General Conference – The Sequel

At the end of November, almost two months after General Conference, we met on Sunday to hear the Marshallese translation of the Saturday sessions of conference. Both Ebeye 1^st Branch and Ebeye 2^nd Branch met together, with the children in the Primary room, partly to make space so that everyone could fit in the packed chapel. (By the way, the branches here are as large as any ward I’ve been in. I’m not sure why they’re branches and the larger unit is not a stake but a district. Something to do with priesthood leadership, I think.)

The DVD offered several Pacific language choices: Marshallese, Ponpeian, Chukese, Kosraean, Palauan, Yapese, and Tagalog. (Interestingly, the countries in which these languages are spoken are the stops along the way for the Continental “Island Hopper” flight path.)

As each speaker came to the podium, the English language track faded to the background while a Marshallese translator delivered the talk. Each speaker had a different translator, with men translating for the male speakers and women translating for the female speakers. Even with my limited Marshallese, I could discern the native speakers from the ribelle returned missionaries, who had excellent Marshallese pronunciation but an unmistakable American twang. In the few seconds while the translator took a breath, I could catch an English word or two from the background track, but it was seldom enough to follow the talks.

No attempt was made to translate the music, so the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang out their gorgeous soaring hymns in English. We joined them during the intermediate hymn, with all of us also singing in English. I suppose the Marshallese saints found it easier to follow the English words on the screen than to find the corresponding hymn in the limited Marshallese hymnbook (if there was one). It was the first hymn I’d sung in English in four months.

Although I could understand little of the Marshallese translation, I could read President Monson’s lips as he opened the session with his hearty, warm greeting, “My beloved brothers and sisters,” meant for everyone around the world.

Just like every Sunday, although I understood little of what’s going on, I enjoyed simply being with the Saints, gathering together to worship our common Father in Heaven.