Global Recordings Network, (GRN), founded by Joy Ridderhoff, produces audio recordings of bible stories in over 5,000 languages and hopes to record it in every language on earth. The missionaries distribute audio recording devices such as hand-wind or cassette players to evangelize indigenous communities with limited access to electricity and media. They tend to target those communities because they found that desperate people are especially receptive to evangelical recordings. “They call their target audience “the tailenders” because they feel like they are the last generation to be reached by global evangelism” (The Tailenders).
Global Recordings Network filmed their mission trips in the Solomon Islands, Mexico, India and the United States. Focusing on Patutiva from the Solomon Islands, the missionaries managed to translate the bible stories into 74 languages so far. The Solomon Islands are losing their subsistence way of life and moving towards cash economies. In this film they showed one instance where the Logging Company wanted to cut a large mass of trees down with a bulldozer. The reactions of the Solomon Island people were outraged. They were willing to sacrifice their own life for their land.
About 100 years ago, the missionaries came to the Solomon Islands and gathered the indigenous people to work on plantations. They Solomon Islanders later returned as Christians. That is why most of the people from the Solomon Islands practice Christianity. The missionaries gave away some cassettes but found that it was worth more value to the people if it was purchased.
Global Recordings Network and SIL have the same goal which is to translate the bible into every language in the world, but different approaches towards that goal. SIL takes time staying in an area so they begin to understand the culture and people whereas GRN just goes to a community trying to find bilingual speakers that can help them do the translations. The people who do the translations for SIL are very skilled linguist who have been through intense training. For GRN, using bilingual speakers to do the translations rises up many problems. There are many opportunities for mistakes, selectivity, and resistance in the translations. In the film it showed how the missionaries of GRN added sound effects in weird places that didn’t make sense to the listeners. What do the recordings mean? Is it what the missionaries intended or something else? Which do you agree with is more accurate in translating bible stories, GRN or SIL?
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I think what missionary to do is nothing else but to convert people. Yes, the appearance of missionary indeed have great impact on the indigenious language in the Pacific and some other places. But I do not think they use the correct manner to convert people. Yes God's words are definitely super important for a Christtian. His word is light. But how Jesus made people to believe in God. Jesus touch lazar to heal him. Nobody would dare to touch lazar because it is contagious disease. Jesus acted to show great love from God. In this case, people can be willing to follow him and read God's words. I think what missionary can do is to show great love with small things. Somethime. words are quite limited. Act is more persuasive.
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