ABSTRACT
My husband and I worked for three years in the Anyi translation project in southeast Côte d’Ivoire. The Methodist church there was very interested in having an Anyi hymnbook. They were, in fact, more interested in having a hymnbook than in having Scripture in their language. We helped to produce this hymnbook. A British pastor serving in the area suggested that the book be laid out horizontally on A5 sheets, bound in the centre. He found that with this layout, he could hold the book open with one hand while directing the singing with the other, because the weight of the pages kept the book open. We asked our translation team for their opinion, and they all agreed that, indeed, this was a splendid plan. The hymnbooks were printed and we eagerly anticipated their delight the day when they would be presented to the church. The day came, and rather than squeals of delight, we heard murmurs of discontent. Finally someone spoke up and explained. “The horizontal A5 sheet”, he said, “is Catholic. We are Methodists”. A small mistake, but one which made all our effort ineffective.
