Description
What does it take to get the Bible translated into a new language? What if that language lacks a writing system? Retired UBS Translation Consultant David J. Clark narrates his year of village life in the Niger Delta among the Ekpeye people. Undertaking linguistic research and assisting with decisions on developing a writing system for the Ekpeye language, Clark lived with his family among the people and shared their way of life for one year.
Filled with enlightening cultural experiences, humorous accounts of mischievous local children, touching accounts of Christian faith, and even a brush with the law because of his neighbor’s gardening habits, Babes in the Jungle is both entertaining and informative from beginning to end. Missionaries, pastors, linguists, and anyone interested in global Christianity will be edified by Clark’s memoir.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Voyage
Chapter 2: Prelude in Ghana
Chapter 3: To the Ekpeye
Chapter 4: Settling In
Chapter 5: Village People and Village Churches
Chapter 6: Visiting Other Villages
Chapter 7: Local Europeans
Chapter 8: The Wildlife
Chapter 9: Christmas in Abua
Chapter 10: Plodding Along
Chapter 11: Interlude on the Move
Chapter 12: Alarms and Excursions
Chapter 13: Hotel Orupata
Chapter 14: A Brush with the Law
Chapter 15: Loose Ends
Chapter 16: Leaving Nigeria
Chapter 17: Coda in Greece
Chapter 18: Epilogue
Appendix: Tortoise and the Princess
About the Author
David J. Clark obtained a doctorate in Linguistics at the London School of Oriental and African Studies for a thesis on the grammar of the Ekpeye language spoken in the Niger Delta. He served for twenty years as a Translation Consultant with the United Bible Societies, living in Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and India. He then served for ten years in Europe, primarily in the former Soviet Union. After retiring in 2002, he continued to work in Russia on a voluntary basis with several translation projects sponsored by the Institute for Bible Translation in Moscow.
More from David Clark
Analyzing and Translating New Testament Discourse
Of Islands and Highlands: Memories of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands 1976-1982
