JW.ORG: 1090 languages and growing!

[Hope]

46 minutes ago, ChrisC said:

My dictionary app defines pidgin as,

 

A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native language. Also called contact language.

 

(Linguistics) a language made up of elements of two or more other languages and used for contacts, esp trading contacts, between the speakers of other languages. Unlike creoles, pidgins do not constitute the mother tongue of any speech community.

————

 

Are we translating into pidgins because we haven’t yet translated into particular mother-tongues, or for other reasons?
(The mother-tongue/language of the heart here defined as ‘the language we would use if we were annoyed with our spouse’, to misquote a G.B. member!)

Many pidgins ARE the mother tongue of people.  In researching Hawai'i Pidgin, it revealed that there are over 600,000 speakers and the US Census has declared it an official language.  Many children must be taught "proper" English upon entering school but use Pidgin at home and in everyday speech.  They don't necessarily speak Hawaiian.

 

The closest group to me is in Las Vegas - there are midweek and public meetings conducted in Hawai'i Pidgin.  Several meetings in Hawaii, as well.  

 

The Pidgins are legitimate languages.  There are West African Pidgin congregations (in London, I know).  I personally know a couple going to Turkey to help out with the West African groups there and another couple in such a group in Nice, France.  Check this video!  

 

 

Our Organization are producing all sorts of materials in these languages.  I imagine it's part of the effort to provide instruction in the language of everyone's heart!  ❤️ 

 

 

[jwhess]

About 25-30 years ago, I received a copy of the Watchtower in Solomon Island Pidgin.  My first reaction was it was very bad English.  The friend who gave it to me said it was "perfect" Solomon Island Pidgin.  He helped me to recognize that this was the way people spoke in his country.  It was not a comparison with my language.

 

I still have that magazine in my library...❤️ (I go lookee see).

[Hope]

1 minute ago, jwhess said:

About 25-30 years ago, I received a copy of the Watchtower in Solomon Island Pidgin.  My first reaction was it was very bad English.  The friend who gave it to me said it was "perfect" Solomon Island Pidgin.  He helped me to recognize that this was the way people spoke in his country.  It was not a comparison with my language.

 

I still have that magazine in my library...❤️ (I go lookee see).

I think I have one of those, too.  I liked it a lot. 

 

Along with my research, I came across a small forum at "The Puritan Board" 🙄  There is a topic called, "Struggling with what I think of the Hawaiian Pidgin Bible (Da Jesus Book)".  Some quotes follow; I took it as a caution not to apply our own opinions whether *any* language is "real", worthy to be translated, spoken by enough people, "bad English" or any rather prejudicial/racist (frankly) thoughts about how our fellow brothers and sisters... and yes, potential sheep in the field, communicate.  It's not our place to have such attitudes and it doesn't matter what we think:

 

Quote

Should we call it a "translation" or is it something less?

Regarding a Gullah/Geechee Bible translation:  

Quote

It struck me as a tremendous waste of resources.  Ever since, I've wondered whether these projects are good stewardship.

Quote

My questions are: Is it reasonable to make a "translation" for a group of people the majority of whom are probably illiterate and can't read it anyway? Would it perhaps not be a better use of resources to try to teach this group English (or even Hawaiian) so that they could understand the Word of God in a real language? Does an effort like this do more harm than good by perpetuating illiteracy in this group and lending legitimacy to their broken English in the name of "multiculturalism"?

Never may we be like that... even in our hearts  

[Dages]

God, you our Fadda.

You stay inside da sky.

We like all da peopo know fo shua how you stay,

An dat you stay good an spesho,

An we like dem give you plenny respeck.

10We like you come King fo everybody now.

We like everybody make jalike you like,

Ova hea inside da world,

Jalike da angel guys up inside da sky make jalike you like.

 

That's so cute. 

 

 

This couple, really talented, they have a nice accent and style.

7 hours ago, Hope said:

 

 

 

[Dustparticle]

7 hours ago, jwhess said:

About 25-30 years ago, I received a copy of the Watchtower in Solomon Island Pidgin.  My first reaction was it was very bad English.  The friend who gave it to me said it was "perfect" Solomon Island Pidgin.  He helped me to recognize that this was the way people spoke in his country.  It was not a comparison with my language.

 

I still have that magazine in my library...❤️ (I go lookee see).

 About 35 years ago I received a WT in the same language. You right, that is how they speak and that is not anything wrong with that language..

 

[Skye]

It is baffling to the world out there that Jehovah’s Witnesses didn’t stop the translation at the different Creoles. They went a step further and included the pidgins too. Some sources say that Creoles are the ‘evolved’ pidgins, with syntax and grammar etc etc, but Jehovah sees the people who speak these ‘insignificant’ (in the eyes of the world) languages, and provides spiritual food for them in the language of their hearts.

