Changing Lives Through Bible Translation w/ Kermit Titrid

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How do you bring the Bible to life for communities that have never encountered its teachings? Join us on today's episode of the Coffee and Bible Time podcast as we sit down with Kermit Titrud, a dedicated Bible translator with Wycliffe Bible Translators, who has spent 50 years in the Philippines bringing the Scriptures to people in their native languages.

Kermit’s journey transitioned unexpectedly from dreaming to be a farmer, to a profound calling to bring God's Word to those who have never heard. Hear how this spiritual awakening led him to dedicate his life to translating the Bible as well as the highs and lows of Bible translation work.

Through his compelling storytelling, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the intricate process involved in Bible translation and the profound impact it has on the lives of those who receive God's Word for the first time.

Kermit's Links and Favorites
Email Address: kermit_titrud@sil.org
Website: wycliffe.org
Go-To Bible: NLT Translation
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Chapters

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• 26:15 (Cont.) Untitled Episode
• 26:15 (Cont.) Changing Lives Through Bible Translation w/ Kermit Titrid

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

At the Coffee and Bible Time podcast. Our goal is to help you delight in God's Word and thrive in Christian living. Each week, we talk to subject matter experts who broaden your biblical understanding, encourage you in hard times and provide life-building tips to enhance your Christian walk. We are so glad you have joined us. Welcome to the Coffee and Bible Time podcast, the show where we explore faith, inspiration and the incredible way that God uses his word to impact our lives. I am your host, ellen, and today we have a truly special guest who has dedicated his life to bringing the Bible to people in a language that they can understand and cherish. Imagine being able to experience the joy of God's word in your own language for the very first time.

Speaker 1: 1:00

Our guest today is a passionate Christian Bible translator who has spent years immersed in the rich tapestry of Scripture, ensuring that every word is translated with accuracy, clarity and heart. His work not only bridges linguistic gaps, but also opens up new pathways for believers to encounter and delight in God's word. So, whether you are a seasoned Bible reader or just beginning your journey, this conversation is sure to inspire you to dive deeper into scripture and discover the life-changing power of God's truth. So grab your Bible. Get comfortable and join us as we welcome Kermit Titrid to the show. Kermit received his biblical education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and he has been serving faithfully as a Bible translator for Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Philippines. Please welcome Kermit.

Speaker 2: 2:06

Thank you, my pleasure.

Speaker 1: 2:08

You know, when I heard you talk about your ministry work at our church small group, I just knew that I had to share you with the Coffee and Bible Time audience and, as you know, our goal here is to help people delight in God's Word. And when I think of you, someone who has immersed their life in God's Word, I know that we all have so much to learn, so I'm really so thrilled that you're here to talk with us today. Why don't you start out by just telling us a little bit about your journey into Bible translation and what sparked your passion for this incredible work?

Speaker 2: 2:52

Okay, well, I was raised in the cities, in the Twin Cities, and then Pasadena, and then the Portland Oregon area, pasadena and then the Portland organ area, and but I thoroughly enjoyed coming here to the farm of my grandparents.

Speaker 2: 3:11

Actually, I'm speaking to you from the farm right now and I just, I just was in heaven, coming to this dairy farming and just enjoying, you know, feeding and milking the cows and the chickens and the pigs, etc, etc. And going out in the haying, and ever since I was five years old, I wanted to be a farmer and I was dreaming about, you know, being a farmer, how many acres of corn I'd have, how many cows I'd have, et cetera. But then in high school, around in high school, I heard, apparently from a missionary who mentioned that there were 2,000 languages world and 2000 of them 6000 languages, and 2000 of them did not have anything of the scriptures. So basically, the spirit, holy Spirit, dialogue, dialogue with my spirit, and basically said well, kermit, if you don't farm, no American is going to starve to death, but just think of all the people are starving spiritually. So with that, I decided to get training in translation work and became a translator and, by the way, I've been with Wycliffe now for 50 years.

Speaker 1: 4:19

That is just incredible, Absolutely incredible, how you have been so faithful along the way. You know. One of the questions that I wanted to ask you personally was when you spend so much time in the Bible, how does God keep showing up for you day after day? Is it like peeling off layers of an onion where you just keep learning more and more and more? How does that?

