Why the Need to Translate the Bible in Philippine
Languages while Building Religious Identity:
Focus on Jehovah’s Witness’ Bible Translation
Jean Karl Gaverza, Jodie Malit
Department of Linguistics, University of the Philippines, Diliman
lxzt34@gmail.com, malitfodie@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
This paper provides a sociolinguistic analysis of the Bible
translation techniques of the Jehovah‟s Witnesses and explores the
reasons why they would choose to translate their version of the
Bible into Philippine languages.
The particularity and the individuation are viewed in the members
of the church. Their translation of the Bible is one of the major
anchors of their identity as well as their faith. Language
maintenance is also an important part for the propagation of the
Bibles of the Jehovah‟s witnesses as a certain degree of literacy is
expected from their congregation to understand the Bibles that
they translate.
The scope of this analysis includes their Tagalog translation of the
Bible and the translation techniques used for that text to come
about. The researchers interviewed the translation teams in the
Watch Tower headquarters in the Philippines and also thoroughly
analyzed the texts in question.
General Terms
Translation, Bible
Keywords
Tagalog, English, Translation, Formal and functional equivalence
1. INTRODUCTION
The organization known as the Jehovah‟s Witnesses was founded
by the end of the 19th century by a group of Bible students near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. They
began publishing a Bible journal, now known as the Watchtower
in 1879. Jehovah‟s Witnesses were known as International Bible
Students but changed their name in 1931.Witnesses remain
neutral in political matters and believe God will intervene in the
affairs of man to bring peace and prosperity to the world. The
organization is directed by a governing body located in Brooklyn,
New York. It uses not-for-profit legal entities to supervise
evangelizing, organize conventions and schools for their
congregations and produce materials for Bible education. (Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2001)
The Jehovah‟s witnesses in the Philippines are located in a
complex known as Bethel, meaning „house of God‟ situated in
Quezon City. More than 450 volunteers who both live and serve
there are ordained ministers. They are assigned to various
congregations in Metro Manila. This branch has existed since
1934, with the current location of the complex purchased during
1947. The latest addition to the complex was completed in 2003.
The branch office in Quezon City oversees the activities of at least
170,000 Jehovah‟s Witnesses in the Philippines (Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2010).
In a total of 239 areas where Jehovah‟s Witnesses preach there are
595 languages in which Bibles and Bible-based literature are
published. There are 111, 719 congregations in total with
7,538,994 ministers who teach the Bible. 19,000,000 people
attend meetings and conventions held by Jehovah‟s Witnesses and
there are 179,000,000 Bibles that are published by the Jehovah‟s
Witnesses in 116 languages. In total the number of pieces of
Bible-based literature published by the Jehovah‟s Witnesses over
the past 10 years surpasses 20 million. (Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013).
2. Related Literature
There have been articles concerning Biblical translations, one of
the leading personality in introducing translation theories is
Eugene Nida. He presented two kinds of theories in translation:
formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Formal equivalence
is source oriented, where the source language content like
grammatical units, usage of words and meaning must match the
source language, it is also called as the literal translation.(Nida,
1964) Dynamic equivalence as Nida stated is to reproduce "in the
receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source-
language message…" (Nida & Taber, 1969)
Another article about translating is the application of
Sociolinguistics of Eugene Nida in translating canonical texts.
These article talks about the general application of sociolinguistic
in Bible translation. Many issues have been brought up in this
article including the importance of form and content, the
literalness of translation that affects the perception of the readers
of the Bible. Format and supplement of texts have also been a part
of this article.(Nida 1994).
Lastly is the article of del Corro that talks about translation of
Bible as an expression of freedom where the readers can have the
intended meaning from the source language or the reader can have
different interpretation. This work is entitled „Ang Pagsasalin:
Nakakapagpapalaya Nga Kaya?‟ by Anicia Del Corro.

3. Translation Overview
Translation is one way of maintaining a language. Ideas coming
from other languages can be accessible but still the language used
by the reader is preserve. In the Philippines where the major
language is Filipino and English, many articles and books are
sometimes not translated to Filipino. The only translated book in
Filipinos are the ones that are used academically but other books
like contemporary novels are most of the time remained sold in
bookstores in English. But one organization aspires to translate
the Bible into different languages. This is the Jehovah's Witnesses
that boasts themselves as the leading translator of Bible in the
minor and major languages here in the Philippines. The question
is why bother translate the Bible if here in the Philippines mostly
Filipinos are bilingual and sometimes multilingual. If they just
translate the Bible in Filipino and English, it will have a lot of
readers as well as they won't have a burden on their production
costs.
