often use some words to signal more than one sense, depending on context. A TG is therefore a glossary of word senses, not a glossary of words. Check back often to this page, because this TG is likely to develop for the entire life of the unfoldingWord project.

Note that occasionally, the TG’s specified translation will not be suitable. As always, the text editors must remain in control of the decision-making process. The TG is to guide you as much as is possible. If you must depart from the TG guidelines, do so and insert a note to that effect.

The term listed first is the rendering in the ULT or the original language term, then the term preferred for the UST will appear in bold type.

  • adelphoi The ULT will use brothers. Since this term usually refers figuratively to Christian believers, the UST will most often use “believers” or “fellow-believers.”

  • gospel “Gospel” will be used in most cases in the ULT, while the UST will use “good news.”

  • Christ The ULT will use “Christ” or “the Christ” while the UST will use “the Messiah.”

  • saints The ULT will use “saints” while the UST will use either “God’s people” or a form of “those whom God has set apart for himself.”

  • YHWH Both the ULT and UST will render God’s name as “Yahweh.”

  • scribe The ULT will use “scribe” while the UST will use “teacher of the Jewish laws.”

  • Gentile The UST will use “non-Jew” or “non-Jewish.”

  • nomikos The ULT will use “expert in the Jewish law” while the UST will use “authority in the Jewish laws.”

  • grace The ULT will use “grace” while the UST will rework the grammar to use the adjective “gracious” or will use a form such as “God will be kind.”

  • peace The UST will rework the grammar to use the adjective “peaceful [spirit, etc.]” or an adjectival phrase such as “at peace.”

  • glory the UST will rework the grammar to use the adjective “glorious” or an equivalent description such as “who is so great.”

  • law The UST will expand to “law of Moses” or “Jewish law.”

  • covenant The UST will use “agreement” or “promise.”

  • church The UST will use some form of “assembly/group of those who believe/trust in God.”

  • Metaphors will be turned into either similies or plain, concrete language. Examples:

    • live in your heart: “become a part of you,” “be joined to your spirit,” “be as close to you as your own hearts.”

    • hard heart: “refuse to obey.”

  • A few abstract nouns are allowed because of the awkwardness or inadequacy of any English circumlocution. These include “authority” (when used of a person),”sin,” “behavior,” “work,” “thing,” “time,” “resource,” “kingdom,” “relationship,” and some nouns referring to speech (”message,” “saying,” etc.), although it is often possible to use a verb instead.

  • apostle The ULT will use “apostle” while the UST will use “sent one.”

  • apostle of Jesus Christ The ULT will use “apostle of Jesus Christ” while the UST will use “the Messiah Jesus sent me to represent him.”

  • disciple The ULT will use “disciple” while the UST will use “apprentice.”

  • Sabbath The ULT will use “Sabbath” while the UST will use “Jewish day of rest.”

  • Sea of Galilee The ULT will use “Sea of Galilee” while the UST will use “Galilee lake.”

  • synagogue The ULT will use “synagogue” while the UST will use “Jewish preaching place.”

  • wilderness The ULT will use “wilderness” while the UST will use “desolate place.”

  • episkopos The ULT will use “overseer” while the UST will use “leader of the believers.”

  • diakonos The ULT will use “deacon” while the UST will use “assistant” (for the church office), “servant” or “agent” in other contexts.

Adapting the ULT

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for adapting an existing translation as the ULT?”

See also

Translating the ULT, Translating the UST.

Prerequisites for Adapting an Existing Translation for the ULT

What is needed to adapt an existing translation and use it as the ULT for a GL?

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 tW 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 GL ULT, you will need to translate the tN. As you translate the tN, 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 ULT. In this way, you will need to make changes to both the Gateway Language ULT and the 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 the ULT, 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 tN for a book of the Bible, you must also have both the ULT and the UST in front of you, already translated into the target Gateway Language in final form for that book. You must have the ULT available so that you can copy the part of the ULT text that the note is talking about directly into the note. You must also have the UST text already translated and available, because the tN often copy part of the UST text in order to show another way to translate the same part of the verse. Other times, the note does not quote the UST but it does refer to it. In that case, you need to be able to see what the UST says in order to translate the note in the best way.

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

When you translate the tN, do not translate the part at the beginning that is a quote from the ULT. Always copy that part from the Gateway Language ULT. For example, the following is a Note from Ephesians 1:8.

