Sign Language Bible Translation: A Complex Process

Over the past week I've gotten to sit in on several aspects of the sign language Bible translation process.  While I haven't seen everything, I'm certainly amazed at all that is involved.

Here is the basic layout of the process of translation, as I've seen it so far:

• Prayer:  Obviously there is a lot of prayer involved!  In trying to translate a passage, you are setting up the Scriptures for an entire people group!  I've appreciated the amount of prayer I've seen among the staff involved.  The staff get together as a whole on Wednesday mornings to pray, and additionally the translation and 2x2 teams meet on Friday nights for worship and prayer.  Sunday morning church also involves prayer for wisdom and God's guidance.
• Text Selection:  By now this has been determined.  There are three series of stories that the translators translate:  1. "Know God How?"  2. "Follow God How?"  3. "Serve God How?"  Each series has a collection of Bible verses associated with it.  (For instance, "Know God How?" begins with Genesis 1, describing creation.  These series are called "Chronological Bible Stories".)  In the first translation (which was in KSL), they had to decide which stories to pick out.  Now that the KSL series have been completed, each subsequent translation in another language already has the stories determined.  (For those interested, after the translation teams finish their CBS [and some additional topical texts], they go back to their country and begin work on the full Bible under the supervision of SIL or Wycliffe.)
• Source Texts:  The team sits down with several different sources.  All have an English text, as well as the written text from their own country.  (Some of these are very different than English; see, for instance, the Ethiopian Bible.)  In addition, several of the recent teams use some of the previous sign language translations (in other languages... in particular, the Kerala and Kenyan) as source texts, too.  They will sit down as a team and talk through what the text should look like as a signed story.  Keep in mind that native (Deaf) signers are the ones translating, as it is their native language.
• Recording:  Once the story is determined, several recordings will take place.  They will typically record three parts:  an introduction (which explains the text briefly); the text itself; and a deeper description of what is going on in the text.  The signers wear different colored shirts to distinguish which part (introduction, text, or description) they are signing.
• Review:  Once they record the story, it is reviewed, first by the team, then by a consultant-in-training, then by an approved consultant.  (There are very few certified consultants for sign language... really only four globally.  This is a big need.  There are about 10+ people training in this now.)  Each Deaf translation team is paired with both a Deaf and a hearing consultant-in-training (CIT).  The Deaf CIT checks to make sure the translation is natural and accurate (from a sign language standpoint), and the hearing CIT checks to make sure it is Biblically/exegetically accurate.  Each time an issue is found, then entire recording must be redone again.  This is very different than a written text; you cannot simply delete or insert.  The signer must memorize the entire text and sign it precisely in full.  Wow!  (Imagine having to translate, for instance, John 1, and then memorize the chapter and speak the entire thing accurately into a recording.)  As the translation is being edited, it is occasionally brought into the community for community testing.  The translation needs to meet the CANA criteria:  clear, accurate, natural, and accepted.  (I'll talk more about this in a later post.)
• Drawings:  Because the Deaf are visual learners, it helps to provide pictures that show the action visually, especially with concepts that are foreign to the culture of the people watching.  Thus, the recordings are done in front of a green screen, and drawings are inserted behind the signers.  These drawings are created by a team of Deaf artists and animators from India and Kenya.  They have some beautiful work!  These drawings are also used as storyboards for people presenting the texts without technology.
• Editing:  Once the recording and drawings are finished, an editing process begins.  The two must be fluidly merged (and text inserted), and the resulting library of stories organized so that it can be produced on a clickable DVD menu.  This is all done by a Deaf member of the translation team, who is trained in all things editing and computers by a main editing coordinator, Simon, who is also Deaf.  
• Copying/Production:  Once the digital version is ready, the files are copied onto DVD, and a DVD cover is produced.  These are then mass-produced for distribution by the 2x2 team as they work to evangelize and teach other Deaf the gospel.  

I've already gotten to watch some of this process, and I'm looking very forward to getting to know it even more.  There are so many skilled people working here; it is amazing to see the teams of people God has assembled for this task.  Praise Him for the unique ways that he has gifted so many.

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)