Translation Based on Performance, from Greek Performance to Target Performance

Oral Bible Translation based on Performance brings new questions. When we prepare a Performance, we may start with our common sense of the world and our knowledge of the ancient world. We do not choreograph or re-format according to our personal feelings. We carefully let all of the cues in the original text inform all of the aspects of our Performances. These cues in a Greek text are many and more than might be anticipated by focusing on intermediate written translations. Original word choices, implicit and explicit choices, default Comment material, staging or Topical material, specially marked Focal material, pace, afterthought, unit-chunking, repetition, parenthesis, ambiguities, specificity, conciseness, sound patterns, comparison, antithesis, cultural background, and exegetical resolutions of meaning, text, and punctuation, are some of these cues found in a canonical, Greek New Testament text. A Performance in Greek John 1:1-18 will embody this.

In a translation project such a Greek Performance would be discussed within a mother-tongue team including those fully oral members (i.e., illiterates), who have learned to engage Greek orally. Together the team reaches a consensus on how to perform this in their language.

A Performance of John 1:1-18 in English will demonstrate influence on a target-language Performance and will help us understand the advantages of working from Greek. Both the Greek source Performance and the English target Performance raise points for discussion. A Greek Performance provides advantages for the target translation quality and for the long-term strength of the Church in the language community. With God’s help we will do this.