John Stark spent 24 years in Bible Translation in Nigeria, serving the Kambari Language Project as Project advisor for three translations. He has been the International Sociolinguistics Coordinator for SIL and is currently the Global Coordinator of Oral Bible Translation for Spoken Worldwide.
Emerging Standards for Oral Bible Translation
Abstract
Oral Bible Translation (OBT) is a process that blends the natural local language structures commonly found in Oral Bible Storying with the content control practices commonly used in text-based translation. As a method that has moved from concept to an expanding field practice in a period of just a few years, there are many variations in procedures and production goals. This paper presents the results of a survey of active OBT practitioners to establish, if not a single definition, at least a set of defining parameters that are present in this emerging discipline. Questions addressed are “What is Oral Bible Translation”, “Why do you do it?”, “What makes it distinct from Oral Bible Storying?” “What makes it distinct from traditional text translation?” “What are some of the common practices in drafting, testing, and consultant interaction?” and “What on-the-ground factors make OBT a good choice for a given ministry setting?”