>*He lavished this grace upon us* “He gave us this great amount of grace” or “He was extremely kind to us”

The first part, He lavished this grace upon us, is a direct quote from the ULT. You must copy that part from the Gateway Language ULT - Do not translate that part of the Note. It is important that that part be exactly the same as in the Gateway Language ULT. The next two sentences are alternative ways to express the same meaning, and must fit into the verse in the same way as the part that is quoted, as explained above.

May I use blind drafting?

No. Do not use any method that includes blind drafting to translate the tN. Always translate the tN with the Gateway Language ULT and UST in front of you, and the English tN also visible. This is because you must copy the ULT phrase into the note exactly as it is in the ULT, and you must also copy the UST phrase if the note also quotes the UST.

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 tN 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 tN 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 of the ULT as it is in the GL translation.

This means that you will need to copy the phrase of the GL ULT that is the translation of the same phrase from the English ULT into the translationNote, and then sometimes change the note so that it makes sense and is helpful for the OL translator who will use these tN as translation tools.

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 tN 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 ULT text in the target GL, then you as the translator will need to modify the note so that it does make sense in relation to the ULT in your target GL.

If the note does not apply at all to the target GL text of the ULT, 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 translationNote, to be sure that it is not necessary for the OL translator who will be using the GL translation.

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 GL ULT, 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 tN 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 tN.

Remember that speakers of many different languages will be using these GL tN 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 GL ULT, 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 note and who will make a better translation because of it.

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

See also

Checking translationNotes, Translating translationWords, Translating translationQuestions

Translating translationWords

Note

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

See also

Translating the ULT, 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 tW. 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 tW 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 tW 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 tW entries already have multiple words at the top like this, such as “prophet, prophecy, prophesy, seer, prophetess” (see the Prophet tW 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 tW are not used in all of the same contexts as the English tW 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 tW 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 tW. 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 tW. 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 the ULT, 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 (tQ). The OL translators will use tQ 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 translationNotes, Checking the ULT

Translating translationAcademy

Note

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

See also

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

unfoldingWord® Literal Text

Checking the ULT

Note

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

See also

Translating the ULT, Adapting the ULT, tA module Steps in Checking a Translation, tA module Things to Check

When checking the ULT, remember that the ULT needs to retain the original grammatical forms (as far as 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 a GL translation of the ULT, then the OL translator will never see them and the notes about them will not make sense.

When you are checking the GL translation of the ULT, you must only compare it to the English ULT. Do not refer to any other version of the Bible when checking the ULT. The GL translation of the ULT may not be as smooth and clear as the GL Bible that you are used to, because it is showing the OL translator the forms of the original biblical languages. Please do not try to make the ULT sound like your favorite translation of the Bible in your language.

What Should Be Checked in the ULT?

In addition to the things mentioned in Types of Things to Check in tA, the text needs to be checked in these areas:

  1. Idioms - If there is an idiom in the source ULT, then that same idiom should be in the target ULT. If the idiom does not make sense in the target language, make sure that there is a note that explains its meaning. If there is not a note for it, then write one in the GL tN that explains its meaning.

  2. Figures of Speech - If there is a figure of speech in the source ULT, then that same figure of speech should be in the target ULT. If the figure of speech does not make sense in the target language, make sure that there is a note that explains its meaning. If there is not a note for it, then write one in the GL tN that explains its meaning.

  3. Grammatical Forms - Check to see if the grammatical forms, that is, the order of words in the sentence or the way that the words are arranged, is the same in the target GL ULT as they are in the English source ULT. If the words are arranged differently, ask yourself if they could be arranged the same as the words in the English ULT and still make good sense, or if it is necessary for them to be arranged in a different way in the GL ULT. If they would still make good sense in a way that an Other Language translator would understand, then put them in the same arrangement as in the English. If they are in a different arrangement because that is what makes sense in the target GL, then leave them in the different arrangement.

What Should Not Be Checked in the ULT?

It is not necessary to check the ULT for naturalness with speakers of the GL. The ULT will not be natural in some cases, because it is designed to retain the forms of the biblical languages, as far as the GL allows.

See also

Translating translationNotes, Checking translationNotes, Checking the UST

Checking the UST

Note

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

See also

Translating the UST, tA module Steps in Checking a Translation, tA module Things to Check

When checking the UST, remember that 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 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.

When you are checking the GL translation of the UST, you must only compare it to the English UST. Do not refer to any other version of the Bible when checking the UST. The GL translation of the UST may not be as smooth and natural as the GL Bible that you are used to, because it does not use many of the forms of expression that make a language sound natural. These forms of expression are different for every language. So please do not try to make the UST sound like your favorite translation of the Bible in your language.