Speaker 2: 4:50

feel for you. Yeah, like you mentioned it. Yeah, even though I've overseen translation of the Bible in 12 different languages and read the Bible many times regularly. When I read it again, different insights come my way, so it never gets boring. So I thoroughly I do thoroughly enjoy my work. I mean I've always, ever since I was probably in junior high, I, I, uh, I saw the um, I saw the phillips translation back. You know my days when we were younger, there were only two bibles out there really, and there was the king james bible and there were the philip, there was the phillips, and I saw the phillips on my mom's, uh, kitchen counter and started reading it and just thoroughly enjoyed it. So I tell people, actually it was that translation that probably discipled me.

Speaker 1: 5:44

So it really did start for you at such a young age, and it sounds like your mother was reading the Bible herself. And what an impact that had on you. Well, can you help sort of explain for our listeners? We have no idea about the process of translating the Bible into a new language. What is that process? What are some of the steps involved in doing that?

Speaker 2: 6:16

Well, of course, for us expats going into a language overseas in the boogie land, you know, in the xyz language, the remote uh language group, uh, first of all, um, we studied this. We often, many of us, go to a bible school or a seminar and learn, you know, in depth the bible, and and then also the biblical languages, uh, greek and hebrew, and and then uh, and then, and then we also uh attend. Uh, my case, I went to the University of North Dakota and studied linguistics. So you really need to know both of those subjects scriptures and also linguistics to be a Bible translator.

Speaker 1: 6:58

Tell us about the languages that you have specifically been involved in translating.

Speaker 2: 7:07

Well, at first, when I went over there in 1977, I was 26 years old and I worked on a language group of 10 small islands that spoke this language in the middle of the Philippines. Really small islands, two by fours and one by ones, two miles by four miles and one mile by one mile, and I was there for eight years and no electricity, no plumbing. No, we have a lot of amish in our area here in minnesota and I get to tell them I lived them eight years much more simple life than you guys live and, uh, they have buggies and we didn't have those. They can go to the store. We didn't even have a market, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Speaker 2: 7:52

And then I paired up with the pastor there who really wanted the scriptures in their own language but started it himself and gave up right away because nobody had written in it. He didn't know how to write in their language. And even though many of the people are literate, they're literate in Tagalog or Ilongo or even English to some extent, but they never wrote in their own language. They didn't know how to. But then, with my training in linguistics, I was able to actually give them an orthography. Wrote in their own language. They didn't know how to. But then, with my training in linguistics, I was able to actually give them an orthography. And here is where god works in mysterious ways, I I got d's and f's in spelling when I was, uh, you know, in second, third grade, and he used me to give them a written script. But now, uh, now when I write in their language, I get 100 every time in spelling, because I created the rules.

Speaker 1: 8:49

Good for you. What are the biggest linguistic and cultural challenges that you face in translating the Bible?

Speaker 2: 9:00

Oftentimes when a person goes out into a language group, like in Asia, that's not Indo-European, the language, of course, the grammar is quite different and for example, especially like in the Philippines, they have a focus system. So when you focus upon the object, as opposed to the subject and the, the verb aspect the verb changes, the pronoun changes and even the determiner on the object change. So a fast example would be like, for example, he bought shoes, right, like using tagalog, for example, bumili siya ng sapatos. But if he bought my shoes, then bumili becomes binili, ako becomes ko, and then ng sapatos becomes ang sapatos. So bumili siya ng sapatos becomes binili niya ang sapatos ko. So it's kind of like juggling three things you're changing the verb, you're changing the pronoun and you're changing the determiner.

Speaker 2: 10:10

so it's like juggling three balls at the same time my goodness in english it's just you know, I bought shoes, I bought my shoes, you only. You just throw in a mind. That's the only difference. But in the, in translating into their language, you have to learn to change the affixes and the pronouns. So that's the difficulty. But every language has their unique patterns that you have to deal with.

Speaker 1: 10:38

What's it like when you give the translation when you've completed it? You give the translation when you've completed it and give it to the people that are reading it for the very first time themselves. What does that feel like and what do you witness in them?

