I was just checking out the article for this week's "Generation" study in American Sign Language to see how they spun it for their Deaf victims. Two things stand out to me in this version.
First, although there is a relatively common sign for the concept of "a generation" in ASL, the translators chose not to use it at all in the article. Since ASL signs express meanings (not words), they simply signed what they want the viewer to think the scripture means, not what it actually says in the original texts. [This may seem like a dishonest practice on the surface but it is commonly done and wouldn't be a problem if the interpreted meaning was synonymous with the meaning of the original text; that's what it's supposed to be and is the difference between a translation and a transliteration.]
Second, the ASL version of the Watchtower comes right out and says this is a change in doctrine. It outlines how the previous belief was that it applied to the wicked and how that was changed in "last year's" Watchtower (it was really 2008). It gives the noo lite and then counsels the viewer to accept the change.
I have provided an English transliteration of paragraphs 13 and 14 below. This is not a translation or interpretation. It also doesn't include a lot of the non-manual signals that are crucial to determining meanings in American Sign Language. That said, it should be enough to give the English reader an idea of the spin being given to the Deaf victims of the Borg. It reads kind of like the Greek Interlinear Bible does, IMO.
Here it is brackets [ ] indicate comments on grammatical indicators:
13. Third, God’s Spirit what’s-up? Group anointed spirit-on-them. They Watchtower distribute distribute, we put-in-disc, view-it view-it, oh-I-see, Bible analyze analyze understand, understand, understand. You-know scripture Matt 24:34 story, “that people there/area, dissolve no, first see see see happen happen, dissolve.” They/area who? Past thought people rebel, sin sin. Understand, last-year Watchtower there[gesture to English caption “The Watchtower – On DVD, February 15, 2008, article 5”] explain, they group connected-to Jesus, soon spirit anointed. They see see see happen happen, know soon Jerusalem will destroyed. Same-as now/today group anointed see see see happen happen, know soon Armageddon.
14. Question. “That people there/area” all anointed included? No. Year 1914 there, until hit great tribulation, that-amount[gesture indicating limited space of time]. There[referencing 1914 group’s space] anointed alive see see happen happen go-along[referenced with right hand], other anointed show-up go-along-beside[referenced with left hand], they-die[right hand], keep-going-along-into-future[left hand]. All-of-them included quote “that people there/area.” Inform-you, past Jesus prophecy, now see see happen happen, soon hit great tribulation. Group anointed teach teach distribute, you put-in-disc, take-in-through-eyes, this change important accept, help-you awake look-around connect/relationship-up[with God].
Anyone else notice anything different in other language versions or have any comments about this one?