Babel in The Jungle
Submitted by Jim Manley on
We started the second workshop (Bible Storytelling & Discussion) Saturday afternoon.
Regina directs, while Susan, Richlyn and I assist. Our students are US, Ecuadorian, and European missionaries along with some Indigenous church leaders. Most are bilingual, but not all. And only two instructors speak Spanish. So what language do we instruct in? Spanish as a courtesy to local believers? Or English because all instructors are fluent and most students understand it? Or Spanish with bilingual students translating for the monolinguals?
We usually face multiple language workshops overseas and have a standard procedure to deal with that. But here, on our former home turf, we chose to instruct in Spanish with multiple, simultaneous English translations whispered where needed. By break time we knew that was a bad idea. Everyone speaking in their second language created a cacophony only half understood by anyone. Not the best learning environment.
So we swallowed our pride with the last of our coffee and switched. All instructors presented in English, then waited for the single translator to repeat in Spanish. The process moved at half the pace but produced double the benefit. A good reminder that hearing a native heart language speaker reaches the deepest.
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Yesudass replied on Permalink
appreciation
Thanks!
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