Speaker 2: 11:53

I'll just give you a story about after we finished the Caliano translation, and then we distributed among the various islands and went to an island out in the middle of the seas and just a one by one mile island and just one little village.

Speaker 2: 12:09

And then a year later I came back there and I saw one of the scriptures we had distributed there the previous year. It looked like it was over 100 years old and so actually I thought to myself kind of thank God, and I thought to myself well, my 10 years working on that translation was well worth it, even if it was just for that one little island. And then, for example, when I first arrived on the island of Kaluuya, there was no Christian ministry really on the other islands and even Kaluuya itself just had a few members. But now of course the Holy Spirit's involved in it, but I really believe that it was also getting the scriptures in their language. The church has not doubled, it's quadrupled. I mean it's over 10 times on the islands what it was before wow, wow, that's, that's the, the beauty of that.

Speaker 1: 13:06

God's word is alive and active, right, and it's just um multiplying people for the kingdom. That must be so rewarding to be in that kind of work.

Speaker 2: 13:21

Indeed.

Speaker 1: 13:23

Well, how do you ensure that the translation remains accurate and faithful to the original texts?

Speaker 2: 13:32

Well, of course translators realize, you know, it doesn't take long until we realize that you'll never be able to get it to be 100% the same, equal. You know, it's always kind of an approximation. I'll give you a few examples. Like, for example, in Greek they have the pronoun hemes, and so it's translated in English as we. But the problem in the Filipino language is they have the pronoun hey, mays, and so it's translated in English as we. But the problem in the Filipino language is they have two pronouns for we.

Speaker 2: 14:04

One would be like in Raquel's language kita would be. I would be including you, and then that would be kita. Now, if I'm excluding you, I would say kami. So, in other words, if I said to you well, we arrived here in Minnesota a couple months ago, I'm excluding you, so that we would be kami, so you didn't come to Minnesota with us, you know, a couple months ago. But if I said we're having a fun time with this interview, that would be kita, so including you in that we.

Speaker 2: 14:38

So that's why I like, for example, in English, sometimes if you're a party and then somebody says, well, later on we're going to get a pizza, you're not sure if you're included in that, we are not right. So so I mean, usually context tells you, but sometimes it's ambiguous. So in the, in the translating into the philippine languages, we have to choose one or the other and generally the context will let us know which one to go with. But sometimes there are passages it's not sure. If Paul, like, for example, was including the reader in his hemace and his, we are excluding them. So, and then another example for English. I'll give you an example for Filipino language. For English we have the pronoun you, but in Greek it's either humace or su. Now humace is plural, you plural and su would be you singular. So in our English translations, when we read you, sometimes we're not sure if the writer was meaning you plural or you singular. So in most cases, of course, the context lets us know. But those are just some examples where you can't assure total accuracy. Another example I'd like to give is that, translating into Kaliano.

Speaker 2: 15:52

I had a problem with translating boat and fishing. Now, we're on a small island, everybody's got boats, but trying to find they didn't have a generic word for boat. So trying to find which would be the most accurate, you know, representative of the boats that Jesus and disciples rode on, it actually took us a couple of years before we finally nailed it. I mean you don't want to use the term a boat without riggers. They didn't have outriggers. You, before we finally nailed it. I mean you don't want to use the term a boat without rigors. They didn't have outriggers. You want to use a term that has a motor on it. You know so, you know trying to.

Speaker 2: 16:26

So finally, one time in the summers I go around with the young people. We'd evangelize the islands, because there was no Christian ministry, and came to this island that had boats very similar to the ones that you know. You see in the bible pictures of you know that Jesus and disciples wrote. And, of course, the first thing I said what do you call those things? And so that's the term we ended up using so what term is that?

Speaker 2: 16:51

Sakayan. Sakayan okay, it's a specific kind of a boat.

Speaker 1: 16:56

Yeah, fascinating. Okay, do you have any technological tools or resources that you use to assist yourself in this translation process?

