A Letter to: The PCT’s Taiwan Church News / 台灣教會公報
From: Rev Paul McLean / 麥煜道牧師
Re: Taiwan Indigenous Bible Translation Projects /台灣原住民族語聖經翻譯計畫
Date: Monday April 1, 2019
[The letter which I wrote in Han characters is found below my English translation.]
Dear Friends, Peace:
I read with delight your 2019/03/16 article on: 「魯凱中會茂林區馬可福音翻譯開工感恩禮拜」 “The Thanksgiving Worship Service to Begin Translating the Gospel of Mark into the Maolin Dialects within the Ngudradrekai Presbytery” (https://tcnn.org.tw/archives/50322). Thank you at the Taiwan Church News for supporting and promoting the mission of indigenous Bible translation in Taiwan.
Please let me offer some further explanation.
Since the 1950s, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) and the Bible Society in Taiwan (BSTWN) have been partners in the mission of indigenous Bible translation. Under difficult and challenging circumstances, many deeply committed PCT ministers, elders, deacons and lay people have faithfully worked together to produce portions of the Bible in various indigenous languages.
Sometimes overseas partner churches have sent missionaries to identify with the people, learn the language and share in this mission work. For example, from the Presbyterian Church of England, Rev. John Whitehorn helped translate the Paiwan New Testament & Short Old Testament; and from the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC), Rev. Clare & Mrs. Grace McGill helped translate the Tayal New Testament. I thank God for on-going support through the PCC which allows me to serve in partnership as a Bible Translation Advisor and coworker with eight teams.
In my years of experience, I have discovered that Bible translation is service by means of cooperative teamwork. As each person on the team presents to God their God-given gifts, and humbly prays with united hearts, God the Holy Spirit can use weak limited human beings to do wonderful things.
Under the theme of “Gospel and Culture”, the PCT, its partner churches and the BSTWN continue to enjoy a good strong partnership which, as we rely on the Lord’s leading, is bearing the fruit of new indigenous Bibles.
In 1997, the first complete indigenous Bible was published: Fangcalay Cudad 阿美語聖經 The ‘Amis Bible. Later in 2019, The Revised ‘Amis New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs typeset in parallel with Today’s Chinese Version (2019) will be published.
In 2005, the second complete indigenous Bible was published: Patas Suyang Kari Truku 太魯閣語聖經 The Truku Bible. From what I have learned, Truku was originally considered to be part of the Sediq language family, but in recent years the national government has identified the Truku people as an independent people group. Nevertheless, broadly speaking, the Truku language is still a Sediq dialect. In recent years, the PCT, partner churches and the BSTWN have been translating the Bible into the smaller related Sediq dialects of Tgdaya and Toda. So, in a sense one could say, that Sediq is the first indigenous language in Taiwan to have the whole Bible translated into its largest dialect, before translating into smaller related dialects.
(I just read the 2019/03/27 article in Taiwan Church News on:
「太魯閣中會與賽德克族群區會簽訂夥伴關係」 “The Truku Presbytery and the Sediq Church District Sign a Partnership Agreement” https://tcnn.org.tw/archives/50659. It seems to me that translating the Bible into Truku then into related Sediq dialects is another fine testimony of partnership in mission.)
In 2017, the third complete indigenous Bible was published: Ngudradreadrekadhane ka Sisiu 魯凱語聖經 The Ngudradrekai Bible. This Bible uses the Vedai dialect which is the largest dialect of Ngudradrekai. Now this beautiful version of the Bible, along with Today’s Chinese Version which is printed in parallel with it, can serve as a model text for the teams which are just starting to translate Mark’s Gospel into the smaller Ngudradrekai dialects: Maolin, Tona and Wan-shan. [I met these three teams on March 8, 2019 and will start serving as their Translation Advisor.] So, it may be more accurate to say that Ngudradrekai is the second indigenous language in Taiwan to have the whole Bible translated into its largest dialect, before translating into smaller related dialects.
Over the next five years, by the grace of God, the BSTWN hopes to publish Bibles in other indigenous languages too: the complete Sediq Bible, the complete Bunun Bible, the first Pinuyumayan New Testament, the complete Tayal Bible, the complete Paiwan Bible, the complete Tsou Bible, and finish revising the whole ‘Amis Bible.
In addition to indigenous Bibles, this year the BSTWN plans to publish the revised Today’s Chinese Version (2019) and Today’s Chinese Version Study Bible. A Hakka team has started to prepare a small revision of the 2012 Hakka Bible. And of course, many churches are eagerly waiting for the complete Today’s Taiwanese Version of the Bible.
We thank God for blessing and leading the many gifted servants who with united hearts and minds are helping to translate, review, read, typeset, proofread and publish the Bible, so that it will become a rich treasury of each indigenous language, and so that everyone can use their own mother-tongue to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Please continue to pray and support the vital mission work of Bible translation for all the people groups in Taiwan.
