The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-03-04
The MARYLAND BIBLE SOCIETY'S CORNER
"The Word of Our God Shall Stand Forever"

| living in New Mexico. However, the
mere statement that another transla'
ton has been made conveys no idea Of
the difficulties encountered by the
translator, the careful scrutiny of each
word employed in order to convey the
exact shade of meaning, and the Sc
lection of the proper phrases to make
primitive Indian language sufficiently
definite for the purpose of conveying
Scripture truth.
The Rev. H. C. Whitner can bear
feeling testimony to the troubles of a
translator because of the limitations
of a primitive tongue. Upon asking
the educated Indian woman who aided
him in this task for the word for
brother" he received this disconcert-
ing reply: "It depends on what you
mean. Was he the brother of man,
or the brother of a woman, or the
brother of both? And was he young
or old, and was he" "Do you mean
to say that you have different word
for each kind of brother?" exact
lyw One can see at a glance that with
such a language the translator's path
will be beset with far more thorns
than roses.
Another illustration is found in the
word brought" as in the sentence
"they brought the sick to Jesus" What
word for Drought" Well, it would
be different according to whether
Jesus was sitting, standing, walking
away or walking nearer, while the sick
were being brought! Civilization tends
to increased vagueness in language.
English is vague language, with
much latitude of meaning. A great
deal is left to imagination. But print
tive languages, like the Indian Heres,
is definite. There is a definite word
for each shade of meaning. The Eng
fish mind has no difficulty in grasping
at once the significance of "you" in
the Masters statement-"I will be
with you unto the end of the world"
But the Heres Indian has a separate
expression for each case, when speak
ing TO one, two, three, or a multitude.
Even with" has its pecularities and
dozens of varieties in usage. The
translator decided to use the form
that means "to go along with in
dangerous places, for comfort and
companionship." By this choice, the
word was given a power and beauty
entirely lacking in the vague English
with.
The verb "burn" has hundreds of
forms, depending on what is burned,
and who, and who is doing the burn
ing. There are two thousand varia-
tions of "come." There is no similar
word for Lord in the Heres language,
so the word "Chief" was used, with a
capital. "Apostle" had no parallel in
Heres, but each Indian Chief has an
elmer council" a cabinet of elders,
who aid him and carry out his COM
mands. Therefore this term was used.
The parable of the mustard seed also
presented problems, as neither the
plant nor the name is known to these
people. But they have similar plant
called "ya-ku," which grows from a
very small seed into large stalks, in
which the birds nest. So the use of
"ya-ku" for mustard seed made the
meaning of this passage clear to
Indian readers.
The Heres did have word for can
gels" They had noticed in Catholic
churches that the figures of angels
were always winged, therefore they
called them winged people" This
term, of course, having no spiritual
significance, the translator went back
to the original Greek stem of "angel,"
and used the meaningful expression
messengers of God"
There was no word for home, a
mans house and a dog-kennel being
the same. Their word for "sin" also
lacks the deep-dyed moral obliquity
implied by this word as we know it.
Yet all the toll of putting a strange
and complex language into written
form, preparing grammar, dictionary,
and medical dictionary, translating
the Scriptures, printing and distribut-
ing them, brings its own rich reward to
the translator, to the American Bible
Society, and to all Christians who, by
their prayer and support, make such
work possible. A rich reward, not in
material things, but in the abiding
satisfaction of having made possible
the actual repeneration of a nnnn1a