Why translate the Bible into other languages?

Translation Tools

I often hear reports about new software or tools that can quickly translate from one language to another. “We don’t need missionaries. Just give the tools to native speakers of the language and they can do the translation themselves.” I won’t take the space to write all of the related statements and ideas I have heard.

Let me just say, “It doesn’t work that way.” There are many reasons. One is that culture cannot be taken into account by software unless that culture is known. Culture is the unspoken context that gives meaning to ideas in the words, sentences, and paragraphs of spoken and written language. The culture will remain unknown until a detective such as a Bible translator takes the time to discover and document the culture.

Another factor is that languages can be very complex. I know of a language that has 27 syllables in one word. In nearby languages, meaning cannot be understood unless geography, elevation, genders, nouns, and pronouns are properly introduced in the correct order. Since computers can only replicate know factors that are pre-programmed, software cannot translate with meaning in languages that are unknown. Just look at some of the instruction manuals that come with your devices. Even translating from the well-known languages of Mandarin, Cantonese, or Korean into English have produced some amazing unreadable and unclear results. When translating God’s written word it is very important that the original meaning is clearly communicated to the understanding of the audience.

For unwritten languages, there is no substitute to take the place of a missionary’s diligent perseverance in language and culture acquisition.