In Front | Workbook: Translation Work on Mog Mog Island, Part 2

On Mog Mog, neither men nor women wore upper-body clothes. There was simply no equivalent of a “cloak” in the Mog Mog wardrobe. Similarly, the appearance of a dove at Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:10 brought up an interesting problem—no native of Mog Mog had ever seen one. Dr. Hre Kio and his team decided to replace the dove in the narrative with a local bird called a “gigi” for the following reasons:

• It is white—a sign of purity.
• It is non-aggressive—a characteristic of humility.
• It is often domesticated, a trait similar to doves. 

As important as decisions like this are, they are a small part of the work of translation. Before Dr. Hre Kio could consider word choices for the Gospel of Mark, he and members of his team had to know the people of Mog Mog and the island’s culture. They also needed to refine and expand aspects of written Ulithian, as it had at that time a very limited writing system, and they had to prepare teachers capable of spreading this updated language and their translation of the Bible. 

Translation itself took twelve years and included multiple layers of review that ensured the tonal consistency of the text and its accuracy to Greek and Hebrew sources. Following the review process, the text was sent to a publisher, and only after another editorial review was it finally printed and in the hands of the people of Mog Mog. 

Sources: Dr. Stephen Hri Kio, “Where in the World is Mog Mog?” Bible Translator 8, no. 2 (April 1987), pp. 246-248. http://www.ubs-translations.org/tbt/1987/02/TBT198702.html?seq=50

See also: https://www.wycliffe.org or http://us.lbt.org/our-work/the-translation-process/