A new translation of the New Testament in conversational, code-switching Filipino, launched during this week’s Manila International Book Fair, is sparking debate over the boundaries of the sacred and the profane.
For some, the language is akin to noontime-show banter. “Yung bibigyan ko ng tinapay na sinawsaw ko sa sauce, sya yun (It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it),” Christ says in John 13:26 when asked by the apostles about the identity of the one who would betray him.
In Galatians 1:6, Paul admonishes the early unfaithful Christians: “Sobrang nashock ako sa inyo. Ang dali nyo namang tinalikuran ang Diyos. Imagine, sobrang bait nya at pinadala nya si Christ sa atin. Ang Diyos mismo ang pumili sa inyo, tapos ngayon, inentertain nyo ang ibang gospel? (I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel).”
The new “Pinoy Version” is actually an official translation, commissioned by the ecumenical Philippine Bible Society (PBS), which obtained tax perks from the National Book Development Board to be able to sell each copy of the paperback scriptures for just P85.
PBS translation consultant Annie del Corro, a linguist, said the Pinoy New Testament was written in a “heterogeneous” language, which uses two language sources of Filipino — Tagalog and English.
“This is to retain the natural flow of thought, this is how we speak in a natural situation,” she said during the launching on Thursday. “Look at our context, we are exposed to these two languages. This is a natural result of our history. These two languages have been a part of our nation for many years. The language that we are exposed to is the language we acquire.”
The textual base of the Pinoy New Testament is the fifth edition of the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies. The translation is accurate, del Corro declared, and came without doctrinal commentary.
During the launch, del Corro presented a comparison of translations of Matthew 28:19-20, in which Jesus Christ gave the command to make disciples of all nations.
The old Magandang Balita Biblia (Good News Bible) translation states: “Kaya’t humayo kayo, gawin ninyong alagad ko ang mga tao sa lahat ng mga bansa. Bautismuhan ninyo sila sa pangalan ng Ama, at ng Anak, at ng Espiritu Santo. Turuan ninyo silang sumunod sa lahat ng iniutos ko sa inyo. Tandaan ninyo, ako’y laging kasama ninyo hanggang sa katapusan ng panahon.”
English Standard Version: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Pinoy Version: “Kaya sige, lumakad kayo at gawin nyong disciples ko ang mga tao sa mga bansa. I-baptize ninyo sa pangalan ng Ama, Anak, at ang Holy Spirit. Turuan nyo silang sundin ang lahat ng mga inutos ko sa inyo. Tandaan nyo, kasama nyo ako palagi hanggang sa katapusan ng panahon.”
Genesis of the translation
Plans to translate the Bible into informal Filipino started in 2008, when PBS released a Pinoy Version of the Gospel of Mark. Four years later, it released an edition of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which they noted was controversial due to the “novelty style” of language.
Apart from del Corro, five other translators from different Christian denominations contributed to the new translation: Baptist Pastor Alvin Molito, Methodist Jasmin Crismo, evangelical Hazel Joy Crizaldo, and Catholics Ma. Christhine Ibasco and Braindel Cabanog.
In a Facebook message to The Manila Times, Molito, one of the translators, said that contributing to the “Pinoy Version” was a joy.
Molito said that more Filipinos should be able relate to this new translation.
“As a translator, it is my joy to be part of this new Bible translation and the first of its kind,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity for me to practice what I learned in the seminary and to be a part in the ministry of transmitting and distributing the Word of God to people.”
“I am quite passionate about studying the Bible, hence I find my participation in the Pinoy Bible project very rewarding and fulfilling, in spite of all the challenge we have to face,” Molito added.
Catholic imprimatur
Some Catholics were surprised that the Pinoy Version had the imprimatur of Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, the former Divine Word missionary who headed the biblical commission of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). As such, the Pinoy Version has an official “Catholic Edition.”
The new translation also carries the endorsement of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, a PBS vice president.
“Ang language po ay nagbabago (Languages change),” he said. “Kaya dapat nating sabayan yung pagbabago ng language, kasi marami pong mga tao ngayon na hindi sila ‘at home’ sa language ng lumang Tagalog kaya sila mas ‘at home’ sa bagong Tagalog (This is why we have to follow changes in language, because a lot people do not feel at home with the old Tagalog, which is why they are more comfortable with the modern Tagalog parlance),” Pabillo said.
Carlos Antonio Palad, an editor at Baronius Press, the respected traditional Catholic book publisher based in London, said: “In terms of language it is probably the most informal Catholic Bible anywhere; even more informal than the New Living Translation — Catholic edition approved by the Indian Catholic bishops a few years ago.”
“This is the first version of the NT to be published in Taglish or Englog. While reading it, I could not help but hear it being narrated in my head by the voice of Vice Ganda,” Palad said on Facebook.
Dynamic equivalence
Del Corro explained that the translation approach is to have dynamic equivalence or a meaning-based translation, to keep the Greek origins and the context of the Scriptures.
She said the Pinoy version, despite its informal and “shortened” style of writing, did not intend to disregard God as the Divine Author of the Bible, and avoided the use of vulgar terms, gay lingo, and tabloid language.
“Informality is not irreverence,” she said. “The language in the Pinoy New Testament gives a very high regard form of God’s Word. The words have been carefully chosen to communicate the actual meaning, including the emotion that goes with the meaning.”
The group behind the new translation is specifically aiming for young people ages 15 to 30.
Ann Christine Sison, a Catholic educator, said translating the scriptures into colloquial language tended to
“underestimate the ability of the young to grow in deep spirituality through traditional means.”
“With this kind of material, we’re also looking down on the ability of this future generation to speak and understand the international language which most schools are painstakingly teaching, and confuse them more with their knowledge of their native language,” she added.
Palad said: “We’ve become so obsessed with making everything about our faith ‘easy’ and ‘accessible.’ The question is — is it really still the faith being transmitted?”
Upcoming translations
PBS Associate General Secretary Perry Cartera bared plans to release a Pinoy Version of the books of Psalms and Proverbs next year.
“Next year, it will be available, so when we publish the New Testament, may kasama na itong (it will include the) Psalms and Proverbs,” she told The Manila Times.
Cartera said a Pinoy Old Testament translation was still being discussed.
“We will only continue translating if there is demand for the Old Testament. And it could take another three years to translate the rest of the books,” she said.
Apart from the Pinoy Version, the PBS released a May They Be One+ (MTBO+) version of the Magandang Balita Biblia for Catholics, as a challenge for them to read the entire Bible in a year.
The new project originated from a 2008 effort by the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate of the CBCP, in partnership with the PBS, to give every Filipino household a Bible.