What Should Be Checked in the UST?

In addition to the things mentioned in Types of Things to Check in tA, the text needs to be checked in these areas:

  1. Sentence length - If you see any long or complex sentences in the GL UST, see how you might break them up into shorter sentences.

  2. Passive voice - If you see this construction in the GL UST, check to see what it was in the English source UST and change it so that it is active.

  3. Abstract Nouns - If you see one of these in the GL UST, check to see what it was in the English source UST and change it back to an action or description word.

  4. Events out of order - Make sure that the events in the Gateway UST are in the order that they occurred. Also make sure that the logical flow of arguments, such as occur in many of the New Testament letters, is in a natural order that makes sense in the GL.

  5. Figures of speech and idioms - Make sure that the GL UST does not contain any figures of speech or idioms. Instead, it should use only plain, clear language.

If you see any of these forms in the English UST, email <help@door43.org> to let them know of the error.

It is also useful to check the UST for clarity with speakers of the GL, but do not confuse clarity with naturalness (see below). You can read a passage from the UST to a speaker of the GL, and ask if the meaning is clear. If they say, “Yes,” that is enough. If they also say, “But I would say it differently,” that is fine. We expect that they would say it differently. But the UST needs to say it in a plain way. As long as the meaning of the GL UST is clear, it is a successful translation.

See also

Translating the UST

What Should Not Be Checked in the UST?

It is not necessary to check the UST for naturalness with speakers of the GL. The UST will very often not be completely natural, because it avoids some forms that languages naturally use, such as idioms and figures of speech. The UST avoids these because they are specific to individual languages, and do not translate well from one language to another.

See also

Translating translationNotes, Checking translationNotes

Checking translationNotes

Note

This module answers the question, “What are the guidelines for checking translationNotes?”

See also

Translating translationNotes, tA module Steps in Checking a Translation, tA module Things to Check

When checking tN, remember that tN are very closely tied to the text of the ULT. The purpose of tN is to explain any phrases or sentences in the ULT that are hard to understand or hard to translate.

What Should Be Checked?

In addition to the things mentioned in Types of Things to Check in tA, the text needs to be checked in these areas:

  1. Although the GL tN are a translation of the English tN it is important that the phrase in each note that reproduces the phrase from the ULT is exactly the same as it is in the GL ULT. So you must check the meaning of the note in the English tN and make sure that the GL tN has the same meaning. Then you must also check the wording of the phrase that comes from the GL ULT and make sure that the words are exactly the same.

  2. In the same way, make sure that any quotations of the UST have the exact wording of the GL UST.

  3. Check that the GL tN makes sense with the GL ULT. It is possible that the GL translator made a good translation of the English tN but when the note is read with the new GL ULT, it might not explain the GL ULT in the right way, or it might not make sense with the GL ULT. In that case, you will need to discuss the problem with the translator. Then you will need to decide how to change the note so that it explains the GL ULT in a way that will be helpful to the OL translator.

  4. Check that all references to the UST make sense with the GL UST.

  5. If the GL translator has decided that a note does not apply to the GL ULT and has deleted the note from the GL tN, check to make sure that the note was not needed.

  6. If the GL translator has written a new note, check to make sure that it was needed, and that it makes sense with the GL ULT.

In order to check the tN for naturalness and clarity, you will need to have people read them together with the GL ULT and UST. Then ask them to mark anything that is not clear to them, or that they would say in a different way. Then give this feedback to the translator so that he can make those places clearer and more natural.

See also

Translating translationNotes, Checking the ULT, Checking the UST

Finishing Checking

Note

This module answers the question, “How do I know when I have finished the checking for each level?”

See also

What Needs To Be Translated, tA module Steps in Checking a Translation, tA module Things to Check

It can be difficult to know when you have sufficiently checked a text for errors or for ways that it could be improved. In a sense, this process is never completely finished, and people continually find ways to improve texts that have been checked already by many people. For example, there are many Bible translations in English that have been checked by many biblical scholars and are considered to be excellent translations. Yet it is possible to find places where they could be made better, and over time, they are continually revised and new versions are published. This is the process that you should expect to happen with these Bible translations, as well.

Checking Evaluation Lists

The following lists can help you to consider whether or not you have checked a GL resource sufficiently.