Speaker 2: 17:10

we just had, you know, hard copy commentaries and different translations, and we actually I started actually I'm old enough that we use typewriters and so we did literal cut and pasting. But now, of course, with the computers, you know, I'm able to go from, leave this farm and go back to the Philippines. In another couple of weeks we are going back there. Just with this computer, it's got all kinds of. There are lots of different tools, and with Wycliffe and United Bible Society they come up with lots of different helps. And so just on this computer I got lots of different hebrew dictionaries, lexicons and greek hebrew lexicons and commentaries and other helps to help translators to decide. So so thank the lord for, for you know, the computers and it people helping us out. But I, having said that, I'd also like to let the readers know that some people think that now, with the computers, don't need mankind to do any translation work, just let the, let the software do it for you.

Speaker 2: 18:29

But the problem is, languages are not all reasonable, logical, so like if I said to you, um, like, for example, it's up to you, right, well, you know what I mean when I says. When I said to you it's up to you, you asked me what would you like? You know what should we buy? Coke or royal? You know, I'll say, it's up to you, you know. Then you know what I'm saying, but literally when you look at the words. It's up to you, right? So when you look at the individual words and another example would be like it's raining, cats and dogs, well you know, the computer would translate literally rain and cats and dogs, and the readers of xyz language will be visualizing cats and dogs falling from the sky. So there's a lot of idioms and language and they're not always, you know, logical or right animals, it still needs mankind, you know, to do the translation.

Speaker 2: 19:31

Yes, it are still our big help and helping us to be more consistent and more accurate in our spelling, et cetera.

Speaker 1: 19:40

Yeah, yeah, no. Human intelligence, I'm sure, is just so important in that process, especially when you describe how there's so many multiple meanings for the same word. Even. How do you stay motivated, kermit? You know?

Speaker 2: 20:01

you said you've been doing this for 50 years and what you know has motivated you just to to have the endurance to keep going well, I suppose implanted in my soul is the last couple verses in matthew, and also revelation 7, 9 talks about you know that, uh, the, the word of god, is going to go out into all the different ethnic groups, and throughout the scripture you, jesus himself, you know the disciples asked him when are you going to return?

Speaker 2: 20:33

And jesus says, first of all, the word will go out into all the. In the English translations it reads into all the nations, but in the Greek it's actually ethne, so a more precise translation would be into all the ethnic groups. So I mean, like India is one nation but there's 500 ethnic groups, same with Indonesia. So what motivates me is realizing the knowledge that Jesus wants us to finish the job. I believe his holy spirit could zap all these people groups by himself, you know, dealing with their brains and telling them about the good news. But he chooses to use us, and so he's given me the health and the energy and love to help out others, to disciple others through the word of God and bringing them to Christ.

Speaker 1: 21:27

Do you know, kermit I think you might have mentioned this to our group just how many languages have yet to have a translation for the bible?

Speaker 2: 21:39

I think, of course, back 50 years ago. They're like about they figured about 2000 and uh, but back then they were saying that there were 6 000 languages. But they've done a few other languages since then. I think it's up to 7 000 languages now and there's still about from I understand, still about a thousand languages out there that don't really have anything of the scripture. There's language groups in india over a million that don't have anything of the scriptures. So there's still.

Speaker 2: 22:10

There's still a need and and my concern is, uh, people ask me when I'm going to retire. I'm 74 and I, and I tell them first of all, I don't see the word in the scriptures. But, even more so, young people aren't coming up to bat for us. So let's thank you for having me join you and I'd just like to encourage the ones listening to pray that the young people will respond and that leaders in the churches and pastors in the churches will inform people that there still is the need. The Great Commission is still there. It hasn't been from what I. I've been all over, like all over India and many other countries. I don't understand. I haven't been to really Africa much, but you know there's still a lot of language groups in Africa that don't have much, and even the major languages like in India. You know, the state languages do have the scripture, but they need some fixing too. They're not all that accurate or clear.

Speaker 1: 23:22

Okay. Well, how can the broader Christian community come alongside Bible translators and help them in this work?

Speaker 2: 23:35

in this work. Well, of course, the grandmas and grandpas would have a hard time now going studying linguistics and going out into another remote language group and starting to learn the language, et cetera, et cetera. But they definitely can pray, and I'm a big believer in prayer. Continue to pray that God would encourage young people to go out but also share it with their grandkids and children, encourage their children to think about possibly helping out with the Great Commission. And, by the way, I have a really good friend here. He's Amish and we're really close.

