A good translation or translator really does matter. Professional translator Nataly Kelly tells the following story about what journalists have called the "$70 million word."

 

In 1980, 18-year-old Willie Ramirez was admitted to a Florida hospital in a comatose state. His friends and family tried to describe his condition to the paramedics and doctors who treated him, but Willie's family only spoke Spanish. They told the hospital staff that Willie was intoxicado. The word is what translators call a "false friend"-it doesn't mean what you'd assume it means. In Spanish, intoxicado refers to a state of poisoning, usually from ingesting something toxic to the system. Ramirez's family was trying to say that Willie was suffering from food poisoning-literally, "he is poisoned."

 

But when the doctors grabbed a hospital staff person to translate for the Ramirez family, the staff worker said that Willie was "intoxicated." The doctors treated him as if we were suffering from an intentional drug overdose. Willie was misdiagnosed and, because of the wrong course of treatment, became a quadriplegic. The hospital finally settled in court with the Ramirez family for $71 million.

 

There's a spiritual application here if we will choose to look for it.  Often what we MEAN to say, and what we ACTUALLY say can be dramatically different....and sometimes it can hurt people spiritually without us even being aware that it happened.

 

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."  Psalm 19:14

 

We need God's guidance in everything that we do...and especially with our words. 

"Lord, help me today as I converse with others.  May the words that my mouth speaks be acceptable to You.  In Jesus name, amen!

 

 

Have a great day and God bless!

 

 

 

Pastor Mike / The Open Word