 

This article about Witnesses taking (West African) pidgin so seriously will never cease to impress me: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/jehovahs-witnesses-boost-pidgin-language-devt/

[Sepie93]

1004

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ELE-L29 met Tapatalk

[Arumuga Raja]

Our website Languages are increasing daily. 

 

My question is they are build RTO on a daily? 

[Tortuga]

7 minutes ago, Arumuga Raja said:

Our website Languages are increasing daily. 

 

My question is they are build RTO on a daily? 

Good question. I don't know how many RTO there are or how often they build more.

[The Outcast]

3 hours ago, Bro Richard said:

Good question. I don't know how many RTO there are or how often they build more.

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Reach-New-Preaching-Milestone-JWORG-Now-Features-Content-in-1000-Languages/

In this press release you can read:

"Much of the translation is done by well-trained volunteers who work in some 350 remote translation offices around the world."

[Luigi62]

48 minutes ago, The German said:

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Reach-New-Preaching-Milestone-JWORG-Now-Features-Content-in-1000-Languages/

In this press release you can read:

"Much of the translation is done by well-trained volunteers who work in some 350 remote translation offices around the world."

at each RTO they translate more then 2 languages, i think.

[digital_dreamer]

Latest iOS 13 Shortcuts script will build a list and compare jw.org with WOL and Online Video Library (OVL).

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/f895ec21648440a081a1ecc2b780a2d4
 

This list build takes a long time, slightly over a minute on my first generation iPad Pro. Only 30 seconds on a iPhone 11 Pro.

This is still a work in progress. I was going to release this earlier, but the brothers made some major changes on the WOL website this weekend. (They split up some html tags into separate lines, making it easier to read, but caused the script not to be able to find the expected information.)

 

For best viewing experience after build, click the Share icon and save file to iCloud or where ever, (but not in “iCloud/Shortcuts/. Messes viewing up). Then open file. This should allow you to view it with a mono spaced font that doesn’t mess up the formatting.

JW LANGUAGES.html

Edited November 11, 2019 by digital_dreamer

[humble bumble bee]

On 11/7/2019 at 8:48 PM, Sepie93 said:

1004

Fulfulde (Maasina)

[humble bumble bee]

1005

Guarayu - Bolivia.

Content: Videos and Brochures

Some meetings are held in this language

[BenJepthah]

And to think. In the 22 century with mankind having achieved greater than light speed capability. In the movie Forbidden Planet , Robbie the Robot only spoke 147 languages and their associated dialects. 

[humble bumble bee]

1,006 Dzongkha (Tibetan) spoken by over half a million people in Bhutan

 

Removed: Chinese (Min Nan)

Added: Min Nan (Quanzhou)

[digital_dreamer]

A updated JW Languages list, which now includes number of videos for each language in the Online Video Library:

JW LANGUAGES Dec 28 2019 at 1038 PM.pdf

Edited December 29, 2019 by digital_dreamer
Add video info

[Sepie93]

1007

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[humble bumble bee]

13 hours ago, Sepie93 said:

1007

Acadian

Edited January 7, 2020 by humblebumblebee

[Bek]

4 minutes ago, humblebumblebee said:

Acadian

I was actually surprised when I saw Acadian, thinking that the ancient Akkadian language was still alive. It turns out Acadian is a French dialect.

 

 

[Hope]

7 hours ago, Bek said:

I was actually surprised when I saw Acadian, thinking that the ancient Akkadian language was still alive. It turns out Acadian is a French dialect.

 

 

"Acadian" - said in a certain way by certain people is where "Cajun" came from.  And Cajuns are descended from the Acadian immigrants from Canada!  😉 

[Old]

15 minutes ago, Hope said:

"Acadian" - said in a certain way by certain people is where "Cajun" came from.  And Cajuns are descended from the Acadian immigrants from Canada!  😉 

OT, but your post brings back memories.

 

"This the forest primeval...." 

Thus begins the tale of " Evangeline a tale of Acadia".

Our fifth grade had to memorise the prologue, which I started above, and then study the rest of the Longfellow poem for weeks. A tragic story of unrequited love. Far beyond the ability of a fifth grade mind to understand exept for the start and tragic finish.

[Paradise-Lover]

 2 or 3 days ago, JW.ORG showed 1,007 languages. But this morning, I'm surprised to find it adjusted to 1,006. Why? Just curious!

[Dages]

They probably associated again some languages

[jwhess]

On 11/6/2019 at 11:59 PM, jwhess said:

About 25-30 years ago, I received a copy of the Watchtower in Solomon Island Pidgin.  My first reaction was it was very bad English.  The friend who gave it to me said it was "perfect" Solomon Island Pidgin.  He helped me to recognize that this was the way people spoke in his country.  It was not a comparison with my language.

 

I still have that magazine in my library...❤️ (I go lookee see).

I just found this copy yesterday.  Here is a sample (sorry about the water damage)...

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by jwhess