3.1 History of Bible Translation
Before the 1380‟s Bibles were written only in Latin. But an
Oxford professor named John Wycliffe, who was a fervent oppose
of the teachings of the organized church produced dozens of
English language manuscript copies that were translated from the
Latin Vulgate. The Pope at that time was so infuriated that
Wycliffe translated the Bible that after Wycliffe had died, his
bones were ordered to be scattered into a river after they had been
crushed. The church was so against non-Latin translations of the
Bible that they threatened anyone who was in possession of a non-
Latin Bible with execution. (Jeffcoat, 2012)
In 1517 Martin Luther became the first person to translate the
Bible into the common dialect of the German people. German
translations of the Bible had already existed at that time, but
Luther‟s version was the most accessible to the literate masses.
The Latin Vulgate had its own inaccuracies; in 1516 the scholar
Erasmus published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament, which
was his own original translation of the New Testament from
collated Greek texts. This new version highlighted the
inaccuracies of the Latin Vulgate and reinforced the importance of
using the original Greek and Hebrew languages to maintain
accuracy within the Bible. During this period Rome was firm in
their stance of declaring this translation practice illegal. To
counter this many reformers, such as William Tyndale who
became the first person to print the New Testament in English,
produced more and more Bible translations with the help of the
printing press. Most of these copies were burned by the clergy and,
once again, a person was risking death just by having a copy of
the Bible in their possession. (Jeffcoat, 2012)
Strangely, the English translation of the Bible was formally
sanctioned out of an act of spite. As the pope refused to let King
Henry VIII divorce his wife and marry his mistress, he renounced
the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Anglican church,
becoming the de facto Pope. As the printing of the Bible in a non-
Latin language was still against the teaching of the church, King
Henry VIII funded the printing of the scriptures in English.
(Jeffcoat, 2012)
The first complete Bible, known as the Geneva Bible, was
published in 1560 (in English). It had mostly been based on
William Tyndale‟s original English translation. This Bible was the
first Bible that was taken to America and had been hailed “the
Bible of the Protestant Reformation”. By the 1580s the Roman
Catholic Church had realized that they could not suppress the
word of the Bible in other languages. In 1582 the church decided
that they would publish an official Roman Catholic English
Translation, which was based on the inaccurate Latin Vulgate.
From then on the Bible has had many translations into other
languages, some sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church and
others independently made by other Christian denominations.
(Jeffcoat, 2012)
It can be seen in the history of the Bible, in English at least, that
the language of the word of God, is controlled by the church and,
historically, their congregation must learn that one language to be
able to see the church‟s version of the word of God. Yet early
Bible translations prided themselves on the accuracy of their work
from the original Greek and Latin, showing that there has always
been a struggle for the „true‟ word of God.
4. Translation into Philippine Languages
The Jehovah's Witnesses has been one of organizations that
persevere in translating the Bible into different languages. The
Witnesses' says that it's their duty to translate the Bible into
different languages inspired by the verse in the Bible
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel flying in mid
heaven, and he had everlasting good news to declare as glad
tidings to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and
tribe and tongue and people,
The Witnesses' regards the good news as the words of God. These
teachings have been their anchor in translating the languages. But
aside from abiding this commandment, the Witnesses' having only
their intention to translate the Bible in religious haven't notice that
they also contribute in maintaining the different languages here in
the Philippines.
Language maintenance has been the work of almost organization
that supports the preservation of indigenous communities. One
organization in the Philippines is also translating the Bible to
pursue language maintenance and development. Summer Institute
of Linguistics (SIL) carries out linguistic research and
documentation of Philippine indigenous languages. As
appropriate to the language community, SIL also promotes
literacy, health, and community development projects among
speakers of those languages, as well as translation of materials of
high moral value into the vernacular. There translation of Bible in
a minor language has brought up positive consequences. The
experiment done by Kermit Titrud where he distributed Bible in
two languages wherein the Bible two parts one in Caluyanun and
the other one is in Tagalog. After 14 months Kermit came back in
the area to ask how the people of Caluya used the Bible. One of
the results is the Bible has been an educational tool in learning
Tagalog or Caluyanun.
While the Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses are not in two languages,
one can suggest that these phenomenon can happen because
Jehovah's Witness has many Bibles that are translated from the
vernacular language which is free and if anyone is interested for
the Tagalog version, they can avail the Bible for free.
MTBMLE is useful to Witnesses due to their Bible translations.
MTBMLE is Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education where
the children will start to learn in their mother tongue. This
program can be beneficial to Witnesses so that a speaker of a
particular language can understand well the words of Jehovah.
This thinking can lead to language maintenance, leaving the
speakers to stick in their mother language to have a grasp of
Jehovah's words. Witness can make their readers of the Bible
make a choice of either learning a new language to understand the
Bible in its source language or read the Bible that is available in
their language. Most readers will tend to choose the second option
for learning a new language can take time and resources and it is
not a guarantee that knowing a language can successfully
understand a text especially the Bible.
It can be seen that there is a relationship between the literacy of
the congregation and the spread of different Bible translations. If
the congregation is not sufficiently literate in the language that the
Bible is being translated into, no matter how accessible the
translation may be, then that Bible cannot be utilized. Other
organizations such as the SIL actively engages in literacy
programs, but the Jehovah‟s Witnesses do not have an official
stand on literacy issues such as the MTBMLE. When asked, the
organization gave this response.
