Oral Bible Translation and Biblical Performance in Southern Siberia
A Design for a Performance-Based Oral Bible Translation in the Southern Altai Language (Siberia)
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
This book is about designing a contextualized performance, based on biblical passages translated by oral Bible translation, to give oral-preference learners in the Republic of Altai the best possible access to Scripture. It presents a model for other oral Bible teams to translate and perform biblical texts in culturally relevant ways. The work explores key issues: the internalization process, orally translating non-narrative genres, extra-linguistic exegesis, using local poetic features in oral biblical translations, creating notes for translation teams, and integrating audience responses into the translation. A comprehensive literature review covers orality, biblical literacy, performance criticism, functional translation, complexity theory, multimodality, and hospitality theory. Research includes interviews with oral Bible translation teams using internalization and studies of Altai epic poetry, featuring interviews with Altai epic singers and musicians. The book culminates in describing the crafting of an oral presentation based on the Altai epic story genre and its evaluation by local Altai audiences in focus groups. This demonstrates how oral Bible translation can effectively engage communities. This approach ensures that Scripture is not only translated but also communicated in a manner that resonates deeply with the cultural and oral traditions of the audience, making it more accessible and impactful.
Endorsements (5)
“The author has developed new insights into how orality, biblical performance criticism, and complexity theory can be utilized to translate the Bible for a traditionally oral community. The book is an excellent example of craftsmanship, demonstrating extensive knowledge of the research field and making a significant and relevant contribution to the emerging area of oral Bible translation and performance.”
“Oral Bible translation (OBT) is growing exponentially worldwide. Dr. Cleaver’s research is timely and rooted in the ground realities, bridging the gap between academic study and practical ministry. With its potential to shape the practice and pedagogy of OBT, this book is valuable for both practitioners of OBT and those committed to Scripture engagement in oral cultures. It is well researched, relevant, and practical.”
“I highly recommend this book for anyone who is working in the field of Bible translation. Cleaver brings a practical and rigorous approach to bear on the topic of oral Bible translation. Her thorough discussion on the oral translation process and best practices will undoubtedly benefit any translation project. The thoughtful suggestions she offers are sure to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Bible translation.”
“Translators, performers, and their advisors will really benefit from this study. It offers a thorough theoretical framework for all the stages of oral poetic translation for performance that come after analyzing the language of the source text. It demonstrates with Altai examples how features of traditional local genres can be integrated in the oral translation of biblical passages.”
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