An initiative to bring the Bible orally among Tamil-speaking churches
by the Tamil team
An Indian pastor noted, “When we invite our Tamil-speaking congregation to pray, everyone prays aloud. When we lead them in singing Tamil hymns, they sing with enthusiasm. But when it comes to reading the Bible, there is often silence.” This silence highlights a challenge: not everyone is able to read Tamil.
The elegant Tamil script, with its intricate calligraphy, reflects the rich heritage of this ancient language. The Bible was first translated into Tamil in 1715 and has undergone several revisions and updates to improve accuracy and readability. However, mastering reading in the Tamil script requires dedication, and not all Tamil speakers have the opportunity to learn reading and writing it. In what ways can we encourage Tamil-speaking Christians to share their faith and speak assuredly about the God they believe in if they face challenges in accessing Scripture on their own?
On the other hand, in Malaysia’s multicultural landscape, Tamil speakers interact with diverse ethnicities, leading to a fascinating phenomenon of code-switching in everyday conversations, switching between Tamil and other languages, not only with other language speakers but also among themselves. This cultural blending has given rise to a distinct variant of colloquial or Malaysian Tamil, which captures the local flavour and influences.
Now, Malaysian Tamil is a vibrant oral language. Wycliffe Malaysia is facilitating a two-year Tamil Bible storying program – the Vaimoliyaga Vethagamam Program – to complement existing discipleship efforts to disciple new believers and reach out to Malaysia’s Tamil speakers by delivering God’s Word in a vernacular, compelling, and clear manner.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Anglican DWM and Wycliffe Malaysia to signify the beginning of a new partnership.
Experiencing faith through an oral, chronological approach
This program uses an oral language that local Tamil speakers can easily understand, making the Bible’s content accessible to all. It presents Scripture chronologically, starting with the creation story and covering the fall of man and woman, God’s redemptive actions, the life of Jesus, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This narrative approach helps people, regardless of their literacy levels, grasp and apply biblical truths. In doing so, it fosters a deeper connection with Scripture and encourages individuals to discover and integrate their faith into everyday life.
How our team crafted a Bible story
In the morning, translators Diana and Ahana prepared to work on a new Bible passage, focusing on the story of the Fall from Genesis 3. Tom, the non-Tamil-speaking team facilitator, had organised audio Bible recordings for them to listen to. They began with the New International Version (NIV), learning the passage by listening, retelling, and reflecting together. After a brief break, they delved deeper, asking to clarify misunderstandings and uncover new insights. They discussed the themes of the passage, considering the author’s intent, while Tom provided background information as needed.
A final review of all stories, ensuring cohesion, coverage, cultural relevance, and chronological order, will be conducted before final recording.
Once they had clarified most details, the translators started creating their storyboard. However, hunger prompted them to take a lunch break before continuing. After finishing the storyboard, Tom listened as they retold the story in English. They realised they had not mentioned clearly that God himself clothed the man and the woman with animal skins, confirming this crucial detail was missing from their visuals.
Diana and Ahana then began translating the story into Tamil orally using the storyboard as a guide. They supported each other, but faced challenges translating difficult concepts into colloquial Tamil, such as ‘desire your husband’ and ‘naked’. They referenced various Bible translations and translation resources to render these concepts simply and meaningfully into Malaysian Tamil.
By the end of the day, the translators felt more confident, and they practiced until they could narrate the story fluently without the storyboard. Finally, they made a draft recording. The next day, Tom reviewed the recording with them, ensuring satisfaction with the first translation draft. The translators then prepared questions for testers who were unfamiliar with the Bible to assess how well the translation draft conveys the meaning.
Progress thus far…
After nine months, the team has produced stories from 17 passages, of which 10 of them have gone through the full Story-Crafting Process (pictured above) and received Preliminary Approval from the Consultant. However, the team finds that the process could be sped up with your help!
SFG is not only applicable to the Tamil community, but to all oral communities of different languages.
The goal of this project extends beyond merely producing recordings of the Bible in Malaysian Tamil; true transformation in lives requires active engagement from the end users. The team welcomes churches who would like to use these crafted stories during small group meetings. God-willing, the team aims to assemble a group of volunteers to:
- collaborate on distribution through sharing the stories in their social media;
- serve as facilitators for Storying Fellowship Groups (SFG), running these groups in their own contexts or demonstrating them in other Tamil-speaking churches; and
- advocate and network on behalf of the team. Additionally, we are seeking interns or volunteers to assist with the actual translation process, as mentioned above.
All initiatives to impact local communities with Scripture require funding, and the Vaimoliyaga Vethagamam Program is no different. The expenses for this project include rental, utilities, office supplies, intern allowances, travel expenses, appreciation gifts for community testers, and communication needs. We ask for you to support us through prayer and giving for this program, and that God’s word will bear fruit and thrive wherever it is shared (Isaiah 55:11).
Christmas outreach by telling the story of the “Woman with Blood Issue”.
Food for thought
One day, during a conversation with a friend from another faith, he shared a story about how a central figure in his belief system obeyed God by paying a price for something dear. He recounted the story with great conviction. Similar conversations arose during our team’s testing, as other testers also shared narratives from their own faiths. These conversations sparked deep reflections to ponder: it is a fact that the teachings, doctrines, and dogmas of Christianity are all rooted in narratives. Are we ready to share these narratives from the Bible about God with equal confidence and enthusiasm with our friends and families?
