Timorese Translation
By John Tan
In October/November 2023, Remy and I took on a short-term assignment in Timor-Leste, where we helped our colleagues do some audio recordings and office administration. Our contribution was like a little drop in a big pool of water, but we trust God can make something big out of our little contribution.
The Timorese have stories that teach them to be kind to each other and to the environment. Consequently, Timorese are honest and helpful people. When people find money on the road, they will return it. People can walk long distances without fear of getting mugged. I think this worldview opens many people to the Gospel.
Over time, Christian missionaries from Western countries have shared their understanding with the Timorese. Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony for about 200 years. They brought with them a sense of law and order and Catholic traditions to the country. The Indonesians gained power after the Portuguese. They required their citizens identify with one of five major world religions. About 90% of East-Timorese consequently called themselves Catholics. The Indonesians acknowledged this by giving Timor-Leste a ‘Cristo Rei’ (Christ the King) monument.
Timor-Leste has since become an independent nation, but its Christian roots remain in the culture. Besides Catholicism, there are other faiths like Islam and Hinduism. The few evangelical churches in the country cooperate well with each other as a minority set of believers looking to share their love for Jesus, despite rules prohibiting proselytising.
A Brazilian couple leads the team at the office where we worked. They are very passionate about translating the Scriptures and building the evangelical church, which needs accurate translations of the Bible in Tetum Dili and Timor-Leste’s indigenous languages in order for believers to grow in faith and share what they believe with their neighbours. This couple partners with the evangelical churches to work on these translations. Most of the rest of the office are young, evangelical, multilingual Timorese, committed to church and to our Lord Jesus.
They publish what they translate in print and electronic forms. They sell booklets, pamphlets and posters carrying Bible verses. They also publish on social media channels like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. These are some of the ways they circulate their work and share the gospel.
We went to help this office record the books of Ruth and Mark in an indigenous language. We also helped design receipt forms and perform some other administrative tasks. The office could have done these tasks without us. Nevertheless, we freed up workers to do tasks like translating and sharing the Gospel.
The Scriptures will soon be available in an audio format so that Timorese non-readers will be able to hear what God’s Word says. The audio recordings will also contribute towards a Gospel film. The team continues to translate more portions of the Bible completely and accurately, so churches can use these and grow in their knowledge and love for Jesus. Consequently, more Timorese people will come to know Jesus.