Bible translators in South Sudan develop creative solutions for unfamiliar concepts
How do you translate words and ideas that do not exist at all in another language or culture? That question was central to Martin Schröder's research into Toposa, a language spoken in South Sudan. He shows that translators work in a much more creative and versatile way than traditional Bible translation handbooks suggest.
Schröder worked in East Africa for 45 years as a linguist and consultant for Bible translations. During that time, he discovered that Toposa speakers and translators use different strategies in practice than the methods recommended in training courses and manuals. This led to an extensive analysis of how unfamiliar concepts can still be made understandable to readers and listeners.
New meaning for existing words
The research shows that Toposa speakers introduce new concepts in diverse ways. They give existing words a new meaning, combine words, borrow terms from other languages, or add extra explanation. Bible translators do something similar, but also use translation-specific techniques, such as replacing an unfamiliar term with a similar local concept or employing more general terms.
According to the study, it does not stop at the text alone. Translators also use tools such as footnotes, glossaries, maps, images, and introductions to provide readers with additional context. In doing so, translation becomes not only a linguistic task but also a form of cultural mediation.
The findings are relevant for education, language preservation, and communication in multilingual societies. Especially in regions where languages and cultures differ significantly, better knowledge of these translation strategies can help make information more accessible.
Attention to cognitive processes
In addition, Schröder emphasizes the importance of paying attention to cognitive processes in the training of translators. New words and ideas are not simply translated literally but must align with how people understand and use language. According to him, translation programs should therefore pay more attention to natural language use and to the wide range of techniques that translators apply in practice. According to Schröder, the cognitive-linguistic model used, lexical pragmatics, proves too limited for languages such as Toposa, in which words often consist of combinations of multiple meaningful parts. The model should therefore be further expanded to better align with such languages. Successful translation is not just about words, but above all about understanding, culture, and context.
More information on the thesis
