Cornishmaninafrica

From the BBC website: When officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign, they thought the reply was what they needed.

All official road signs in Wales are bilingual, so the local authority e-mailed its in-house translation service for the Welsh version of: “No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only”. The reply duly came back and officials set the wheels in motion to create the large bilingual sign. All seemed well – until Welsh speakers began pointing out the embarrassing error. In Welsh the notice said: “I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated”. Mr Iorwerth, Managing editor of the Welsh-language magazine Golwg, commented: ”Unfortunately, it’s all too common that things are not just badly translated, but are put together by people who have no idea about the language. It’s good to see people trying to translate, but they should really ask for expert help.”

If accuracy in translation is important for road signs, imagine how much more important it is when it comes to the Bible. That’s why those of us who are involved in Bible translation need to be properly trained and qualified for the job. The seven year study programme which I have just completed equips me with the tools I need to train mother-tongue speakers to produce quality Bible translations in their own languages.

Putting aside all the differences between Republicans and Democrats for a moment, I would just like to say that I am full of admiration for your country today: a country whose democratic values have permitted the free and fair election of an African-American president just forty years after Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.