From an erratic education to a translation consultant

Called: Bonifacio Paulo

I had my salvation experience when I was in the seminary. In my second year, my interest in Bible translation piqued when a guest missionary from SIL offered a three-year module on “Introduction to Bible Translation”. I saw the importance of my mother language in reading the Bible and today, I serve in the field of Bible translation.

I was born into a non-Christian family in the Nampula Province of Mozambique and I struggled with education. The rural school in my community ended at Grade 2 and for nearly three years, I was out of school. Another school opened nearby offering Grades 3 and 4 and I had to walk 20 to 25 kilometres daily to attend. On some days, I skipped school altogether. After Grade 3, I paused schooling for three years, until the civil war in Mozambique moved us to another community where I enrolled in yet a new school.

After high school, I attended the Church of the Nazarene and went to Eswatini to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Theology at their seminary. When the American missionary, John Isemenger, taught the course on Bible Translation, I tried it out of curiosity, but then I fell in love with it.

I met and married my wife in Eswatini and we returned to Mozambique to pastor a branch of the Church of the Nazarene. Thirteen years after our first encounter, I met John again and he invited me to work with SIL. I worked there from 2007 to 2012, serving as the exegetical advisor for all the projects they managed in Mozambique.

I later relocated with my family to Cape Town to study for a doctorate in Biblical Studies at the University of Stellenbosch. My plan was to return to Nampula and serve in Bible translation. However, while I was in South Africa, SIL stopped operations in Mozambique and I was approached by Wycliffe South Africa, which was responsible for the whole southern Africa region, to serve with them. My wife also furthered her studies and now works with Wycliffe.

What first struck me about translation work was the attention to detail

We returned to Nampula in 2022 with a burden to serve the church back home. I am now the Director of Translations at Wycliffe South Africa and a consultant. My work involves ensuring that translations fit the contexts and languages of their recipients. What first struck me about translation work was the attention to detail. Hitherto, the only Bible I had was in Portuguese, which I barely understood. Now, I work tirelessly so that more people groups in Mozambique and southern Africa get the Bible in their mother tongues. The gospel is for everyone and we must ensure that all people hear it.

Presently, I am the lead translation consultant for the following languages: Marenje (Mozambique), CD cluster of four languages (Mozambique), Himba (Namibia) and Oluhanda (Angola). We continue to work with our local church and encourage young people to participate in missions.

One challenge in southern Africa is that the Church here has not included Bible translation in its vision and mission. It is still considered a Western enterprise. The belief also exists that no translations are needed because all the major languages have the Bible. Can you imagine depending on another people’s language to read God’s Word? That is the reality for thousands of language communities in Africa. The greatest need in Bible translation is local consultants who carry African realities in their blood. Because most African communities are oral, an African consultant will encourage translating the Bible not for the eye, but for the ear.

Pray for:

• The Church in Africa to support Bible translation.
• Translation work to begin in languages still waiting for God’s Word.
• God’s grace and sustenance for all translation workers.