“***The Watchtower 12/1 2005 issue. p. 25 par. 12 under the
article: People “out of All the Languages” Hear the Good News
***
"Preaching or teaching the Bible‟s message to people in a
language they are not familiar with may reach their mind.
However, in order to touch the heart of our listeners, it is often
better to use their mother tongue—the language that speaks to
their deepest aspirations, motives, and hopes.—Luke 24:32."”
5. Jehovah’s Witness Bible Translation
5.1 Purpose
The Watchtower seeks to translate the Bible into the native
tongues of their congregations so that their congregation may
achieve an accurate knowledge of the truth found there. (Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013).
Each translator has a personal belief that translating for the
Watchtower especially Bible translation is a solemn and great
responsibility. (Aves, 2012)
5.2 Funding
Voluntary donations are the source of funds for the organization
and all translation teams. There is no solicitation of money done.
The funds are supervised by the purchasing department of the
Watchtower. (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of
Pennsylvania, 2013).
5.3 Printing
The printing of the Bibles or supplementary materials is done in a
printing factory in Japan and has been since 2011. Formerly the
printing was done in the Philippines but because of the superior
printing technology in Japan it was moved to that area. (Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013).
5.4 Distribution
The final product of the translations is given to the congregations
that need it for preaching work. There are no prices for the Bibles
and in some cases they are given for free. Usually they are given
out and a donation is appreciated but not required. (Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013).
5.5 Translators
Each translator is a volunteer and they are kept anonymous. Their
names do not appear in the final translated edition. Each member
of the translation team has to have training in general translation,
which is the translation of the supplementary materials used by
the congregation such as booklets and other publications, before
going into Bible translation. For each project the translators are
usually native speakers of the languages they are translating the
Bible into. (Aves, 2012)
The makeup of a Bible translation team is as follows: There is an
overseer who manages a team of three. In the team of three two
are senior translators and one is a young native speaker of the
language who is brought in from the province where the language
is spoken. The duty of this member of the translation team is to
check the „naturalness‟ of the translation done. (Aves, 2012)
5.6 Principles
The main basis of the translation work is the New World
Translation Reference Bible. A copy of which, including the
complete translation principles of The Watch Tower may be seen
at this link (http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001060001#p11).
This text includes translations from Hebrew, Aramaic, common
Greek, Latin and words transliterated from Syriac text.
The Watchtower seeks to achieve accuracy in their translations,
by focusing more on word for word translation to achieve the
original message from the English translation They strive to have
a meaning based translation that is grammatically correct, to give
the readers a true idea of the words and to have it sound better to
the congregation when it is read aloud. (Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013).
The translation must be easy to read. It is kept in mind that their
congregation is their target audience and if the translation is above
the comprehension level of the average reader it will be “like
speaking to the air”. (Aves, 2012)
The spoken language of the target audience is the one used in the
translation, but informal words and slang are avoided, along with
archaic terms and terms that are deemed beyond the
comprehension level of their target audience. This is to maintain
the dignity of the translation while still making it accessible to
readers. (Lee, 2013)
There are no specialized Bibles (for example a Bible for only teen
readers) because the word of Jehovah should not be changed to
accommodate a specific audience. The translations are made to
reach the widest audience possible while still retaining the verity
of the word of Jehovah. (Aves, 2012)
Slang words are not used as they do not carry the dignity of the
translation required, but if the language has evolved and slang
words have become mainstream or are used in everyday
conversation then there is a possibility that the Bible translation
may be updated and these words may be used. (Aves, 2012)
The language used is more akin to the spoken form of the
language. As an example, the word „pero‟ is used in place of
„subalit‟ or „datapwat‟. The latter are not used often in spoken
language so the occurrence of the term in the Bible translation is
less. (Landicho, 2013)
Punctuation is used to clarify statements and to prevent ambiguity
of the text. The translators are aware that the text will be spoken
out loud and the translations are sometimes tailored for this.
(Landicho, 2013)
5.7 Process
Before any Bible translation in any language can be done
permission has to be granted by the headquarters of Jehovah‟s
witnesses in the United States. Bible translation projects are top
priority, but their approval depends on the population of
Jehovah‟s witnesses that will read the translation and the
resources available at that time.
The standard Bible Translation that used by the Watchtower for
translating into Philippine Languages is the New World
Translation of the Holy Scriptures. This source text is in English
and was translated from Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek
(New Testament).
This English version is translated, piece by piece by a translation
team and there can be multiple translation teams. They always
start with the New Testament. In line with this the Watchtower
has developed a specifically designed translation tool, software
that has a thesaurus database for the source language and histories
and notes to deal with the background of the original language.
