en_tm/translate/presentation-spelling/01.md

1.4 KiB

In order for readers to be able to read and understand the translation easily, it is important that you spell words consistently. This can be difficult if there is not a tradition of writing or spelling in your language. Consistent spelling is even more difficult with multiple translators working on the project.

As you work together as a team, you will want to talk together about words that are difficult to spell. If the words have sounds in them that are difficult to represent, then you may need to make a change in the writing system that you are using (see Creating an Alphabet). If the sounds in the words can be represented in different ways, then the team will need to agree on how to spell them.

The names of people and places in the Bible can be difficult to spell because many of them may be unknown in your language. As you encounter names, work with other translators to agree on how to spell them. Then make sure that all translators have an updated spelling list.

Computers can be a great help for checking spelling. If you are working on a gateway language, a word processor may have a dictionary already available. If no dictionary is available, you can use the "find and replace" feature to fix misspelled words.

Correct and consistent spelling is an issue to be aware of as you go, and when you reach the checking steps you will want to carefully affirm that consistency has been achieved.