Foreign Language Branches/Wards tech questions?

[jeremybates]

1. Any tech out there that syncs the podium mic volume with the translation equipment volume? I ask because it can be tricky to balance two volumes, while the kids are....ya know, being kids.

2. Also, any discount retailers of wireless headphones for translation equipment? I ask becuase it's difficult early in the morning to have 4 kids, plus grandma, - so 7 headsets, all with wires, passing the sleepign kids around, and thier crayons and notebooks and snacks.

[mihaere]

I am in New Zealand where the two official Languages are Maori and English. For many years English was the preferred Language taught at school with the Maori Language becoming in danger of dying. A Maori Language movement started and has had some success in reviving the Language. The church had the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price translated into Maori and the Book of Mormon Translation is available in print only with the D&C and Pearl of Great Price out of print. I know the books exist because my great Uncles did the translation with Elder Cowley back in the 1930-40s. The style of Maori used in the church translations is the original version of the Maori language whereas today what is taught is modified having been impacted on by western cultural aspects. What I am asking is this. There are not many books of any sort to any length written in the old style of Maori. These would be a valuable resource for members who want to learn their language through the scriptures. Can an electronic copy of the of the Maori Translation of the BOM, D&C and Pearl of Great Price be made available? Secondly can it be possible for all electronic translations to be split so that one language can be on one side of the page with the desired corresponding translation on the other side of the page. This way one can compare and use it as a tool for learning the language

[sbradshaw]

Here's a PDF of the Book of Mormon in Maori:
https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/maori/pdf/language-materials/34406_mri.pdf

As you can see, the PDF is based on a scan, so I'm not sure if there is a true digital version of the text. I imagine that if and/or when the Church prepares the text for a true digital release, they will also do other updates like adding footnotes and study helps. In other words, there's a lot of work that would need to go into the process and Maori isn't a common language in the Church yet, so I wouldn't expect a true digital format (such as having the text on LDS.org or in Gospel Library) anytime soon. It's possible that they will update the style to match more contemporary Maori.

Welsh is in a similar situation, with a reviving language and an older Book of Mormon.

All that said, there has been a reemphasis to get the scriptures online in more languages, with a target date for "most languages" being the end of 2016. See this article:
https://www.lds.org/church/news/scriptures-committee-announces-exciting-developments-in-standard-works-translations?lang=eng

If you haven't seen already, you may also be interested in the Maori hymnbook, which was recently released as a PDF here:
https://pacific.lds.org/maorihymnbook