Level One

Level one checking includes:

  • Initial study of the related materials, including:

    • The guidelines for translation of the specific materials in the Gateway Language Manual

    • The tN

    • The definitions of tW

    • Reading each chapter connected to the translated materials in both ULT and UST

  • Careful comparison with the source text, including:

    • Individual self edit

    • Peer edit

    • Key word check as a team

    • Accuracy check as a team

  • Final editing, including everything learned from the earlier editing sessions, the tN, and the definitions of tW.

Level Two

In addition to the steps listed above for level one, all parts of the resource have been checked by at least 2 respected church leaders, preferably pastors, who are mother-tongue speakers of the target language and bilingual in English. Also, these people are from different denominations and must not have been involved in translating the resource. These people can attest:

  • The Translation conforms to the Statement of Faith (see http://ufw.io/faith/) and Translation Guidelines (see http://ufw.io/guidelines/).

  • The Translation accurately communicates the content of the source document in the target language.

  • The style of the Translation conforms to the guidelines set forth for translation of this resource in the Gateway Language Manual.

  • The translation team has edited the Translation to their satisfaction.

Level Three

For level three, at least 2 more people need to have checked every part of the resource. These people must meet the following criteria: people who were not involved in the translation, were not part of the checking process of level two for that resource, and are bilingual in English. In addition, these people are leaders of different church networks or denominations who are either Bible scholars themselves or who can delegate the level 3 checking to trusted associates who are Bible scholars, able to compare the GL translations with the original biblical languages. They also need to affirm the same statements as in level two.

Additional questions that can help you to evaluate if the translation has been sufficiently checked are in see the tA module Self-Assessment Rubric. Just be aware that the ULT and the UST are not intended to be completely natural in the GL.

See also

tA module Self-Assessment Rubric

Source Text Creation

Note

This module answers the question, “How do I make my Gateway Language translation a source text?”

Source Text Process

Source text publishing is required for all Gateway Languages so that they can be used as source texts by Other Languages. Note that this process only applies to Gateway Languages.

Prerequisites

Before a Gateway Language translation can become a source text, the following prerequisites must all be met:

  • Whole Resource - The whole resource (a whole book) must have completed the [Translation and Checking Process](../translation-overview/01.md). Parts of resources (e.g. half of the Open Bible Stories, only a few chapters of a book of the Bible) cannot be published.

  • Checking - A translation must have completed the checking process and been validated by Gateway Language church leadership. See [Validation Checking](../../checking/level3/01.md).

  • On Door43 - Door43 must have the version that will be published. If the work was done on multiple devices, then it may need to be merged together. Get the help of a Content Tech to make merging easier (either email <help@door43.org> or use the #helpdesk channel on Slack).

  • Agreements - Everyone involved in the translation and checking must have agreed to the [Statement of Faith](../../intro/statement-of-faith/01.md), the [Translation Guidelines](../../intro/translation-guidelines/01.md), and the [Open License](../../intro/open-license/01.md). This can be done by either creating Door43 accounts or by physically signing the documents and digitizing them (scanning or photos). See http://ufw.io/forms for downloadable agreement forms.

Source Text Request Form

Once you have the prerequisites, you may fill out the source text request form at http://ufw.io/pub/. A few notes about the form:

  • You must have a Door43 account to create a request.

  • You must include the names or pseudonyms of everyone involved. You must also include their Door43 usernames if you are not attaching signed license agreements for them.

  • Note that the information you enter will be public and will become a part of the front matter of the source text.

After your form has been submitted, you will be contacted if anything is missing. Once the request has been approved, it will go into the publishing queue where a developer will work to make the translation a source text. You may also be contacted by the developer if there are any issues encounted during the publishing process. You will be notified when the process is completed and you may review a PDF of the work.

Finishing the Source Text Process

After the source text publishing process is completed, your work will then be available:

  • Online on the unfoldingWord website

  • As a PDF, downloadable from unfoldingWord

  • In translationStudio as a source text for Other Languages to use (may require a tS update first)

unfoldingWord® Simplified Text

Note

This module answers the question, “How do I align my GL translation in tC?”

The purpose of the aligning tool in translationCore (tC) is to create highlighting that will appear for the OL translator who will use the GL text as a source text for an OL translation. This highlighting will show the user of the GL text how that GL text represents the meaning of the original biblical language text.

When the OL translator uses the tW or tN tools in tC, the aligned GL text will allow tC to highlight the word or phrase that the tC check is talking about in both the original biblical language and the GL. This will help the OL translator to see how the biblical language expressed that meaning, how the GL expressed that meaning, and how he might express that same meaning in the target language. So as you align the GL text with the original language text, your job is to match as accurately as possible the words of the GL text to the words of the original text that express the same meaning.