The LORD says:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:10-11, NIV)
================================================
敬愛的朋友們，平安：
我高興地閱讀2019年3月16日的報導：【魯凱中會茂林區馬可福音翻譯開工感恩禮拜】。感謝貴教會公報如此支持促進台灣原住民族語聖經翻譯的宣教工作。
請允許我提供進一步的說明。
自1950年代以來，台灣基督長老教會和台灣聖經公會一直是台灣原住民族聖經翻譯的合作夥伴。 在許多困難和挑戰的情況之下，有台灣本國敬愛主上帝的牧師、長執，和信徒忠實地合作用各種原住民族語翻譯其族群聖經的一部分。
有時海外夥伴教會也派宣教師來認同、學習，並分擔這項事工。例如，來自英格蘭長老教會懷約翰牧師（Rev. John Whitehorn）協助了排灣語新約短舊約聖經翻譯，來自加拿大長老教會穆克理牧師和師母（Rev. Claire & Mrs. Grace McGill）協助了泰雅爾語新約聖經翻譯。本人也感謝上帝通過加拿大長老教會的支持，使我能夠以同工分享的方式擔任翻譯顧問。
根據幾年的經驗，我發現聖經翻譯是一種團隊合作的服事。團隊當中每位同工把上帝所賜給他/她們的恩賜擺上時，同心謙卑祈禱，上帝聖靈就可以用軟弱有限的人來做奇妙的事。
以「福音與文化」做為宣教的方向，台灣基督長老教會、其他夥伴教會，和台灣聖經公會還繼續享有美好合作關係，一起倚靠主的引導，翻譯與出版新的原住民族語聖經。
1997年，第一本完整的新舊約原住民族語聖經出版，就是Fangcalay Cudad 阿美語聖經。2019後半年，阿美語新約附詩篇箴言（修訂版）及現代中文譯本（2019）並排版聖經將要面世。
2005年，第二本完整的新舊約原住民族語聖經出版，就是Patas Suyang Kari Truku 太魯閣語聖經。據我所知，太魯閣語原來是屬於賽德克族（Sediq）的一個語系，後來政府承認成為獨立的族群。但就廣義而言，太魯閣語也是賽德克族語之一。最近幾年，長老教會、夥伴教會，和聖經公會另外也翻譯賽德克族較少族人使用的Tgdaya語及Toda語。因此，可以從某種意義上說，賽德克語是第一個「先出版人數多語系聖經，再進行人數少語系聖經」的族語。（剛讀完教會公報2019年3月27日 的報導【太魯閣中會與賽德克族群區會簽訂夥伴關係】，我心裡想，翻譯太魯閣語聖經與相關的賽德克語聖經也是美好宣教夥伴的見證。）
2017年，第三本完整的新舊約原住民族語聖經出版，就是Ngudradreadrekadhane ka Sisiu 魯凱語聖經。這譯本使用人數多的霧台、好茶語系。這美麗譯本及所並排的現代中文譯本，可作為模範文本，使小組方便開始為人數較少的茂林、多納、萬山語系翻譯像馬可福音較短的書卷。因此，可能更準確地說，魯凱語是第二個「先出版人數多語系聖經，再進行人數少語系聖經」的族語。
接下來一至五年當中，在上帝賜恩之下，聖經公會也希望可出版其他原住民族語聖經：新舊約賽德克語聖經、新舊約布農語聖經、第一本比努悠瑪雅呢語新約聖經、新舊約泰雅爾語聖經、新舊約排灣語聖經、新舊約鄒語聖經，和全新舊約阿美語聖經（修訂版）。
除了原住民族語聖經，今年台灣聖經公會計劃要出版現代中文譯本（2019）以及現代中文譯本研讀本聖經。客家團隊已開始準備2012年版客語聖經的小修訂版。當然，許多教會都切望地等待完整的現代台語譯本新舊約聖經。
感謝上帝賜福、帶領恩賜豐富很多的僕人，使他/她們同心合意翻譯、審查、閱讀、排版、校對，並將聖經出版成為各族群語言的寶貴金庫，為了讓每個人都能夠用自己的母語來分享耶穌基督的好消息。請大家繼續為台灣所有族群祈禱，並支持各族語聖經翻譯的重要宣教工作。
上主說：
「我的話像雪和雨從天降下，不再返回，卻滋潤了大地，
使五穀生長，讓撒種的有種子，讓吃的人有食糧。
我應許的話就是這樣。我的話從不落空，
卻要成就我的計畫，要執行我的旨意。」
（賽55：10-11，現代中文譯本2019）
〔加拿大長老教會宣教師麥煜道牧師。〕
