“We are talking about worship. It has to go to my heart”: translations of Orthodox Christian liturgical texts in African local languages

OCMC Missionary Dr. Michael Colburn and his wife Lisa have been working for years on software that will help the Church translate Liturgical texts in the language of the people in the mission field. Please pray for them as the test and continue to develop this import technology that will help the Church reach more people with the Orthodox Faith. 
 
Orthodox Christian Mission Center
In the Orthodox Vineyard of Africa

During his 42 years of service in Africa, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Kenya has encouraged priests and laypeople to make translations of Orthodox Christian liturgical texts into their local languages. Regarding the need for translations in Africa, Fr. Evangelos Thiani, Liturgical Theology professor in Nairobi, recently said, “We are talking about worship. It has to go to my heart. When it is in Kikuyu [his mother-tongue] it comes to my heart. Translations are what bring our people into the knowledge of their own faith. But not only that, but also to participate more vividly and actively in the services.”
For this reason, Dr. Michael Colburn and his wife Lisa, OCMC mission specialists in linguistics and translation, have been working on tools to help translators understand the Greek source text, make accurate and understandable translations, and reduce the labor required to prepare liturgical books for publication. One such tool is a Liturgical Translator’s handbook for the Canons of Theophany. The handbook is especially written for translators who speak English as a foreign language. It provides the Greek source of the hymns for Theophany, model English translations, a discussion of each word or phrase in the hymns, and an analysis of the grammar of the words and syntax.

Holy liturgy in the Orthodox Church of Cameroon (from here). 
La Mission Orthodoxe du Cameroun

In January, with the blessing of His Eminence Makarios, Michael successfully tested features of the handbook in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary. Five senior seminarians created a series of translations for four troparia from the ninth ode for both canons of Theophany. The last translation was based on information in the handbook. Translations were made in three East African languages: Kikuyu, Kiswahili, and Luhya. Then five junior-year seminarians translated the new texts back into English, without seeing what the original Greek or the previous English translation said. Back-translations are a proven tool in testing Bible translations, but this is perhaps the first time the technique has been applied to liturgical translation. Michael worked with Fr. Raphael Kamau to analyze the results for the Kikuyu and Kiswahili translations, since Fr. Raphael knows both languages. The Luhya was analyzed based solely on the back-translations. The results of the testing are promising, and certain features of the handbook clearly improved the translations.
In February, Michael tested the features for the translator’s handbook at the St. Herman Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, with students who speak native Alaskan languages. In April, he plans to conduct testing in South Korea, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosios. The results of the testing will give Michael information to improve the handbook. Once this initial handbook is finished, it will be used as the pattern to create such handbooks for other liturgical texts.
In addition to work on the translator’s handbook, Michael maintains the Online Liturgical Workstation (olw.ocmc.org), a website that provides tools for researchers and translators. He and Lisa are also assisting the Church in Kenya in the development of a new Priest’s Service Book for use throughout Africa. The service book is being produced using OLW.
Please keep the Colburns in your prayers as they labor to provide tools to assist liturgical translators throughout the world, and consider supporting them financially as well.
Click below to see how you can follow and support their work:
http://www.ocmc.org/TheColburnFamily
 
See also

Ortodokse liturgiese gesange en verse in Afrikaans

South African Orthodox Liturgical texts and music

How “White” is the Orthodox Church? 

Swahili

2016 Kenya Youth Work Team

Orthodox Christian Mission Center

Traveling From: 8/20/2016 to 8/30/2016; Team Cost: $1315*

KISUMU, KENYA – Participate in a youth leader retreat in Nandi, Kenya this summer and be inspired by and encourage the dynamic youth leaders. One thousand youth have been invited from over 500 parishes for this Archdiocese national event, which will be held in the newly established Diocese of Kisumu and Western Kenya.



The 2016 Kenya Mission Team has been invited by His Grace ATHANASIOS Bishop of Kisumu and West Kenya [photo, from here] to participate in a four-day youth leader retreat. The retreat will focus on providing a deeper understanding of youth ministry, teachings on the Faith and evangelism. The Team will offer encouragement to youth leaders who come from large cities and rural villages.

At the end of 2015, Fr. Athanasios was elevated to Bishop by His Beatitude THEODOROS II, the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. In his speech at his enthronement, the Patriarch said: “The hour of missions in the vast and great country of Kenya “has indeed come”. The fullness of time has arrived; the time of sowing has come as has the time of reaping. Teach them to love Christ’s name above all.” The Diocese of Kisumu and Western Kenya includes over 18,000 faithful, 200 parishes and 100 clergy. It is made up of four different tribes: Luhya, Luo, Nandi and Turkana. About 9% of Kenya’s population belongs to peoples only marginally impacted by the Gospel, but a large number of people have been exposed to the Gospel.
 
Orthodoxy arose in East Africa without the influence of foreign missionaries. The Church was founded by two charismatic African men searching for truth and ‘orthodoxia’ in the 1920’s. The Orthodox Church in Kenya was received into canonical Orthodoxy in 1946, and the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary was opened in the 1980’s to train indigenous priests from Africa. OCMC has supported the work of the Orthodox Church in Kenya for over 30 years and continues to provide support for theological and catechetical training, and works with church leaders to address issues of self-sufficiency for the church. Presently, the Church in Kenya has three hierarchs, His Eminence Archbishop MAKARIOS of Kenya, Bishop NEOPHYTOS of Nyeri and Mount Kenya Mount Kenya, and Bishop ATHANASIOS of Kisumu and Western Kenya.

Share the teachings of the Orthodox faith and be a part of laying the foundation of the Faith for many. Be a part of this dynamic youth outreach of the Church in Kenya. Participants should be well-grounded in the basic teachings of the Church and prepared to offer basic Orthodox catechism, religious education and youth outreach.

Dates: August 20 - 30, 2016, Cost: $1,315 (+ airfares)

Travel – Members make flight arrangements: a one-way domestic flight to Jacksonville, FL (JAX) Saturday, August 20 (by 4 pm for orientation). Team Members are to fly on the itinerary schedule that OCMC provides for the international flights: depart from JAX for Kisumu, Kenya on Monday, August 22; and depart Kisumu, Monday August 29. Airfares and visa are not included in participation cost.

Fund raising - Each Team member is responsible for the participant cost and airfares. Team members raise funds to cover the cost of their participation. Participants are encouraged to let others know that they will be sharing in the work of missions through their tax-deductible donations, and invite others to participate through prayer and financial support. The cost includes room and board, local transportation, orientation costs, ministry expenses, excursion and materials.

Share in a journey of faith… Orthodox Mission Team members are challenged to view the world with God's eyes and seek how He wants to use them to fulfill His plans. This cross-cultural experience, combined with outreach, offers participants a life-changing learning experience. This experience is about people, culture and missions. It is also about prayer, for you and others; it is about God, those you serve, and about yourself, as you serve Him.