See also

Always check to make sure you are using the latest version of tC, which is available from http://translationcore.com. Please also read the Release Notes for the most up to date instructions.

Alignment Instructions

In the tC Word Alignment tool, the GL chapters and verses are listed down the left side. When you click on a verse to open it, the words of that verse appear in a vertical list, ordered from top to bottom, just to the right of the list of chapters and verses. Each word is in a separate box.

The words of the original language (Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic) text for that verse are also in separate boxes in a field to the right of the GL word list. There is a space under each of the source word boxes outlined with a dotted line.

To align the GL text:

  1. Click and drag each word box of the GL text into the space under the word box of the source text that the GL word corresponds to.

  2. Drop the GL word by releasing the mouse button.

When the GL word is over a word box of the original, the dotted outline will turn blue to let you know that the word will drop there. If you make a mistake or decide that the GL word belongs somewhere else, simply drag it again to where it belongs. GL words can also be dragged back to the list.

When the same GL word occurs more than once in a verse, each instance of the word will have a small superscript number after it. This number will help you to align each repeated GL word to the correct original word in the correct order.

Merge and Unmerge Notes

tC supports one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many alignments. That means that one or more GL words can be aligned to one or more original language words, as necessary to get the most accurate alignment of the meaning conveyed by the two languages.

  • To align multiple GL words to a single original language word, simply drag and drop the GL words onto the box below the desired original language word.

  • When it is desired to align GL word(s) to a combination of original language words, first drag one of the combination original language words into the same box as the other original language word. Multiple original language words can be merged together in this fashion.

  • To unmerge previously merged original language words, drag the rightmost original language word slightly to the right. A small new alignment box will appear, and the unmerged word can be dropped into that box.

  • The leftmost original language word can also be unmerged by dragging and dropping it into the original language word box immediately to its left.

  • Any GL words that were aligned with that original language word return to the word list.

  • The original language words should remain in the proper order. If the merge contains 3 or more original language words, unmerge the rightmost original language word first. Un-merging the center word(s) first may result in the original language words becoming out of order. When that happens, unmerge the remaining words in that box to properly return the original language words to their original order.

Alignment Philosophy

Because each GL will have different requirements for sentence structure and the amount of explicit information that must be provided there is often not a one-to-one correspondence of the original language word and the GL word. In these cases, the GL words that are provided should be aligned with the original language word that implies them.

For English, we follow these principles, but your GL may need a different list to support full alignment.

  • Align indefinite articles to their “head word.” For example, both “a” and “servant” should align to doulos in Titus 1:1.

  • Definite articles that English supplies should also be aligned to their “head word.” For example, both “the” and “faith” should align to pistin in Titus 1:1.

  • Original language definite articles that English does not use need to be combined with their original language head word. For example, ton and logon need to be combined, then “word” aligned with that combination in Titus 1:3.

  • Implicit verbs in the original language that are translated explicitly in the target language should be aligned with the predicate. For example, “he should be” that is supplied in English should be aligned to philoxenon along with “hospitable” in Titus 1:8.

  • Words with apostrophes will be split and show up as two words in the word panel. This allows for proper alignment of the two parts of meaning. In most cases in English these are used to represent possession and will be aligned to a single original language word in the genitive case. For example, both “God” and “s” will align to theou in Titus 1:1.

  • Often the original language and GL part of speech won’t match. That is inevitable. Often an original language word will be translated as a GL phrase. For example, the three words “does not lie” in English all align with the single word apseudes in Titus 1:2.

  • Sometimes particles in the original language are not translated in the GL. These should be aligned to make the alignment between the original language and the GL as precise as possible. For example, in most cases the Hebrew direct object marker should be merged with the Hebrew direct object and aligned with that translated word in the GL. However, in cases where the direct object marker has a conjunction prefix that must be translated in the GL, then the Hebrew word containing the conjunction and direct object marker should be aligned with the translated conjunction in the GL.

Other alignment issues pertinent to Biblical Hebrew include the following:

  • When an infinitive absolute is paired with a finite verb, the infinitive absolute should be aligned separately, if possible. Usually, the infinitive absolute will be translated as an adverb, and it should be aligned with the adverb.

  • As a general rule, the ULT should translate the conjunction in Hebrew verbal forms. The translated conjunction should then be aligned with that Hebrew verb.

  • When aligning construct phrases in Hebrew, the English word “of” should be aligned with the construct noun. If the English translation of the construct phrase uses a single definite article “the”, then it should be aligned with the absolute noun. When the English translation uses multiple instances of the definite article “the”, then each definite article should be aligned with the corresponding Hebrew noun.

