I am happy to report that the Enga translation members arrived safely in Ukarumpa on February 6. Since then, we've been in the recording studio every day from 8:30 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. We have now recorded 42% of the Enga New Testament, and we are currently recording John 11. At our current pace, we should finish the entire recording of the Enga New Testament in the first or second week of April.
The recording studio consists of two rooms. William Walewale, who is the reader, sits in the inner room which is sound proof, while the other translators and I sit in the outer room along with my fellow expat missionary Jonathan Vander Wal, who is the audio recording specialist. The recording process is as follows. William reads through a short section of Scripture that is displayed on a screen for him in the inner room. If he makes any mistakes as he reads, we start over from the beginning of the sentence (or midway through the sentence if it is a long, complicated sentence). As William reads, I check to make sure that he doesn't accidentally miss, change, or add any words. The other Enga translators listen to make sure that the translation sounds clear and natural. As William reads through, we inevitably make a few minor adjustments to make the translation sound more natural. After William completes a section, Jonathan Vander Wal edits it for us on the spot, removing long pauses, equalizing the volume, and making other technical edits. Then we listen to the section again for final approval. Once the section is approved, we move on to the next section and start the process all over again. Below is a video of William reading a short section from Mark 4:35-35. Please continue to pray for the recording. Pray especially for the health of the translators and the safety of their families back home in Enga. Thank you so much for your prayers!
