The Aitape West Translation Project

The Aitape West Translation Project (AWTP) is an experimental multi-language Bible translation and literacy project that includes at least 11 languages and dialects that are spoken west of the town of Aitape in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. Here are two maps of the area.

The Aitape West area is on the north coast of Papua New Guinea

Regional groups and language teams

The AWTP includes three regional groups of languages that are related to each other. Within each regional group, there are three or four languages. Each language team typically has two translators and two literacy teachers.

AWTP Area: Large box surrounds home of Group One languages; smaller box shows Onnele Group villages; unboxed area on coast is home of Coastal Group languages.

Training Phase: Working together, training together

The translators come together in Arop village three to four times a year for translation workshops. In the mornings, one of the experienced Papua New Guinean translators leads the translators in a lecture and discussion session about the passage they are going to translate that day.

After the discussion, the teams gather at tables by regional groups to work on the translation together. When they have translated a verse or section, each language team (typically two men) reads their translation to the others in their regional group. In most cases, they can understand each other’s languages and are able to help each other think of better ways to say things. As each chapter is completed, it is checked for accuracy by an adviser. Then the teams type their translations onto computers.

At the end of the workshop, the translators take their draft translations home in the form of a booklet that also includes illustrations and Bible Study questions. Local translation committees help the translators check the translations to make sure they communicate clearly. In some cases this includes actually using the draft translations in local schools and churches.

At the next translation workshop, the translation is revised before the translators move on to translating a new section.
Before being published, each translation will be checked again by a translation consultant.

Production Phase: Technology speeds the process

Using technology to speed up translation process

After three years of translation training and experience, the new translators were ready to begin using computer technology to help speed the process. They are now using Adapt It software to leverage the similarities between related languages. Using Adapt It, translators tell the computer that a certain word or phrase in the source language corresponds to a certain word or phrase in the target language.

The more they use the program, the more the program knows about the relationships between those two languages and the more the computer can do for the translators. This gives the translators more time to work on the unpredictable things that happen between languages. So far, we believe the result has been  higher quality translations in less time.

Adapt it in action.

Translation can be a lot of fun. Emil, Peter, and Linus are having a good laugh.

Connected by a wireless network, the translators are able to share important files and collaborate on their translations in real time. In the photo below, Emil, Peter, and Linus are having a good laugh about something in the translation they are working on. Peter (blue shirt) is doing the editing on his computer. Emil (foreground) is using his computer to watch what Peter (blue shirt) is doing as he edits the translation.

Teamwork with other Wycliffe members

Ben & Mandy Pehrson, Beth Fuller, and Jessie Wright also work with us in this project.

Ben is the translation adviser for the three dialects of the Onnele language. Mandy is organizing a literacy project for all eleven languages. Beth Fuller is our Scripture Use Coordinator. Jessie Wright acts as translation adviser for a group of four languages we call “Group One.”

For a good synopsis of the first decade of this new project, see this edition of the JAARS Rev7 magazine.