This morning I have been thinking about our service for Bible Sunday, about which I am quite excited. Partly because we will be using a lot of stuff in languages that are not English and partly because some different languages (from our regular blend!) will be heard: Czech, Welsh and even Japanese are a bit passe for us! All being well we will have something in Korean and something in one of the Nigerian languages as well as singing in a fairly usual (for us) mix of Latin and Xhosa!
What struck me this morning as I watched again the Bible Society DVD about work in Tanzania to translate the Bible into one of the tribal languages (can't seem to find it written down but it sounds like kikagooru) was how much Chinese whispers there is between the original Greek/Hebrew and the people who listen for God's voice... A Bible in Swahili (most people's second or third language) and a preacher whose words must be translated. And the irony that to communicate all this to a UK audience it has to be translated to English. Yet, despite all the Chinese whispers of it, people hear God's voice, albeit muffled, and respond in faith. Pretty amazing really!
It also makes me reflect on such things as the plethora of translations available in English and the unthinking way we often approach reading the versions we like - be they KJV, NIV or any other 'V' So plenty of ideas to play with ahead of the service - no wonder I'm excited!
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I recounted this morning in our service an experience I had a few years back at a European Baptist event in Norway. The official language of the Congress was English. A Norwegian was speaking in his native language, which was translated on the stage into English. There were translation booths at the back of the hall where people were translating the English into various other European languages to some of the audience who were wearing headphones to hear the language of their choice.
Sitting immediately in front of me were a Russian pastor and his wife. He was pastor of a church for the deaf in Moscow, and was deaf himself. His wife was hearing the Russian translation of the English translation of the Norwegian speaker, and was signing it to her husband next to her.
It was so moving to be there and see that!