Postscript

Photos by Zeke du Plessis (photos added March 31, 2010)

NAIROBI, KENYA–Scripture translations are in progress in six African sign languages which are located in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia. Translation teams are starting by translating a set of Chronological Bible Stories, checking, revising, recording them on video, and preparing to distribute them on DVDs.  Thirty-two stories in Kenyan Sign Language will be dedicated January 16-17, 2010.

Each translation represents the cooperative efforts of DOOR International, Wycliffe Bible Translators International, SIL International, Wycliffe Associates, The Seed Company, Bible Translation and Literacy and each Deaf community.

Learn more about Bible translation with the Deaf in Africa.

Sign language is not universal–there are more than 100 sign languages in the world. More sign languages are still being discovered and documented. Each sign language has its own unique vocabulary and grammar. They are not related to the spoken languages of an area.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Photo by David Ringer

David and I spent the last couple of days meeting with church leaders in Ethiopia and talking with them about their vision for Bible translation. Read more about our experience on David’s blog.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia, is one of many languages that does not use a Roman alphabet (or Roman script) like English does. Amharic uses the Ge’ez alphabet. Learn more on David’s blog.

Some non-Roman scripts can present particularly difficult challenges to translators. For example, some languages use more characters than would fit on a standard-sized computer keyboard. The Non-Roman Script Initiative (NRSI) has created and is working on software solutions to script related computing issues. These software programs can make translation much easier in some languages that use non-Roman scripts.

Popularity: 3% [?]

On Sunday we visited a large evangelical church in Ethiopia. There were several thousand people in attendance. I am fascinated by how other people worship through their own culture–how is the Bible read, what are the sermons like, is there music and if so, what is that like, how do people pray, etc. This church visit gave me an opportunity to make observations in an Ethiopian context.

What was most striking to me in this church was the absence of translated songs. I’ve visited churches in other parts of the world, and sometimes I discover that I know many of the songs already–the tunes are the same, and the lyrics, originally written in English, have been translated into the local language. However, what we heard in this church was all Ethiopian music. Ethiopian melodies written in an Ethiopian style as well as lyrics written in the national language–Amharic. It was refreshing. I really enjoyed listening to their music and seeing a reflection of how the people in this church both worshiped God and honored their culture. The video below gives a small taste of what some of the music was like.

Popularity: 4% [?]

After a very short stop in Nairobi (8 hours), I left Jeff and headed out again. Thankfully, my next flight was just a couple of hours. I flew north to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Addis is about 750 miles north of Nairobi. I’m here for about a week traveling with a co-worker, David. We are here to learn more about Bible translation programs in the country.

I’m not usually a coffee drinker, but coffee is an important part of Ethiopian culture. So, today, while enjoying the company of co-workers including some Ethiopian colleagues, I had my first macchiato. It’s a coffee drink with lots of milk and sugar that is popular in Ethiopia. Yum. If all coffee tasted like this, I’d drink it more often. Macchiato came to Ethiopia along with pizza, pasta and gelato during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia shortly before World War II.

Popularity: 5% [?]