Da Jesus Book

[whatsitmean]

There was a Wycliffe Bible Translator presentation at church yesterday. "Da Jesus Book" has been on the Hawaiian best seller list since it's introduction four years ago.

>> John 3:16: God wen get so plenny love an aloha for da peopo inside da world, dat he wen send me, his one an ony Boy, so dat everybody dat trus me no get cut off from God, but get da real kine life dat stay to da max foeva. You know, God neva send me, his Boy, inside da world for punish da peopo. He wen send me fo take da peopo outqa da bad kine stuff dey doing."

[Ovedya]

My....how disgusting.

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

What is this?????

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

I dont agree with this at all!I went to the site.what are we doing?dumbing down the WORD of GOD?Sounds like Jar-Jar Binks had a hand in this translation.

[other one]

At first I thought this was pretty bad.... but if the translation is true to meaning, and the people of the islands really do speak like this, maybe it is just a translation into a different language.

Hummmm,,, having to rethink this through.........

[Ovedya]

At first I thought this was pretty bad....  but if the translation is true to meaning,  and the people of the islands really do speak like this, maybe it is just a translation into a different language.

Hummmm,,,    having to rethink this through.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They call it "pidgin" speak, apparently. And actually, I don't believe that it is an actual language in the typical sense of what we would call it. Linguists might call it a language according to their understanding, but to me it's just really really poor abbreviated English. To my understanding native Hawaiians don't have any trouble understanding the English language at all. So I question why a person would waste such time and energy into such a translation.

And if there is a real need for this kind of poor translation, why not run the whole gamut and have an "Ebonics Bible" a "Southern Bible" and a "New Yorker's Bible."

I see this is nothing more than lowering the standard of God's word rather than raising the standard of a cultural colloquialism (if you want to call it that).

[whatsitmean]

There is a story I heard about a veteran missionary that was having considerable success working among very primitive people who was visited by someone not too experienced in that type of work. The question was asked to the missionary,

[Ovedya]

I agree. But to what ends will we go to preach the gospel to native cultures. Should we sacrifice the clear truth of the Scriptures in order to "fit it" to a particular culture? I mean, that translation of John 3:16 is really poor!

[other one]

I think I'll wait and see if it bears any fruit to make a judgement.

[Ovedya]

I personally don't compare this kind of language with spanish.

Let's try a little experiment here:

Do you believe that there is anything wrong with the following translation of John 3:16 into the "ebonics" language?

"Yo, dog. Check it. My main homeboy God was straight trippin' on the world, yo. So he sent his only boy into da' hood ta' kick it with the homies. And if you down with him you gonna be straight crunk wit' God, yo. You gonna' be all up in heaven and sh- dog. And 'dat ain't no joke, yo."