Speaker 2: 24:27

We do a lot of fishing and hunting together and I actually told him just a couple days ago he's only 65, but he's got like 69 grandkids. And so I said Amish, the scripture says you're supposed to get 10% to the Lord. He says you should at least get 1% of your grandkids to the Lord. To become a Bible translator Actually told him you may be among your grandkids, they may be the first among the Amish in the Bible translation. But I'd also encourage the leaders in the churches and the elders to allow, when missionaries come, allow them to share and implant that need in the minds of the young people. Many churches these days. They used to give us lots of time, you know, to share them Now. Oftentimes they give us one minute.

Speaker 1: 26:07

Yeah, yeah. Well, we definitely felt my husband and I had both heard Kermit and his wife come to our group and share with us about this just important aspect and I really hope, if you're listening to this, that you know you do pray for the Bible translators and just how God is using them and for their protection, oftentimes in locations that could be dangerous, as you mentioned, locations that don't have all the you know, creature comforts of life here in America. It's definitely a sacrifice. How would you encourage our listeners in being more consistent in studying God's Word, with the goal here that we want even the people here in America who do have Bibles already? What advice would you have for them studying God's Word?

Speaker 2: 27:18

um, of course, in my case it's my job, so you know, I don't have to force myself to study this word. You know, actually, like when I go, actually when I like when I went to the go to the doctors, of course you have to wait there, so I always bring my bible with me. I, the one that I enjoy reading in english is a new, living translation, but, but, but in translating we use a number of different English translations. But again, ultimately we look at the Greek and Hebrew. But for the ones listening here, of course it's not a necessity to learn the biblical languages and just find a translation that you enjoy reading.

Speaker 2: 28:03

And I know a lot of times in churches they preach a lot that should be reading the word of God, but I haven't been to I don't know if I've been to really any heard any sermon or person share how to read the word of God, and so I just encourage the readers that the Bible it's not one book, it's there's a lot of books in there and feel free to, just like you, go to the library, pick and choose what you like to read. And so feel free to, you know, not just go from Genesis to Revelation, but go to the books that you really would think would really encourage you. And and uh, I personally have, uh, have, uh, um, have enjoyed, uh, reading the passages and what's known as the revised common lectionary passage in the Revised Common Lectionary it's passages that have been put together by a lot of different Christian organizations Methodist, presbyterian, lutheran, even the Church of India Catholic and they come together and put together a reading guide every Sunday. And so there's a passage in the old testament, passage in the psalm, passage in the gospels, passage in the new testament, but, uh, but just feel free to. You know, something doesn't seem to. You know, help, you just go to the other books of the Bible.

Speaker 2: 29:39

But just the Word of God is, of course, you know, we're led by the Holy Spirit and ultimately we want to make sure it's indeed the Holy Spirit that's leading us and there's where the scriptures will guide us and making sure that it's in tune to the Word of God. So I just personally just enjoy reading it and learning from it and growing in it. Not, unfortunately, too often times people just wait until Sunday morning to hear the sermon and that's about it. Just like we need to be nourished with food every day, likewise to really grow and be strong. Daily Read the word of God.

Speaker 1: 30:32

Yes, yes. Consistency is so important that daily nourishment can impact our lives in ways farther than probably we even realize, and so I just want to thank you, kermit, for your devotion to God's word. Can you tell our listeners how, if they can find you and support with Cliff in your ministry work?

Speaker 2: 31:02

and support with Cliff in your ministry work.

Speaker 2: 31:04

Well, personally, regularly every month, I send out an update on what's going on with our ministries, not just translating, but also we've adopted 30 kids from the mountains elementary kids and giving them first-class education and getting them in the scriptures, besides the regular math and science and English, et cetera subjects, and so I send out updates monthly, and so if they're interested in receiving these updates, they can just email me.

Speaker 2: 31:43

And that would be my name and I don't know if you can show this on your screen or whatever, but it's my name, kermit, like Kermit the frog, and then underscore and t-i-t-r-U-D at S-I-L. It stands for Summer Institute of Linguistics, so S-I-L dot R-G, and so we would put them on our distribution list and they would like to see what's happening. And then also we would appreciate your prayers, like you mentioned, praying for the health of missionaries, because we're oftentimes in situations like I lived on an island for eight years without a doctor and a nurse and going on those seas with just little motorboats and a lot of those motorboats never reach their destination and find themselves in China seas and being chewed up by dogs and et cetera, et cetera. So just grateful for people praying for me and keeping me safe.