These translations are verified not only by the overseer of the
translation team, but also by outside readers, also Jehovah‟s
Witnesses. The translations are posted on a blog and are
commented on by informants living in the areas where the
language is spoken to get a more accurate translation.
Apart from outside readers the translation is also given to other
translation teams for consultation on the translation techniques
used.
Once the final translation is finished it is given to the headquarters
for final approval. This process can last 5 up to 8 years depending
on the circumstances and amount of people who are working on
the project. A translation of the New Testament usually takes 2
years.
Currently, the latest version of the Tagalog Bible on the Jehovah‟s
Witness website (http://www.jw.org) was last updated on 2005.
The translation team that headed that project has since been
disbanded and some members are translating other publications
into Tagalog.
5.8 Translation Techniques
Since the translation is based on the English translation of a
majority of Hebrew and Greek words, it is important to note the
Watchtower‟s translation principles in terms of the form of the
words.
“The original Hebrew is terse, since its linguistic structure allows
for briefness of expression. However, in rendering the sense and
feel of the action and state of Hebrew verbs into English, it is not
always possible to preserve the brevity due to a lack of
corresponding color in English verb forms. Hence, auxiliary
words that lengthen the expression are at times required to bring
out the vividness, mental imagery and dramatic action of the
verbs, as well as the point of view and the concept of time
expressed by the Bible writers. In general the same is true of the
Greek verbs. Thus, imperfect verbs have been kept in the
imperfect state denoting progressive action. Participles have been
rendered as participles involving continuous action.” (Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2013)
The main method of the New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures is as follows: “Since the Bible sets forth the sacred will
of the Sovereign Lord of the universe, it would be a great
indignity, indeed an affront to his majesty and authority, to omit
or hide his unique divine name, which plainly occurs in the
Hebrew text nearly 7,000 times as ‫( יהוה‬YHWH). Therefore, the
foremost feature of this translation is the restoration of the divine
name to its rightful place in the English text. It has been done,
using the commonly accepted English form “Jehovah” 6,973
times in the Hebrew Scriptures and 237 times in the Christian
Greek Scriptures.” (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of
Pennsylvania, 2013)
These translation principles carry on to the Tagalog version of the
Bible as seen below.
5.8.1 Word for word translation
The translation technique used by the Watchtower in the Bible has
a mix of formal equivalence and functional equivalence but
formal equivalence plays a big part in their translation as stated in
their manifesto that as much as possible paraphrases are avoided
and the literal translation must be used. Thus kind of translation
has an effect to Tagalog translation if the said principle is
followed.
Genesis 21:11
„Ngunit ang bagay na ito ay lubhang minasama ni Abraham may
kinalaman sa kaniyang anak‟
„But the thing proved to be very displeasing to Abraham as
regards his son‟
The Watchtower used formal equivalence as a translation
technique where the source language must have an equivalent
grammatical unit to the target language. There have been cases of
missing linkers to accommodate this requirement. In the verse
above the linker “na” is missing after the proper name Abraham.
5.8.2 Word Order
The typical word order of Tagalog is VSO, with the verb at the
start of the sentence. Due to the word-for-word translation from
the English text, which has a SVO word order, the text may read
as unnatural to native speakers.
Juan 3:1
„At may isang tao mula sa mga Pariseo, Nicodemo ang kaniyang
pangalan, isang tagapamahala ng mga Judio.‟
„Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus was his name,
a ruler of the Jews.‟
There are also passages that contain marked sentences like
topicalization. The proper name is given emphasis by placing it in
the start of the phrase where instead of Nicodemo ang kanyang
pangalan, the commonly way will be ang kanyang pangalan ay
Nicodemo to accommodate the English counterpart Nicodemo
was his name.
5.8.3 Punctuation
Filemon 1:19
Akong si Pablo ay sumusulat sa pamamagitan ng aking sariling
kamay: babayaran ko iyon —huwag nang sabihin pa sa iyo na,
maging ang iyong sarili man ay utang mo sa akin.
„Paul I am writing with my own hand: I will pay it back—not to
be telling you that, besides, you owe me even yourself.‟
The passage above is an example of formal equivalence where
every word and punctuation is according to the source language
which is English, and before that Greek. Even the phrasing is
exactly the same.
Judas 1:6
„At ang mga anghel na hindi nag-ingat ng kanilang orihinal na
kalagayan kundi nag-iwan ng kanilang sariling wastong tahanang
dakod ay kaniyang itinaan sa mga gapos na walang hanggane sa
ilalim ng pusikit na kadiliman ukol sa paghuhukom sa dakilang
araw.‟
„And the angels that did not keep their original position but
forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with
eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great
day.‟
The passage above doesn‟t have any punctuation marks.
This is in line with their translation principle of a direct translation
from the source language, including the lack of punctuation; in
this case, this would lead to a difficulty when the verse is spoken
out loud.
