A Re-Translation Project Of Aboriginal Bunun Bible Is To Be Finished Yet Finance Needed

Bunun pastors offer their best efforts to re-translate a Bunun Bible
布農三中會牧師們不辭辛勞重譯聖經,為讓族語聖經完備。(相片提供/溫光亮)

Taiwan Church News
3395 Edition
20 – 26 March, 2017
Church Ministry

A Re-Translation Project Of Aboriginal Bunun Bible Is To Be Finished Yet Finance Needed

Reported by Simon Lin

To publish a more complete Bunun Bible, three PCT Presbyteries(Central Bunun, Bunun, and Southern Bunun) established a Bunun Bible translation committee in 2012 to launch a re-translation project based on Chinese New Version Bible and pronounced in the most populous Bunun tribe at Jun community. The Canadian counselor, Rev Dr Paul D McLean, also did a great service to explain the exact meanings of original biblical texts to the committee.

Why a re-translation project was deemed necessary, according to Rev Wen Kwang-liang(director of the Joint Bunun Bible Translation Committee) and Rev Sayi Iscacafute (deputy director of this committee) were mainly due to two reasons: first, current old testament of Bunun Bible only has 40% of translation text from the O.T. scripture; second, current new testament of Bunun Bible was not accurately translated or proof-read done by former translator Rev Hu Wen-che.

In the past 5 years, 15 Bunun pastors and elders were routinely assembled together every month from scattered villages located in Nan-tou, Hua-lien, and Kaohsiung, to translate the old and new testament word by word from Chinese New Version into Bunun language. Up to date, about 30 chapters more of the scripture of Jude and Revelation left to be finished in this re-translation project, a financial support is therefore called for the attention of the church to complete this ministry of God’s word.

Rev Wen Kwang-liang expressed that, though the co-ordination job of different phonetic pronunciation and accent was indeed a tough job during this ministry, the most difficult challenges came from the monthly expenditures including traveling, housings and foods for the itinerary meetings of 15 persons. Now, this re-translation project is short of a budget between 1.2 to 1.5 million NT dollars to run the last mile, Rev Wen Kwang-liang said.

Translated by Peter Wolfe

 

廣告/美好腳蹤368認購

我有話要說