  • When aligning a verbless clause in Hebrew, the supplied “to be” verb should usually be aligned with the predicate instead of the subject. An exception to this rule occurs when the subject is a demonstrative pronoun (or carries some sort of deictic function). In those cases, the supplied “to be” verb should be aligned with the subject of the verbless clause.

  • Sometimes a verb in Hebrew requires an accompanying preposition that is not required in English, or vice versa. In these cases, align with whichever part of speech fits best on a case-by-case basis. For example, take the phrase “…to pay on our fields…” in Nehemiah 14:4 in the UST. The English preposition “on” fits better semantically with the noun (“on our fields”) rather than with the infinitive (“to pay on”). However, the reverse is true in v.15 in the phrase “…even their servants oppressed the people…” (Heb. שׁלטוּ על־העמ). In this case, the Hebrew שׁלט requires an accompanying preposition, and the concept is already incorporated into the English translation of the verb itself, “oppressed.” So in this case, it is best to merge the Hebrew verb and preposition together, then align both with the English “oppressed.”

Alignment Philosophy for the ULT

The ULT is intended to be a fairly literal translation of the original, so that it reproduces the structure of the original language when that is also understandable in the GL. Ideally, then, there would be one GL word aligned with each original language word. Of course, this is not possible, because languages work very differently from each other.

Therefore, we expect that you must align words or phrases in the GL with words or phrases in the original language that differ in the number of words, order of words, and parts of speech, as described above. Always, however, you should align the GL words to the original language words whose meaning they express, in whatever combination is necessary to produce the most accurate alignment of the meaning.

After aligning a verse, there may be words in the GL text that are left over and seem to be extra. If those words are truly necessary for the GL text to make sense, then find the original word or words that they help to express and align them there. But if those words do not express a meaning found in the original text, then it may be that those words should be deleted from the GL translation. See Words Not Found in the Original Language for more information.

Sometimes, in the process of aligning a verse, you will find:

  • An original language word that is not represented in the GL translation.

  • A mistake in the GL translation.

  • Words in the GL translation that do not represent anything in the original text.

  • A better or more literal way to express something in the GL translation.

In the above cases, if you are an authorized editor, you will want to edit the GL translation so that it is more accurate to the original. Otherwise, contact the GL translation team to let them know about the issue.

If you notice places where the ULT is wrong or potentially wrong, create an issue for it at https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult/issues and we’ll address it in the next release. In the meantime, align the text as well as possible.

Words Not Found in the Original Language

In the process of alignment according to the instructions above, you may find that the GL text has words or phrases that do not represent any meaning in the original language text and are not there because the GL sentence needs them to make sense. If this occurs, follow these recommendations:

  1. If possible, consider editing the GL text to match the original language text.

  2. You may consult other Greek or Hebrew manuscripts to see if there is textual support for your translation (see the Biblical Humanities Dashboard for other manuscripts).

  3. If you find support for your translation, make sure to include a comment or note about where you found it and why the translation should include it.

  4. You should consider placing these GL words in brackets or in a footnote.

Alignment Philosophy for the UST

The UST is intended to be, above all, a clear translation. Therefore, it adds words and phrases to explain the meaning of the original for the reader. These words and phrases should be aligned with the word or words that they are explaining. For example, in Titus 1:1, the phrase, “I am a servant” must be aligned with the single word, doulos.

Sometimes, for the sake of clarity, the GL of the UST will repeat things that are only mentioned once in the original. This often happens with subjects or objects of sentences. For example, in Titus 2:9 the English UST refers to “their masters” twice, although the original language only has idiois despotais once. In these cases, You should align each occurrence of the repeated reference with the same original language words, so that the highlighting will show that each of these represents the meaning conveyed by those same words of the original.

Some of the words and sentences of the UST do not directly represent the meaning of the original words. This is information that is only implied by the original words, but included in the UST because it is necessary for understanding the meaning of the original. For example, in Titus 1:1, the sentence, “I, Paul, write this letter to you, Titus” includes information that is not there in the original words, such as the fact that what the reader is about to read is a letter, and that it is written to someone named Titus. This information, however, makes the text more clear and understandable. For the aligning, then, all of this explanation must be aligned with the single word that it is explaining, Paulos.

If you notice places where the UST is wrong or potentially wrong, create an issue for it at https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ust/issues and we’ll address it in the next release. In the meantime, align the text as well as possible.