5.8.4 Conjunctions
Mateo 2:12
„Gayunman dahil binigyan sila ng babalang mula sa Diyos sa
isang panaginip na huwag bumalik kay Herodes, sila ay umalis
patungo sa kanilang lupain sa pamamagitan ng ibang daan.‟
„However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not
to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another
way‟.
The passage contains two conjunctions at the start which is
different from the typical Tagalog sentence. Tagalog sentences
typically start with a verb or a noun. This is a reflection of the
original Hebrew where forms such as these are common.
5.8.5 Names and expressions
Word choices follow the guiding translation principles of the
Watch Tower Society. Below are examples of word choices as
compared to the Magandang Balita Biblia of the Philippine Bible
society. Included are the reasons why members of the translation
team would use the specific choices of the terms.
5.8.5.1 ‘Banal na Espiritu’ vs ‘Espiritu Santo’
Judas 1:20
„Ngunit kayo, mga minamahal, sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatibay
ng inyong sarili sa inyong kabanal banalang pananampalataya, at
pananalangin taglay ang banal na espiritu,‟
„Ngunit magpakatatag kayo, mga minamahal, sa inyong
napakabanal na pananampalataya. Manalangin kayo sa tulong ng
Espiritu Santo.‟
The term „Banal na Espiritu‟ is used in the Bible translations of
Jehovah‟s Witnesses in place of „Espiritu Santo‟ which is what is
used in other Bible translations. „Banal na Espiritu‟ is used
because it is a more neutral term. This is because the word „holy‟
and its translation „banal‟ has many other instances in the
translation, in different contexts. „The holy spirit‟ is different from
„God is holy‟ and it would seem that the word „banal‟ could be
misconstrued as having a different meaning altogether. (Landicho,
2013)
5.8.5.2 ‘Dumi’ vs. ‘Tae’
Deuteronomio 23:13
„At isang panghukay ang ilalaan upang magamit mo kasama ng
iyong mga kagamitan, at mangyayari nga na kung palilikod ka sa
labas, gagawa ka rin ng isang hukay sa pamamagitan niyaon at
pipihit ka at tatakpanmo ang iyong dumi.‟
It is felt that the word „tae‟ is too vulgar for the translation. Most
readers would know the implication of „dumi‟ in the context that
it was used. This is to safeguard the dignity of the translation.
(Landicho, 2013)
5.8.5.3 ‘Manabi’ vs. ‘Dumumi’
1 Sanuel 24:3
„Sa kalaunan ay nakarating siya sa mga batong kulungan ng tupa
sa tabi ng daan, na kinaroroonan ng isang yungib. At pumasok si
Saul upang manabi, samantalang si David at ang kaniyang mga
tauhan ay nakaupo sa kaloob-loobang mga dako ng yungib.‟
„Nang mapatapat sila sa isang kulungan ng tupa sa tabi ng daan,
dumumi si Saul sa loob ng kuweba sa tapat ng mga kulungan ng
tupa. Nagkataon namang si David at ang kanyang mga tauhan ay
nagtatago sa loob ng kuwebang iyon‟
The tagalog word „manabi‟ is not used in favor of „dumumi‟
because the word „manabi‟ is not used in spoken language often.
It is said to be used by „pure‟ tagalog speakers, but the Tagalog
translation team is made up of speakers of different Tagalog
dialects such as Tagalog Batangaas and Tagalog Bulacan, and for
the translation to be better understood, the more widely used term
was chosen. (Landicho, 2013)
5.8.5.4 ‘Mangayupapa’ vs. sumamba
2 Cronica 20:18
„Kaagad na yumukod si Jehosap at habang ang kaniyang mukha
ay nakaharap sa lupa, at ang buong Juda at ang mga tumatahan sa
Jerusalem ay sumubsob sa harap ni Jehova upang mangayupapa
kay Jehova.‟
„Si Jehoshafat at ang buong Juda at ang mga mamamayan ng
Jerusalem ay nagpatirapa at sumamba kay Yahweh.‟
The word „mangayupapa‟, which means to bow on your knees and
your head must touch the ground (in English „kowtow‟) was used
because that was its dictionary definition. It was only this word
that encompassed the true meaning of what the text was trying to
say, in comparison to „nakayuko‟ which would give a different
mental image. (Landicho, 2013)
5.8.6 Cultural/Context Based Terms
5.8.6.1 Diborsyo vs Hiwalayan
Mateo 5:31
„Bukod diyan ay sinabi, „Sinumang dumiborsiyo sa kaniyang
asawang babae, bigyan niya ito ng isang kasulatan ng diborsiyo.‟
„"Sinabi rin naman, 'Kapag pinalayas at hiniwalayan ng isang
lalaki ang kanyang asawa, ito'y dapat niyang bigyan ng kasulatan
ng paghihiwalay.‟
The translation uses the word „diborsyo‟ instead of the word
„hiwalayan‟ which is used in other Bible translations such as the
Magandang Balita Bibliya. This is due to the context that the word
was used in at the time it was used. (Landicho, 2013)
The translation team explained that during the time of Jesus the
concept of divorce, where it has to do with the marriage contract,
was already understood at that time. If the term „hiwalayan‟ was
used then that may lead to the reader misunderstanding it as a
simple separation from the spouse in terms of distance. The term
„diborsyo‟ clearly stated the dissolution of the marriage and the
working concept of divorce is the same now as it was during those
times. (Landicho, 2013)
It was the interviewer‟s assumption that the term „diborsyo‟ was
used because it may promote the idea of divorce, but the
translation team stated that whether a concept is politically or
socially relevant has no bearing on the translation.
