Embedded Files
Bill Hanna - Asia
(September 2024)
Bill Hanna - Asia
(September 2024)
How did you get interested in Bible translation? I went to the Urbana Student Missions Conference in 1973 full of prayer and enthusiasm, and everybody I met seemed to be talking about Bible translation. I figured that was God’s voice to me.
What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? The thought that churches will grow, that pastors will preach from the Word in their own language, and that people will memorize Scripture in their own language.
What is your consulting philosophy? 1) “First, do no harm.” This medical motto is good for consultants as well as doctors. I think about how much thought a team of translators have put into their work, and I remind myself that they can actually speak their language. I want to make their Bible better, not make it worse. I want it to be something that believers [and unbelievers alike] are more likely to read, not less likely.
2) Be an encouragement. Draw near to God together. Help the translators keep their eyes on the big picture of the growth of their churches. Praise them where it is appropriate.
What translation resources do you really value? 1) The original text. 2) Commentaries. 3) Translator’s Notes often clarifies the issues and gives me a good place to start. Paratext is an amazing tool that has replaced many of the books I used to spread open on my desk.
Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? A couple of times I have lain awake at night and wondered if I threw my weight around and forced my amazing solution on the MTTs. Sure enough, when we revisited the verse the next day, they were happy to restore the text to something pretty close to what they had started with.
What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? Work hard at Greek and/or Hebrew while you are young. I regret that I never learned any Hebrew. The older I get the more daunting it seems to get started.
Share something that you learned from a mentor? I have two heroes. David Thomas was a linguistics consultant with amazing insight. The thing he stressed the most was that a consultant must be an encourager. Dick Elkins came to Thailand from the Philippines to do our first translation consultant check on Mark, and I always hope I can be as good as him. He got to know us, developed good rapport with the MTT, prayed with us, asked insightful questions, gently helped us think about some new ideas, and left us feeling like this could be a success.
What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? The Bible is for the church, and must be done by the church. I encourage translators to think multi-denominationally. I ask them to focus on words that will help people to grow in Christ, that can be read fluently out loud. Some passages should be quotable and memorize-able.
What would you say to young/aspiring translators? If I could reconsider my life’s direction, I would definitely choose to do this all over again.
Page updated
Report abuse