Three years ago, I was browsing the internet looking for something enlightening to watch with my daughter. Little did I know that night would change my life. Because that night we found the Chosen One.
It was available in our native Portuguese, but like so many things, it had been translated into Brazilian Portuguese, not the European Portuguese we spoke and dreamed of. We decided to try it anyway.
This needs to be translated into your language.
We watched it three nights in a row and loved it even more each time. And every night I heard a voice in the back of my mind telling me: “This needs to be translated into your language. It’s up to you to do it.”
So I followed the opportunity. After being interviewed and vetted, I joined a team of over 200 top translators from around the world. They help with translation and consultation for the group Come and See, which supports the ongoing translation of The Chosen.
And today, more than ever, I know how difficult (and important!) the task of translating God’s stories and words is.
My translation work helped me understand the Bible more deeply.
In fact, my translation work has helped me understand the Bible more deeply. I think this also applies to fellow translators.
As humans, we can easily get distracted by tasks that are not what God wants us to do. For 20 years I have been touring as a secular musician. I always thought music was the way he used me. But now I feel real joy while translating. It is as if we are serving Him more deeply and more truly.
Translation is about preserving the Word, preserving its truth, and serving others by enabling people to meet Jesus in their own language. God has protected my heart for decades when this job had discouraged me and distracted me.
Translation is also about making Jesus intimate, accessible, and immanent.
Translation is also about making Jesus intimate, accessible, and immanent. It’s certainly a joy, but it’s also hard work. There are often no perfect answers to translation problems. All there is is the judgment you make word by word.
So every time a new episode of The Chosen comes out, I read the script and read the Bible at the same time. All of our translators, including myself, balance faithfulness to Biblical truth with the creative vision of creator and director Dallas Jenkins and the writing team to produce an enjoyable and faithful translation of the text.
Imagine Jesus speaking in Portuguese and learn what Jesus would say.
Often, the starting point for translation is to imagine Jesus speaking in Portuguese and learn what Jesus wants to say. From there, the translation is further refined.
Of course, the Bible is not the only text we trust. All members of the team must draw on historical and social context to flesh out the translation. That study deepens our understanding of God’s Word.
For example, imagine you are speaking as Mary Magdalene. If you are trying to speak as Mary Magdalene in European Portuguese, you will need to use different forms of the word “you” to address the people around you. One is more formal, the other more intimate.
So how do we address Christ in European Portuguese? If Mary Magdalene were standing before the Savior, how would she address Him in her native language? Which “you” in that language and in her original context best reflects her relationship with Jesus?
In Romance languages (languages that evolved from Roman Latin), the use of “you” depends on whether you know the person, whether you want to show intimacy or distance, social setting and class, and whether the person is older or younger.
So when it comes to Christ, I naturally choose the more intimate form, “tu.” It’s not about lack of respect, it’s about intimacy. In my language and cultural context, using “tu” also expresses love, trust, and a desire to be close to those who know and love me best.
Through their native language or the language of their hearts through translation, God can speak to them directly and powerfully and intimately.
By bringing the Bible and God’s story closer to others through their native tongues and the language of their hearts through translation, God can speak directly and powerfully and intimately to them in a way that few other methods can.
The first place I felt the impact of translation was in my own home. When my daughter and I watched The Chosen in European Portuguese, we realized how language makes God’s story accessible, immediate, and vivid. But when I saw the Season 5 premiere in theaters, I felt it on a bigger scale.
I watched the reactions of those around me, just like my own family. They were drawn closer to Jesus because this story spoke their language with emotional relevance and was of high production quality.
And this is what I thought. If this happens here, what if it increases around the world? Come and See is working to translate The Chosen into 600 languages. That means thousands of families can experience the same encounter in living rooms and movie theaters around the world.
It was at that moment that the mission became reality for me. Not only my work, but also God’s work unfolding through translation.
When we work on large-scale translation, we work first and foremost to break down the barriers that remain between God’s Word and the people God created and loved.
The Great Commission is a real and living commission for God’s people. It is not a slight fact of our Christian life or Christian history. Each of us is called to share the Word of God with those who have not yet heard it.
The remaining 544 languages have no Bible at all.
There are 544 languages in which no Bible is available, representing 36.8 million people. This means that there are 36.8 million people who do not yet feel close to the Bible.
When we translate projects like The Chosen, we help break down the barriers between the story of Jesus and the hearts and minds of men, women, and children around the world. We strive to bring the love, hope, and joy of Jesus as close to them as possible.
Translations provided in someone else’s language are more than just translating words. It is an act of approaching. To do it well, we need to ask questions, notice nuances, respect culture, and give real consideration to all the layers that shape the way people speak and are understood.
When we do this, we not only bring that person closer, but we bring them closer to Jesus in a way that is intimate, natural, and deeply understandable. Translation brings us closer. We draw closer to each other and to Jesus.
Rita Damásio was born in Normandy, France, lives in Portugal, is a Grace-led single mother, singer-songwriter, and Global Content Localization Project Manager for Come and See. Fascinated by how faith and culture are intertwined, she uses her voice to speak and sing to build bridges between faith, creativity, and hope.
