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Samuel Kpagheri - Togo, Africa
(September 2024)
Samuel Kpagheri - Togo, Africa
(September 2024)
How did you get interested in Bible translation? I became interested in Bible translation during my time in university (late1970s) as I got to know the SIL folks who worked in Panamá. We went to the same church in the Canal Zone. As my interest grew I visited one of the projects and the Lord used that to narrow the focus of my calling into the ministry to Bible translation.
What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? Bible translation, for me, has always been about the church and the growth of the kingdom of God. Hebrews asserts that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit--it is used by the Holy Spirit in both Christians and unbelievers to move us toward Jesus. I've always felt it is essential for the maturation of believers and the spread of God's kingdom, for creating a sense of wonderment in God and the drama He has written. Apart from that, it is no more than an academic exercise.
What is your consulting philosophy? For me, consulting is about serving translation teams: listening, encouraging, training, loving. In order to provide a useful service, we have to be able to provide added value to translation teams, and to do that, we have to continuously add to the resources we bring to the table. Under the current translation project paradigm, consultants interact with many more translation teams that have few good translation and exegetical resources available in a language they understand well. That means that the consultant's job is much bigger and "denser" than ever before. More training is helpful, many more consultant notes are required. This means that I, as a consultant, have more exegetical preparation to do than ever before. I have to know the text as well as I can, and continue learning, if I am to serve the team well and bring the added value they need.
What translation resources do you really value? I value Logos and the TW resources. They are immensely helpful. I use them daily. But, I think the question should be more "What exegetical resources do you really value". To translate well, a translator has to understand the text as well as possible. The areas of knowledge that are required to understand the text are numerous: geography, history, the biblical languages, the multiple biblical cultures and their histories. I find the exegetical summaries to be too brief. The format does not allow for extended discussions or excurses on potentially important topics. I encourage consultants to read the best commentaries on each book they check and train for. There are always excellent helpful books on theological and exegetical topics for every book we consult on, and these are helpful too.
How do you continue to grow as a consultant? (What helps you continue to grow as a consultant?) Since I love to read and learn, this isn't difficult for me. Beyond the commentaries, I try to read 2-3 books on theological topics of each book I am working on.
Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? People are what is important. Love the Lord, love people, love learning.
What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? I've always thought this a silly question as the answer has always seemed so obvious to me. The church has always driven Bible translation (BT). If ecclesiology and missiology are not the drivers of BT, isn't it just an academic exercise?
What would you say to young/aspiring translators? I'm not sure who you are referring to -- expats or nationals. The educational opportunities available to the two groups are often so different that answering the question is difficult. But I feel that the essentials for everyone is: know well the language from which you are translating; know well the language of the translation. Learn as much about the biblical cultures as you can. Learn the biblical languages. These are sine qua non for all professional translation work and our translations will only improve as we reach for this.
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