BEE,全称是Biblical Education by Extension,不知道最好的翻译是什么,所以暂且不翻译,就叫BEE。

BEE是一个宣教机构,从前在东欧开展工作,为那些无法出国学习、别无机会接触到神学院水平的教育的牧师和教会领袖提供圣经教育。

东欧社会主义国家解体之后,其他资源逐渐多起来,所以他们也在将培训的范围扩展到别的地区。


2015年我回到国内,离开了从前承诺支持我事工的Logos教会——不是Logos不愿意再支持我,而是我选择了离开。一时之间,众叛亲离,茫然不知所措,家里的用度也日渐紧张,颇有捉襟见肘的窘迫感。

这时,耶和华的乌鸦衔来了第一块面包。通过一个翻译平台,Jim找到我,说有一个机构要在香港培训企业家,问我可不可以为他们翻译培训的PPT。

这是我第一次通过Jim拿项目,完全不知深浅,随便开了一个价格。Jim就寄来一个试译的文本,然后是160页的PPT,然后是学生用书。

期间,Jim大概觉得我没有经验,还特别关心地问了一句,你真的觉得这个价格也拿得下来吗?要不针对PPT的排版,你略微把价格提高一点?于是我从善如流,就将价格提高了10美元/千字。


下面就是第一个文档的宣传页。当时是2015年8月25日,Logos的新敬拜中心刚刚启用20天,而我正是在第一次新中心的礼拜之后,决定离开Logos的。

Jim发来了客户的反应(斜体字黑体字是我加的):

Hi Eddy,
Before she ran into this problem on formatting the workbook, she sent me this note earlier yesterday…
There are a couple of other pieces as well that when I get them into final form, will have them translated. You’ll be pleased that while in China last week I had the opportunity to use the workbook with a couple of people in a consulting setting. The translation was perfect and the Chinese folks really got what I was trying to tell them. Tell you translator thanks for me. He did a good job!
Thanks for all of your help. I think this new problem is a font / techy problem, separate from the translation, which we will get through.
But for the translation part, she’s very pleased!


这就是我和Jim第一次合作的经过。后来谈过一个南非的项目,报价之后客户终止了。

过了将近1年,Jim说,另一个大型项目来了,问我要不要接。他没有说客户的名字,但是我从资料上看,就是BEE。还是先有一个试译的过程。2016年6月,Jim来信说:

Hi Eddy,
Do you remember that Chinese Test for the Training Materials for church leaders in China? (I attached our original discussion.)
Well, they really liked your test and approved everything so we can start the project! Are you still available?
The course we will have you start on is Preaching God's Word. It is 12 lessons: 281 pages and 87,577 English words. They will give us the first two lessons to translate and proofread / edit. I would guess about 15,000 words. They want to review those two lessons to make sure everything is going okay and to make any suggestions before continuing with the rest of the book.

这就是与BEE合作的开始。至今为止,已经翻译了“讲道学”、“新约概览”和“旧约概览(1)”三门课。

旧约概览(1)是上周才做完的。Daniel来教会讲道,我休息了两周,所以有时间将这门课做完,顺便将承诺要做的“门徒训练手册”也做完了。

今天,Jim发来客户将各个单元组合在一起的“旧约概览(1)”最终稿,请我最后浏览过目一遍,秋季应该就要使用了。

看了一眼,可以说感慨颇多。这两年翻译这三门课,新约概览400页,旧约概览(1)346页,讲道学300多页,一共加起来略微超过50多万字吧。

客户的评价是这样的:

Hi Eddy,
The client shared with me the following really nice comment. I told her I just play a tiny part tying this together as you and your editor are the real heroes used by God on this project.

Let me take this time to tell you how blessed we are to have you and your organization partnering with us. You are truly an answer to prayer. For many years we struggled with Chinese translations of our courses. We just weren’t able to make any significant progress. God’s timing is often difficult to understand, but obviously you came to us at just the right time.

In a few weeks, we should have the start of the next project covering the Old Testament.
Thank you for working with me on this project. I pray God will use these Chinese Translators to bring many to Him in China…
Thanks,
Jim


插个硬广:
1. 如果你们在国内遇到BEE,大力推荐。我翻译和校对过,神学上也看过,也实际用来培训过,应该是不错的课程。

  1. 如果需要真正准确而昂贵的基督教材料翻译,比如神学培训材料,不是大众出版物,可以找我做。收费绝对不便宜,质量相对(还是要看对上谁)不差。

以此纪念这几年和Jim的合作。