A Word from our translators

Faithfully conveying the Word of God as found in the original text, and presenting it in the culturally rich Malay language.

5 min read

Untuk selama-lamanya, ya TUHAN,

Firman-Mu bertapak di syurga

Mazmur 119:89

Alkitab Versi Borneo

Although the Bible has been translated into thousands of languages, the written Word of God in the original Hebrew and Greek texts remained unchanged.

Fifteen years of grit to bring a product to completion could only come about through grace and an unequal calling; its value would not be fully measured in this lifetime.

It should be noted that the translation of the Bible in the Malay language was not a new endeavour; such undertakings have been completed in years past, even centuries ago. Among them are the Translation of Gospels by Ruyl (1629), the Leijdecker Translation (1733), the Klinkert Old Testament (1879), the Shellabear Bible (1912), and the Bode New Testament (1938).

However, the need for a new translation in our time was a pressing priority for the Christian community and the Church. An accurate translation of the Old and New Testaments to faithfully convey the eternal Word of God in fluent and readable Malay was the need of the hour.

Gaya dan semantik bahasa

Ragam bahasa

Penggunaan ragam bahasa dalam perhubungan rasmi dan tulisan ilmiah yang diakui betul oleh penutur asli yang terdidik dalam bahasa Melayu

Tatabahasa dan bahasa halus

Penggunaan tatabahasa yang lazim dan bahasa halus yang tersendiri dalam bahasa Melayu diutamakan

Kata pinjaman

Penggunaan kata pinjaman bahasa Arab juga digunakan khususnya kata yang membawa sesuatu makna yang lebih jelas dan jitu berbanding dengan makna yang termaktub dalam bahasa Melayu

Bahasa klasik diutamakan

Penggunaan istilah yang dialihhurufkan daripada bahasa Inggeris dielakkan sejauh mungkin untuk mengukuhkan keaslian bahasa Malaysia. Sebaliknya, pilihan perkataan dalam bahasa Melayu Klasik lebih sesuai selaras dengan resam bagi sebuah naskhah yang kuno iaitu Alkitab.

Istilah B. Indonesia

Penggunaan istilah atau perkataan daripada bahasa Indonesia juga diterima sekiranya penggunaannya di rantau ini sudah meluas.

Nama-nama Ilahi

Bahasa asal (kata Ibrani)

Bahasa Inggeris

AVB

Arabic

Kata Ibrani

יָהּ - YAH

יְהוָה - YHVH/YEHOVAH

LORD

(semuanya huruf besar)

TUHAN

(semuanya huruf besar)

الرب

Kata Ibrani: אֲדֹנָי - ADONAY

Kata Yunani: κυριος - KURIOS

Lord

Tuhan

الرب

Kata Ibrani:

אֵל - EL

אֱלֹוהַּ - ELOAH

אֱלֹהִים - ELOHIM

Kata Yunani:

θεος - THEOS

God

Allah

الله

Kata Ibrani: YAH YEHOVAH

LORD GOD

(semuanya huruf besar)

TUHAN ALLAH

(semuanya huruf besar)

الرب الإله

Kata Ibrani: YEHOVAH ELOHIM

LORD God

(LORD huruf besar)

TUHAN Allah

(TUHAN huruf besar)

الرب الإله

Kata Ibrani: YAH YEHOVAH

Lord GOD

(GOD huruf besar)

Tuhan ALLAH

(ALLAH huruf besar)

الرب الإله

Translation process

The Alkitab Versi Borneo (AVB) translation process was a meticulous and collaborative effort.

A balanced team

Skilled translators pursue a quality translation in proper Malay, with supervisors from various ministry experiences, representing a balanced mix of theological background and diversified denominational experience, to drive the translation project.

Rigorous drafting process

Rigorous process to produce translation drafts, decide on choice of words, create new terminologies, and ensure non-biased interpretation of texts. Experienced linguists review the translation at this stage to produce a high-quality first draft.

Theological review

Repeated rounds of review by Bible consultants who are skilled in Greek and Hebrew languages, to ensure accuracy of translation and a high degree of scholarship.

Field testing

The translated texts are tested for acceptance by native speakers in Peninsular Malaysia, from a large representation of Bible users, namely native language practioners, college students and seminary lecturers.

Final review and proof reading

Review by skilled language instructors or champions of the Malay language.