5.8.6.2 ‘Huwag kang matakot iuwi si Maria’
Mateo 1:20
„Ngunit pagkatapos niyang pag-isipan ang mga bagay na ito,
narito! ang anghel ni Jehova ay nagpakita sa kaniya sa panaginip,
na nagsasabi: “Jose, anak ni David, huwag kang matakot na iuwi
siMaria na iyong asawa, sapagkat yaong pinangyaring maipaglihi
niya ay sa pamamagitan ng banal na espiritu.‟
„Ngunit habang pinag-iisipan ito ni Jose, nagpakita sa kanya sa
panaginip ang isang anghel ng Panginoon. Sinabi nito sa kanya,
"Jose, anak ni David, huwag kang matakot na pakasalan si Maria,
sapagkat ang sanggol na dinadala niya ay mula sa Espiritu Santo.‟
The phrase „Huwag kang matakot iuwi si Maria‟, in reference to a
statement made by the angel to Joseph, carries many cultural
references from the culture of the Jews at that time.
In the culture of the Jews then, when you are a man and have the
intent to marry a woman, you must bring her to your home. The
word „iuwi‟ is used to imply that the man will take the woman
from her home and family and bring her to his house. Nowadays
marriage has ceremonies attached to it and a reader may not
understand that these were the traditions in the past. This is the
reason why there are external aids to help readers understand the
context of this specific passage. (Landicho, 2013)
The translation team will not change the translation to fit in with
the times, if the word „papakasalan‟ was used then the reader may
have a completely different idea about the events that transpired
because of the change of context. The idea of marriage now and
the tradition of marriage then is different and the main focus of
the translation is to be completely faithful to the truth of the words.
(Lee, 2013)
5.8.6.3 ‘Pantubos dahil sa dugo’ vs. ‘Kamatayan’
Efeso 1:7
„Sa pamamagitan niya ay taglay natin ang paglaya sa
pamamagitan ng pantubos dahil sa dugo ng isang iyon, oo, ang
kapatawaranb ng ating mga pagkakamali, ayon sa kayamanan ng
kaniyang disana- nararapat na kabaitan.‟
„Tinubos tayo ni Cristo sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kamatayan at
sa gayo‟y pinatawad na an gating mga kasalanan. Gayon kadakila
ang pag-ibig na ipinadama niya sa atin. „
The phrase „pantubos dahil sa dugo‟ was used in place of
„kamatayan‟, this is due to the context of the passage. This is to
give importance to the blood of Jesus and how exactly he died. In
a previous chapter in Leviticus there is a phrase „maghain kayo ng
alay sa dugo‟, the two phrases are related because there is a
pattern where Jesus is called a „sacrificial sheep‟ because that was
the wish of God, in the times before Israel would need to prepare
a sacrificial animal that would be burned in order to appease God
for the sins of the Israelites, that same principle applies to save the
many Jesus needed to die and that was the value of his blood. This
would not be able to be conveyed properly if the term
„kamatayan‟ was used, it would also not fit the pattern established.
(Landicho, 2013)
5.8.6.4 Grammatical structure of Hebrew
Levitico 9:3
„Ngunit sa mga anak ni Israel ay sasalitain mo, na sinasabi,
„Kumuha kayo ng isang kambing na lalakie bilang handog ukol sa
kasalanan at ng isang guya at ng isang batang barakong
tupa,bawat isa ay isang taong gulang, malulusog, bilang handog
na sinusunog,‟
There are phrases where there are 2 synonyms in a single
statement such as “sinasabi at salitan mo”, this is because of the
principle of retaining the exact wording of what was said in the
original language.
In the Hebrew language there are many instances of this type of
wording and they have a specific grammatical structure that puts a
lot of verbs into statements. It is true that if there are no other
considerations it would be simpler to translate it directly. In order
to preserve the sanctity of the words, even carried over
grammatical structures must be translated. (Aves, 2012)
5.8.7 Equivalent Terms
If there is no equivalent term in the language that is being
translated into, adjectives will be added and synonyms of the
word may be used.
