I Jan-Feb 09 I

Januray - February 2009

One hour at IBT Russia/CIS 

IBT has a 24-hour working day, as our projects are spread over ten time zones! Here is what can happen during one hour in IBT's work:

At nine o'clock in the morning Gagauz translator Pyotr in southern Moldova is ready to tackle the very last work on the Gagauzi Children's Bible, before sending it to IBT's publishing department in Moscow. This book will be printed in 2009 – it will be IBT's 37th Children's Bible!

In St Petersburg it is now 10 a.m. Nadia takes a cup of coffee and sits down with a printout of the Children's Bible in the Evenki language, which is her mother tongue. Together with exegetical advisor Stefano, Nadia has been working on this text for several years. Now they are approaching the end of their work, and Nadia spends the next hour reading through some of the pages and inserting changes in the text.

At the same time the co-workers of IBT Moscow have started their working day in the office at St Andrew's monastery beside the Moscow river.They gather in the library to listen to the daily Bible reading. The next hour Tanya, head of the publishing department, makes several calls to printing houses, while designer Masha is working on the cover of the Khakas New Testament. Project coordinators Lena, Natasha and Ketevan are in contact with some of their translation projects by e-mail. During the same hour IBT's director Marianne and deputy directors Marina and Natalia have a meeting with a visiting Orthodox bishop from Abakan, while distribution manager Sergey makes a call to the Ministry of Justice  in order to arrange for a shipment of Bible portions to prison libraries.

In the same hour – but 12 noon local time, exegetical advisor Eunsub in Salekhard, northern Siberia, is working through the corrections of the Gospel of John in Nenets together with her translator Tanya. They are interrupted by Nastya, a Nenets friend, who wonders when the Gospel of Mark will be printed and audio-recorded: “Many people are asking for it!” Eunsub invites Nastya to a cup of tea and assures her that Mark will be ready this year.

It is now 1 p.m. in the Altai capital of Gorno Altaisk in southern Siberia. In their lunch break the local team is discussing the preparations for the audio-recording of the Altai New Testament. The Altai NT was published in 2003 and has now been revised. Among the Christian Altais there is a great interest in this audio-recording.        

In Kyzyl, capital of Tuva in southern Siberia, it is 2 p.m. local time. Here translator Nikolay is continuing his work on the revision of the New Testament in his mother tongue Tuvin. The Tuvin New Testament was published in 2001 and next year the whole Bible will be printed. A slight revision of the NT is needed, as it is important to make sure that all key terms, etc. are identical in both the New and the Old Testaments.

In Ulan Ude, capital of Buryatia on the Baikal Sea, the time is 3 p.m. Local coordinator Rinchin is visiting a well-known journalist, asking him to be one of the external reviewers of the Buryat New Testament, which is almost ready for publication.

At the same time - but 4 p.m. local time, translator Sargylana is looking through the final corrections of the Yakut Psalms, which will be published this year. Six of the psalms were printed in a separate book in 2007 and are already in constant use in the liturgy of the Orthodox Church in Yakutia.

In Palana on the Kamchatka peninsula, in the Far East ofRussia, it is already 7 p.m. Valentina, the philological editor in the Koryak project, has invited exegetical advisor Sergey for supper in order to discuss further Bible translation into Koryak. Luke's Gospel was published in 2005, but we have not been able to continue translation, due to the fact that no exegetical advisor wanted to live in this far away place. Now Sergey has movedto Palana, and there is new hope for the Koryak project!

When Valentina is about to get up next morning, two co-workers, who have been working late, are leaving the Moscow office, handing over the key to the watchman in the little hut by the monastery gate...

And so IBT's work continues, hour after hour, day after day.

IBT needs only $150 per hour in order to continue working on 38 translation projects in seven countries of the former Soviet Union!

 Here you can sign for the IBT Russia/CIS monthly English Newsletter

Archive:
 
I Dec 08  I Nov 08 I Oct 08 I Sept 08 I Summer 08 I May 08 I April 08 I March 08 I Feb 08 I Jan 08 I  Dec 07   I Nov 07   I Oct 07  I Sept 07 I Summer 07 I May 07 I April 07 I March 07 I Feb 07 I Jan 07  Dec 06 I Nov 06  I Oct 06 I Sept 06 I Aug 06 I June-July 06  I May 06 I April 06 I March 06 I Feb. 06  Jan. 06 I Dec. 05 I Nov. 05 I  Oct. 05