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Redcliffe Essays Researching Scripture Use in Multilingual Communities in Tanzania Mark Woodward, December 2010 Introduction The majority of the world's population are multilingual, that is to say they regularly speak more than one language. Many people live in communities where multilingualism is the norm, with two or more languages being used in everyday life, often with each spoken in different areas of life. The complete Bible has only been translated into 457 of the world's estimated 6,860 languages, with at least 4,000 languages not having any Scripture translated at present (Wycliffe International, 2010). According to Lewis (2009) Tanzania has 128 living languages, the majority of which have little or none of the Bible translated. The Research Problem The leadership of local churches, communities and other organisations in Tanzania need to make decisions as to whether and how they will commit their limited resources to any potential Bible translation project, and what shape any project should take. These stakeholders will have different perspectives and priorities, but ultimately their common goal is that people engage with the Bible, and that God uses that engagement to bring about transformation in the lives of individuals and communities. Arthur (2009) identifies some of the issues facing the stakeholders, for example whether they should focus their resources on translating the whole Bible into one language, or parts of the Bible into several languages, and which parts of the Bible should be prioritised as the first, or possibly only, parts of Scripture to be made available in a particular language at that time. Often these issues are researched before a potential translation project is started in order to anticipate what benefit vernacular Scriptures might bring to the church and the community, but there is much less existing research evaluating the reality of how translated Scriptures are used, and their function in relation to other language Scriptures to which the community may have access. Hiebert (2009, p160) bemoans the general lack of research in mission, believing that it often means organisations continue doing what they have always done, imitate the practice of others, or 'follow current fads based on anecdotes and untested hypotheses'. Regular reflection, research and evaluation of programmes is vital in maintaining and growing projects that effectively serve those towards whom they are aimed. This research aims to study how people interact with Scripture in the various languages in which they can access it, in order to inform various partners who are making decisions about Bible translation projects. Focus of the Study I will be focusing my research on Tanzania, a country with over 120 minority languages. The national language of Tanzania is Swahili, which is spoken to some extent by the majority of Tanzania's 35 million citizens. In some areas communities are highly proficient in Swahili, while in other areas Swahili proficiency is lower, or is variable throughout different demographics of the community. I intend to work with one or more language communities who have at least some Scripture available in their local language in addition to Swahili. Ideally these communities would be 1 somewhat representative in terms of their religious, sociolinguistic and cultural situation, so that the research may be generalised to other groups in similar contexts. Swahili Scriptures There are several versions of the Bible in Swahili, although the two which are most available in Tanzania are the Union Bible, published in 1952, and Habari Njema, published in 1996 (see Wycliffe International, n.d.). These Scriptures are typically available in large towns but are often difficult to obtain for those living in rural areas, and are expensive compared to the income of most people. Local language Scriptures Of Tanzania's 120 or so languages, only a handful have a completed Bible. Translation projects are currently under way in around 40 languages, many of them with input from the Bible Society of Tanzania, SIL International and Pioneer Bible Translators. Expanding on the issues Translation in Church History Since the dawn of Christianity translation has been at the heart of the church, with the message of the gospel not seen to be tied to one particular culture but equally at home in any language and people. Walls (2002, pp29-30) contrasts Christianity and Islam in this regard, arguing that Christianity has no sacred place, culture or language, but is equally at home in every nation, and furthermore that the vitality of Christianity depends on its ongoing translation. In reality the interaction between language, society and politics has always been hugely 2 complex and is greatly influenced by language ideologies (see for example Muehlmann (2007) and Meeuwis (1999)). Whereas some see vernacular language development as empowering and strengthening the local community, others have seen it as a dividing force, working against unity both nationally and in the church. Walls is correct in saying that translation is at the heart of the Christian message, but in practise the role of vernacular translations in modern-day multilingual communities may not always be obvious, with language choices in the church in general and with regard to Scripture in particular emanating from a complex interaction of religious, social, political and cultural factors (see Fast (2009)). Multilingual Communities Often multilingual communities speak two or more languages that are in a state of stable diglossia, with each being used in different domains of everyday life. An example of this is the Vwanji language community, who tend to use the Vwanji language at home and among friends and Swahili for school, church and politics (Krueger, 2010, p8). In cases where two or more languages play an integral part in daily life, with the Bible already available in one of these languages, community leaders will want to know what, if any, benefit there is in translating into the vernacular. As Fast (2009) points out, the various stakeholders in a translation project may come with very different perspectives, causing them to make different decisions and advocate different practices, largely based on their background, their ideology of language and the context in which they are working. In Tanzania the language of the church for many decades has been almost exclusively Swahili, mainly for reasons of church unity given the fact that there are often speakers of different local languages in the same congregation. As local language Scriptures start to 3 become available alongside the Swahili Bible, questions are raised as to the role of these Scriptures inside and outside of the church setting. Language Attitudes Language is very much linked to our identity, our thoughts and our feelings, so attitudes towards languages can be very strong, but at the same time difficult to identify and define. The Tanzanian government website (n.d.) talks of the roles of Swahili and local languages, with each having its place in certain domains of life, and as a consequence, each taking on the complex mix 'of emotions, prestige, etc. that are associated with the domains themselves. Thus, local languages like Kisukuma or Kigogo may be linked with the rural homestead or with traditional values; Swahili may be linked with town life or trade'. These attitudes strongly affect the language decisions we make, and can also influence the way we perceive materials produced in a language. Adejunmobi (2004, pp171-202) looks at how the language choices in some Ghanaian churches are largely determined by the desire to identify with attitudes associated with the language. For example, she suggests that the choice of English or another majority language in church often stems from a desire for the church to be identified with upward mobility in society and an international focus, as opposed to local languages which bring an association with traditional values and local settings. Dye (2009, p90) gives an example from Central African Republic, where Christians conducted their church lives in the language of wider communication, and traditional religion in the local language, not being aware of any conflict between the two as they apparently operated in different spheres. For them the sphere of influence of each religion was largely determined by the language in which it was communicated. 4 An important question for multilingual communities is whether limiting Scripture use to one language that they speak, however well understood and accepted that language is, restricts the message of the Bible to one part of life. Is the God of the Swahili Bible perceived more as a teacher, a priest or a politician? If so, would the use of local language Scriptures alongside Swahili lead to a fuller understanding of the nature of the biblical message? As I research Scripture use in various languages it is important to bear in mind the role of language attitudes in how people choose to engage with the Bible and how they ultimately perceive its message, and the fact that people may not be fully aware of these attitudes on a conscious level. Hypothesis This research will investigate the hypothesis that • Communities interact with and view the Bible (or portions thereof) differently in their local language than they do in Swahili, hence there may be potential benefits to local language Scripture translation and use in addition to the Swahili Bible. Research Proposal The purpose of this research is to spend time with multilingual communities, helping them to assess their own Scripture use and ways in which they might best engage with the Bible in Swahili, in their local language, or more likely, a combination of the two. Methodologies There are various methodologies that could be employed to investigate this hypothesis, 5 which could utilise both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Applied theological, missional, historical and sociolinguistic methodologies all have the potential to shed light on how multilingual communities use, or are likely to use, Scripture and if they engage with the Bible differently in their local language compared to a language of wider communication (cf.
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