Levitico 5:15
„Kung ang isang kaluluwa ay gumawi nang di-tapat anupat
nagkasala siya nang di sinasadya laban sa mga banal na bagay ni
Jehova,l kung gayon ay magdadala siya kay Jehova bilang
kaniyang handog ukol sa pagkakasalam ng isang malusog na
barakong tupa mula sa kawan, ayon sa tinatayang halaga sa
siklong pilak,n ayon sa siklo ng dakong banal, bilang handog ukol
sa pagkakasala.‟
Example:
„Ram‟ becomes „batang barakong tupa‟
A reader with no prior knowledge about the word barako will
think its meaning as the colloquial meaning “macho” or manly.
This kind of meaning will not apply to the said phrase but the
translators didn‟t consider the misunderstanding instead they
consulted a professional that is an expert of husbandry. The
experts in husbandry has a term about rams in Tagalog which is
barako. The translators tend to consult the respected professionals
in the field about the usage of words. (Landicho, 2013) (Lee,
2013)
5.8.8 Copied terms
5.8.8.1 Animals
Sometimes there is difficulty in translating names of animals and
the translators feel it is easier to use the rich vocabulary of English
in place of coining new names or using archaic terms for the
animals that the readers wouldn‟t understand. (Aves, 2012)
Examples:
„Jackal‟ becomes „asong jackal‟
„peacock‟ becomes „peacock‟
„avestrus‟ becomes „ostritch‟
5.8.8.2 Other terms
The term „saserdote‟, which means priest is used, when readers
may be unfamiliar with that concept. The translation team lifted
the term from older translations of the Bible, which were done by
other organizations. This specific term was based on a Spanish
translation. (Landicho, 2013)
There are terminologies that, through a long period of time, and
through repetitive use are made part of the vocabulary of people.
If there are no terms that exist that are the equivalent of the
meaning, then words like „saserdote‟ are copied. (Landicho, 2013)
As long as the copied terms do not affect the meaning and the
context of the translation then there is no reason not to use it. The
translation team does not need to start from scratch if there are
existing words for the terms, it is not faulty if a translation would
refer to other Bibles, especially if that term is the only term being
used. (Landicho, 2013)
5.8.9 References used
Some of the dictionaries that the translation team used in the
translation of the Tagalog Bible are as follows: Diksyonaryo ng
Wikang Pilipino and the UP Dictionary. The translators stated that
the dictionaries in the market are currently not extensive or as
updated as they would like. There is a balance that they do to use
dictionaries, which may have terms that are not updated and
spoken language, which may not be completely dignified. (Lee,
2013) (Landicho, 2013)
Older Bible translations were also used, though it was not
specified which ones. Translations from other organizations are
used as reference, though the specific principles must apply.
(Landicho, 2013)
The English Bible translation of the Jehovah‟s Witnesses was also
used as a basis. For example in the English translation there are
some instances of the word „you‟ that are capitalized, the
capitalized „you‟ is plural and since Tagalog has different 2nd
singular and plural pronouns, it was easy to translate. (Landicho,
2013)
The main basis of the translation work is the New World
Translation Reference Bible. This in turn used references for the
different sections involved. The Hebrew text used was the Codex
Leningrad B 19A (of U.S.S.R.), as presented in R. Kittel‟s Biblia
Hebraica (BHK), seventh, eighth and ninth editions (1951-55).
The basic Greek text of the New World translation was The New
Testament in the Original Greek, by Westcott and Hort (originally
published in 1881). The Greek texts of Nestle, Bover, Merk and
others were also considered. (Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society of Pennsylvania, 2013)
5.9 Sociolinguistic Analysis of Principles
5.9.1 Translation Techniques
Language plays an important role in religion. It is the medium of
every ministers or preachers to propagate their doctrines as well as
to maintain their community bounded by their teachings. In
Jehovah's Witnesses having the pride of having their Bible (New
World Translation) as the most translated Bible is one way of
fulfilling the message stated in the Bible of delivering the message
in every tongue. In the Philippines it is the leading translator of
Holy Scripture in 116 languages. They have a group of translators
and even if the team is composed of a mixture of seniority and
having a member outside the community, the translation team is
unified by one principle and it‟s the pursuance of similarity of the
source text. This individual has their own history of linguistic
usage and yet their product is constructed like a one man work
because of their principle.
The macro level is the motivation of the translation where a
context, in this research a religious context can create a speech
community and eventually can build an identity. Identity can be
seen as the dynamic interaction between the fixed identity
categories that applied to social groupings (such as race, gender,
ethnicity, language, and other more subtle representations that are
activated in certain discourse settings) and the way individuals
think of themselves as they move through the different discourses
in which these are salient. (Thesen, 1997). Their translation is
reflected by their principle of having no alternations from the
source language. Paraphrasing is not allowed. Thus, word for
word, they have their own representation to their target language
leaving the syntax of the target language mirrored to the source
language. The case is, the syntax of Tagalog and English has a lot
of differences. From the word order, markers, linkers the two
languages have their own rules and has no resemblance to each
other. In the present studies, the two language are in different
language families.
