Language
God Continues to Speak Tibetan
Throughout the work of the NTB, the Holy Spirit showed up time and time again by giving the translators “lexical surprises.” God gave words to express the Bible message, surprising words that were embedded in the language and waiting for discovery by the translators.
神学词汇—A Tool for Translators
I conferred with others …about the idea of creating a free website designed to help translators of theological materials have a common resource from which to determine the best translation of theological terms and names. Ten years later, Shenxuecihui.com came online.
Book Reviews
A Pentecostal Perspective on the Chinese Union Version
Drawing on his background as a distinguished New Testament scholar and his years of service in China, Menzies addresses important issues that impact the translation of New Testament terms, particularly those related to the work of the Spirit or other Pentecostal themes.
3 Questions: Chinese through Scripture
Last month I had the opportunity to meet Shuguang Wang, the author of a new textbook called Chinese through Scripture. I looked at the book and my first thought was, “I sure could have used this in 1990!”
A Numbers Game
I’m not the tidiest or most organized person in the world, so the expression luan qi ba zao (乱七八糟) was one I learned and took to heart early. A direct translation is “chaos seven eight in a wretched state.”
From Brush Strokes to Unicode—How China Became Modern
A Book Review of Kingdom of Characters
Official and popular attitudes towards the written language vacillate between shame (characters are too awkward, slowing China’s development) and pride (characters are China’s unique cultural heritage) …China’s place among the nations rises in tandem with the development of her language, revealing the intimate relationship between linguistic modernization and the modernization of the nation itself.
Keeping a Cow
Practical Language Learning, Then and Now
Language learning must be useful to be effective. What phrases and vocabulary were essential in years gone by, aren’t making it into the language textbooks of today.
Take Language Learning Seriously
A Book Recommendation
For many engaged in cross-cultural service (or preparing for it), language learning is often one of the most daunting tasks. Especially for those of us whose only experience is Spanish or French class in the American educational system, we are wholly unprepared, and most likely don’t even know where to begin.
Reflections on a US-based Chinese Language Journey (2)
The key question in language learning was answering a simple question: How do I maximize contact time with the language?
Reflections on a US-based Chinese Language Journey (1)
A life-long language learner shares insights from his journey towards mastering Chinese.