Friday Field Notes

Hilina Tadesse is one of twenty exceptional students in the Bible Translation program set to graduate from Mekane Yesus Seminary in June 2024. She has a deep passion for ministry and Bible translation. During an internship with the Dhirayita Bible Translation Project, Hilina immersed herself in practical fieldwork. She witnessed the meticulous process of drafting Scripture, engaged in team checks, consulted revisions, and celebrated Bible Week with the language community – all in the southwest heartlands of Ethiopia.

This experience was a catalyst for Hilina. It ignited her curiosity about translating key biblical terms, specifically how the name of God is rendered into Dhirayita. Her commitment to research this challenge became the foundation of her final paper, “The Rendering of צְבָאוֹת יהוה (YHWH Seba’ot) in the Dhirayita Old Testament.”

However, Hilina faced a substantial obstacle: a scarcity of relevant academic literature. This is where the impact of your support shines. Lutheran Bible Translators provided Hilina with a variety of resources including a license to access the Translator’s Workplace (TW) – a resource collection that includes Bibles, Greek and Hebrew texts, dictionaries, commentaries, translation handbooks, articles and other reference materials. Utilizing TW, Hilina has advanced not only her research but also helped supported her peers in their academic endeavors.

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