Translating the Bible is an awesome responsibility — "we were afraid"
Sue Careless / Canadian Bible Society
After 23 years, the first draft translation of the Inuktitut language Bible is completed. Anglican ministers and translators from left to right, Jonas Allooloo, Benjamin Arreak, Andrew Atagotaaluk and Joshua Arreak.
Toronto, Canada, April 24, 2002 — "From the beginning of the project we were all overwhelmed by the responsibility of translating God's word into the Inuktitut language. We were afraid and yet compelled to move forward because the people needed the Bible in their language," said Rev. Benjamin Arreak, translation team co-coordinator.
After 23 years, the translation team has completed the first draft translation of the entire Bible into the Inuktitut language. The Inuktitut language is spoken by the Inuit people from the Canadian Eastern Arctic.
In 1978 Dr. Eugene Nida, the father of modern Bible translation, traveled to Baffin Island in the Canadian Eastern Arctic to recruit translators for a joint effort by the Canadian Bible Society and the Diocese of the Arctic of the Anglican Church of Canada. Four young Anglican ministers from the area took up the challenge. Rev. Benjamin Arreak, Rev. Jonas Allooloo, Rev. Andrew Atagotaaluk and Rev. James Nashak, began work on the New Testament. Later, Rev. Joshua Arreak joined the team.
Photo: Robert Simpson / CBS
The above page is from the Inuktitut language New Testament. It shows part of Matthew Chapters 16 and 17. Since the release of the New Testament in 1992 there has been an increased spiritual hunger among the Inuit people.
"Translating the Bible into Inuktitut has given our language importance and has preserved it." says translator, Rev. Jonas Allooloo. It has also been the catalyst for God's grace to come among the people of the Canadian eastern Artic.
The New Testament was completed in 1992. One woman responded when reading the Inuktitut New Testament, "God speaks our language; this is the first time I could see what was written". The Scriptures were well received with 10,000 copies being sold for a population of 28,000 people. Some people stayed up all night reading their copy when it first came out. Others had their paper back New Testament leather bound because they cherished it.
Since the release of the New Testament in 1992, there has been an increased spiritual hunger and a move of the Holy Spirit, says Rev. Joshua Arreak one of the translators. This move of God among the Inuit people was reported in the Transformation II video series, which reports about revivals around the world.
For almost a quarter of a century, the translators traveled twice yearly to various locations in the Arctic and occasionally to Kitchener, Ontario, where, unhampered by the demands of parish life, they would work intensively for four to six weeks at a time on their task. These separations were hard for their families and their church community. Most of the translation was done at the Canadian Bible Society translation office in Kitchener, Ontario, headed by Hart Wiens.
When the first draft Old Testament was completed, the translators celebrated by eating an 'Eskimo Pie' a popular Canadian ice cream treat.
The project now enters a new phase - community checking, consultant approval, final proof reading, printing and preparation of Inuktitut language study guides, to be completed by 2005.
