Word of God, language of Facebook

Paterno R. Esmaquel II

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Translating the Bible into Taglish is among the ways explored to make it 'interesting for people'

OLD BOOK, NEW MEDIA. Pages of the Codex Sinaiticus, the world’s oldest surviving Christian Bible, are pictured on a laptop in Westminster Cathedral, central London, on July 6, 2009. How will the Bible thrive in the age of the Internet? File photo by Leon Neal/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – “Tapos, nagpakita din si Jesus sa 11 na disciples nya habang kumakain sila. Pinagsabihan ni Jesus ang mga disciples dahil sa katigasan ng puso nila. Hindi kasi nila pinaniwalaan ang sabi ng mga nakakita sa kanya.”

(Later, as the 11 were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.)

Sabi ni Jesus sa kanila, ‘Pumunta kayo sa lahat ng sulok ng mundo at i-proclaim ninyo ang magandang balita sa bawat nilalang.”

(He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”)

This is the Gospel according to Mark – written in Taglish, a colloquial mix of Tagalog and English.

In the words of translation consultant Annie del Corro, it’s in the language “used by the young urbanite, usually educated and very much a user of the Internet.”

Called the “Pinoy version,” this is one of the latest efforts to draw the youth to the Bible, in the face of social media like Facebook that compete for their attention.

For the Philippine Bible Society (PBS), which commissioned this work, keeping the Bible relevant remains one of its biggest challenges, as the Philippines marks National Bible Sunday on January 26.

“We have to find ways of making it interesting for people,” PBS communications manager Hazel Alviz said in an interview with Rappler.

Alviz said the PBS began by translating Mark and Paul’s Letter to the Galatians into Taglish. Translating the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek, it aims to complete the “Pinoy version” in the next few years.

“It has its own market. It’s not for everybody,” said Alviz, a member of the Christian church Assemblies of God.

The PBS – composed of members from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines – however offers a dozen more versions for everyone else.

One of these is tailor-fit for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), especially in countries that ban Christianity. Featuring tourist attractions, these OFW Bibles can be kept in the guise of a tour guide.

Other versions come in mp3 format, complete with sound effects. Some can fit in pockets.

Biggest challenge: gadgets

Still, two problems make the job difficult for the PBS, as well as Christian churches.

First, the habit of reading books, including the Bible, faces a downward trend. Second, eyes have turned to the Internet.

In its National Book Development Board (NBDB) survey in 2012, the Social Weather Stations said book readers declined to 80% of respondents, from 83% in 2007.

In 2003, 2007, and 2012, the Bible consistently topped the list of non-schoolbooks that Filipinos read.

The Bible, however, declined in readership in 2012. Only 58% of non-schoolbook readers opened the Bible that year.

This wasn’t the case in 2003 and 2007. In fact, Bible readers even rose to 67% in 2007, from 28% in 2003.

In an AC Nielsen survey in 2005, the PBS found that 6 out of 10 Filipinos don’t even own a Bible.

Marilyn Tiangha, a teacher at the West Manila Christian School, said gadgets pose the biggest challenge to Bible reading.

Minsan itinuturing ko na parang isang bisyo ‘yung mga gadgets. Bukod sa nalalayo na sila sa pag aaral, at hindi naman talaga sila nagbabasa ng Bible,” Tiangha told Rappler. (Sometimes, I consider gadgets a vice. These distract them from their studies and also from reading the Bible.)

Alviz, who herself owns a Facebook account, echoed Tiangha’s thoughts. Preoccupied with social media like Facebook, people “lose track of what’s really important.”

She said this problem begins in the family. She cited the lack of “family time” to read the Bible together.

‘Manual of life’

“Just have a regular time to meet as a family, to pray as a family, and to read the Bible as a family,” Alviz said.

Churches, she added, need to “master” social media. While it poses a problem, she said social media is also a “friend” that allows churches to share the Bible in “bits and pieces.”

Tiangha, for her part, suggested limiting the use of gadgets at home.

Both Tiangha and Alviz stressed the need to read the Bible, in the face of problems like poverty and disasters.

Tiangha said the Bible “develops” faith, a key to resilience. “Nagkakaroon ka ng kapayapaan,” she said. (You receive inner peace.)

Alviz said the Bible teaches people “how to run” their lives. “When you get a new cellphone, what’s the first thing you do? You read the manual,” she said.

For her, it’s the same thing with the life. “We are created by God,” she said. “He gave us a manual, and that’s the Bible.”

“That’s the manual of life.” – Rappler.com

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Paterno R. Esmaquel II

Paterno R. Esmaquel II, news editor of Rappler, specializes in covering religion and foreign affairs. He finished MA Journalism in Ateneo and MSc Asian Studies (Religions in Plural Societies) at RSIS, Singapore. For story ideas or feedback, email pat.esmaquel@rappler.com