Taking the potholes out of the road: Prepublication recording as a means of editing in oral preference cultures

Many translations begin typesetting almost immediately after a “final read through” which generally comes six months to a year after the final book is checked by a consultant. For some groups, however, following this standard methodology leaves them with an uneven translation that has been produced over several decades and checked by a variety of consultants. In one group, their translation was described as being like a road with potholes.
In this paper, the methodology and results of using prepublication recording in two languages of Papua New Guinea will be examined. In addition, the impact of distributing prepublication recordings will be described. There is no doubt that prepublication recording is not an “efficient” process. It is expensive and time consuming. No one likes driving on roads filled with potholes, even if the road will get you there. Many drivers choose to take long detours to avoid the potholes. In a similar way, a vernacular translation will be rejected and Tok Pisin (Language of Wider Communication) Bibles will be used in the Tok Pisin preference section of Papua New Guinea if there are too many “potholes” in the translation. Prepublication recording is one methodology that can be used to improve the quality of a translation before publication.