What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I love being with the translators, to get to know them, their language, their family, their culture, and to share life with them. I am so excited when I see that the translation flows so natural and clear in the target language and yet still faithful to the original language, to see the joy in the translators’ faces, and to hear them exclaiming: “It's really our language! We understand it!”

What is your consulting philosophy? I am to serve and to help the translators to provide the best rendering in their language. I am helping them improve the quality of their work through my questions. We are to produce a beautiful translation that is accurate and clear that our audience would love to read and use as they grow in the knowledge of God and His Word.

What translation resources do you really value? Every resource is valuable and complimentary to help us in our task. We are blessed with the increasing number of available resources nowadays. It is also a blessing to be able to choose between resources in English and in French, depending on the language I’m working on. For exegesis and translation suggestions, I’m using mainly the UBS Handbook for Translators (English or French), the SIL Translators’ Notes (English or French), ESV16 or NBS11 Enhanced resources, and of course 6 to 8 Bible versions, including Traduction Française de Modèle, when available, in my Text collection. When dealing with hard to explain expressions in a target language, I read Bible commentaries.

Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? Accepting to be wrong is an act of humility, a character that I, as a consultant, greatly value when being with the translators. Just recently when checking on 1Cor 15:3. The translation of the Greek “first of all” was ambiguous as there are two different interpretations: “first of all” and “most important” or “of a great importance”. The team chose the first interpretation. As I slept on it, I re-checked and studied it more with exegetical helps, I was convinced that the second interpretation would be the best option here. I wrote back to the team and explained my opinion. I apologized and asked them to change the translation. What I learned from that experience is that different Bible versions may lead us to a less better interpretation if we are not careful in studying the source language.

What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? In everything, walk with God. People first: build trust in order to gain the best. Humility, teachability, and perseverance. Keep learning and have wisdom and discernment.

What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? The church is the central point in Bible Translation: the work starts with them and at the same time, they are the end-users.

What would you say to young/aspiring translators? Translating the Bible is like climbing a high mountain. When you start, you are full of energy because you are starting a journey with your friends although none of you are fully equipped but what you have all together will take you to the top. Along the way, some of you may need to be pulled, some may need to be pushed, some may need to rest. Some other friends may join you on the way, others may decide to stop. Yet, you are helping each other to reach your goal. The more you progress in your journey, the more beautiful scenery you see around you despite your fatigue. And when you reach the top, you all will be tired but you will celebrate together.