Speaker 1: 32:48

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, we will make sure we put that email in our show notes so people can find you. Kermit, before we go, I just want to ask you just a couple of our favorite Bible study tool questions. For you personally, kermit what Bible is your go to Bible and what translation is it?

Speaker 2: 33:13

OK, no one. Personally, more than any other, more than any other Bible, I other bible, I enjoy the new living translation. It's, it's, uh, it's natural english. No, I don't. I some of the translations that are more literal you have to as you're reading and not sure what they're saying, so you have to go back and read it over again. And and whereas reading for me, reading the new living translation, I can just keep reading straight through it was done by a hundred, uh, sharp, very sharp scholars and different denominations. So so, and many of them I were my professors, that as well at trinity, and but, uh, for what it's worth, on my screen when I do translation work, of course I look at the biblical text, getting help from, also get help from a lot of English translations, and on my screen I have the NLT and also the NET, I have the NIV and I have the new revised standard version, I have God's word, I have the revised English Bible, the Good News Bible and the CEV. So those are the ones we regularly look at. Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 34:30

But ultimately, of course, we look at the other tools that we can use in commentaries, lexicons and grammar.

Speaker 1: 34:40

Oh my, it's a whole library for sure. Do you have any favorite journaling supplies or anything that you like to use to enhance your Bible study experience? Just your personal time.

Speaker 2: 35:01

You know it used to be, you know, back initially when we didn't have computers. Yeah, you know have lots of different. You know other tools, but right now the main, pretty much everything is here on the computer. You know, and uh and so um. You know, a lot of times as I meditate when I translate and I'm also a consultant I train translators and I tell them regularly as you're translating, make sure it doesn't just become an academic thing on your part. That you know, allow the Holy spirit to teach you as well as while you're translating. And so you know I do some a lot of times when I see something that I had never seen before and interesting. You know, share that my updates or share it also with my fellow translators. But as far as you know notebooks and stuff like that, I mean I'm getting too old for being able to write things down on paper. Many times I can't even read my own penmanship Okay.

Speaker 2: 36:31

Last question for you you, kermit, do you have a favorite app or website that you like to use or would recommend for people for Bible study tools, the help of uh, of uh Wycliffe and SIL and UBS? Uh, pretty much in our logos program. We pretty much have them all right there. Oh yeah, access pretty much everything there.

Speaker 1: 36:51

So yes you'll be you'll be able to help them.

Speaker 2: 36:55

You'll be able to help them. They're better than me.

Speaker 1: 37:00

I love that you mentioned in this interview that you know learning how to study the Bible is so important, and that is something that you know. We really want to help our listeners be able to do, and that was something that we came out with in the last year, which is basically 12 different courses for learning how to study the Bible, all the way from the foundations of the Bible, the overarching storyline of the Bible, to apply it, and, of course, we would encourage our listeners for sure to dive in. So, kermit, thank you so much for being willing to come on our program here and share with us. You are doing so much more than Bible translations. As you mentioned, you're helping the children in the school and you do so much, and I just pray for God's blessings on you and your family and your ministry.

Speaker 2: 38:21

And related to what you're saying about understanding the Bible. I'd just like to encourage I mean as translators as well we know that it's important that word or clause takes meaning depending upon the context. So you know what a word means by the context. Like I mentioned, if I just said dog to you, you're thinking animal. But if I said to you, it're thinking animal. But if I said to you it's raining cats and dogs, you don't even think dog. So so in in a clause and sentence takes meaning when you look at you know the the other sentences around it. And so to really study the bible, don't just be dependent upon one chapter or one book. Actually, I even say that a book in the Bible takes meaning when you look at all the other books in the Bible. So the more you read the scriptures, the more you understand the individual clauses of words.

Speaker 1: 39:14

Absolutely, and seeing how it all points to Jesus so well. Kermit, again, thank you so much for being here and for our listeners. Thank you for listening to the podcast. We appreciate you so much and we hope you have a blessed day.