The Polygon of the Bible Translation Efforts in Eritrea 1880-2012

Abstract

Since the late 1860s, the missionaries of the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) and their local colleagues initiated the production of dozens of literary works in Eritrea. The most notable of these is the translation of the Bible into four Eritro-Ethiopian languages: Oromo, Tǝgre, Tǝgrǝñña and Kunama. This article attempts to present the Bible translation story from a polygonal view, a hexagonal view to be specific: (1) the pioneers of the translation works; (2) backgrounds of some of the key translators; (3) the cities (countries) where the works continued; (4) the time spent to complete and print the translated Bibles; (5) the years that some of these workers stayed for in the translation projects; (6) and some memorable stories of the translation and production process. The combination of these six lines of narration, like the connected sides of a polygon, will not only give a more interconnected presentation of the entire Bible translation works if considered as one big package, but also show how a work such as the translation of the Bible that requires the combined efforts of local and foreign workers can produce a worthy result when the respective contributions of both groups of workers are given their due space and recognition.