The contrast of the Tagalog construction in the New World
Translation leaves the readers that are not a member of Jehovah's
Witness at a loss. Therefore, the translation of the Jehovah's
Witnesses represents the identity of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
From the way they translate words like Yahweh which is Jehova
is a significant representation of their identity. Only a difference
in name sets them apart to different religious denomination. They
are the only ones who can understand the said translation for they
tailor their translation in their English edition of Bagong
Sanlibutang Biblia. They have the understanding why these kinds
of words are used and what does a sentence implies and what are
the underlying messages are in the sentence.
The style of translation of the Jehovah‟s Witnesses relates to the
processes of norm selection, codification, implementation and
elaboration that are commonly related to standardization and
language planning. (Darquennes and Vandednbussche, 2011)
Norm selection and implementation can be seen through the word
choices and word order that the translation team has applied in the
translation of the Bible into Tagalog.
The social aspects of language planning, in this case norm
selection and implementation are heavily reliant on the
environment where this type of method is applied, because
practice may compromise the type of language that is being put
forward. (Edwards, 2009) The Jehovah‟s Witnesses though, in
addition to the Bible also translate supplementary materials that
help their congregation understand the meaning of what they are
trying to convey. In effect, they are reinforcing the type of
language and identity that they have already established through
the translation of the Bible.
6. Conclusion
The language use of the Jehovah's Witness that stems from their
translation of their Bible can be described by a saying from Holt
about language which is a kind of constellation of discourse held
in balance by two opposing forces: a central attraction for
uniformity and generality and a peripheral pull for individuation
and particularity (Holt 2006). The translation of the Jehovah's
Witnesses being a mixture of formal and functional equivalence.
The functional equivalence is mostly used when they choose
words when they have the choice to make the texts dignified. The
majority of the translation work is based from formal equivalence
or the literal translation. There are corresponding semantic units
and punctuations marks from the source language English to the
target language Tagalog. The uniformity and generality that sets
the identity of the Jehovah's Witness can be observe in the macro
level of the effects of the context of the translation where as a
religion their translation of the Bible sets them apart from other
religious denomination. The particularity and the individuation is
viewed in the members of the church. The way they convey the
messages from the Bible has set them apart from other learners
and preachers of the Bible. Their translation of the Bible is one of
the major anchors of their identity as well as their faith.
The translation of Bible into different local languages here in the
Philippines has not been a disadvantage to Jehovah's Witnesses.
They have been a supporter of language maintenance of minor
languages and also the formation of their religious identity. Aside
from these two factors, literacy has been a part of their Bible
translation to make the reader understand the passages.
Language maintenance in their part is a boost on their preaching
methods for some of the Filipinos don‟t have access to education.
Thus learning Filipino and English is a difficult task and what
more to study the Bible in these languages where the Bible has
many meanings that are lurking between its passages. With more
than 160 languages to care and preserve in the Philippines even a
support from an organization doesn‟t hurt.
7. REFERENCES
[1] Aves I., personal communication, December 19 2012
[2] Darquennes, J and Vandenbussche, W. 2011. Language and
religion as a sociolinguistic field of study: some introductory
notes. Retrieved from
http://ftp.vub.ac.be/~wvdbussc/2012_SL25_1-
11_Darquennes%20Vandenbussche.pdf
[3] Del Corro, A. n.d. Ang Pagsasalin: Nakakapagpapalaya Nga
Kaya?
[4] Edwards, J. 2009. Language and Identity. Cambridge University
Press.
[5] Holt, R. 2006. A Socio-linguistic Approach to Religious
Language. Australian E-Journal of Theology.
[6] Jeffcoat, J. 2012. English Bible History. Retrieved from
http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/
[7] Landicho D., personal communication, May 8 2013
[8] Lee, E., personal communication, May 8 2013
[9] Nida, E.A. 1964. Toward a Science of Translating. Leiden: E.J.
Brill.
[10] Nida E. (1994), The Sociolinguistics of Translating Canonical
Religious Textsby Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction, vol. 7,
no. 1 pp. 191-217
[11] Nida, E.A. and Charles R.Taber. 1969. The Theory and Practice
of Translation. Leiden: EJ.Brill
[12] Philippine Bible Society. 2013. Magandang Balita Biblia.
Retrieved from http://www.angbiblia.net/
[13] Pinto, S. R. 2012. Sociolinguistics and Translation. In Gambier
Y., Doorslaer, L.V., Handbook of Translation Studies (pp 156-
162). John Benjamins Publishing
[14] Thesen, L. 1997. Voices, discourse, and transition: In search of
new categories in EAP. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 31, (3), 487-511
[15] Titrud K., 1994. Diglots in the Philippine Context. Forum of
Bible Agencies
[16] Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2013.
New World Translation Reference Bible. Retrieved from
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001060001#p11
[17] Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2013.
Retrieved from http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/
[18] Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2003.
Welcome to the Philippines branch office of Jehovah‟s
witnesses.
[19] Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2001.
Who are Jehovah‟s Witnesses.