Insisting on Acrostics: Ekoti Experiment on Psalm 112, Process, and BT Ethics

"Woe to the translator who imagines he can satisfactorily reproduce such an acrostic structure" (Nida 1982, 435). A few expositors have persevered in challenging this tradition within the BT world (e.g., Boerger, 2016; Wilt, 2012). Is well known, though, that BT practitioners simply discount attempts to deal with biblical acrostics by default. This presentation reports our recent experiment with Psalms 112’s “acrostic” with the Ekoti people (Mozambique). Our experiment was informed by three main factors, i.e. (a) a pragmatic re-evaluation of the variety of uses and goals of acrostics in ANE, (b) a functional equivalence approach to translation, and (c) a multimodal workshop as grounds for BT practice. Firstly, there is a significant variety of alphabetic acrostics and acronyms sampled in both Biblical and ANE texts. A broader comprehension of their core pragmatic goals prompted us to consider alternatives for resembling this special genre in the Receptor Language (Ekoti). Secondly, a functional equivalence approach to genre facilitated the acceptability of analogous molds to the biblical alphabetic acrostic. Finally, multi-modality provided a community-based creative environment to explore the language’s possibilities. This case experiment prompted implications for the Ethics of BT, specifically the weight of the “principle of resemblance” for translating classical and culturally idiosyncratic texts like the Hebrew Bible.