*This translation was done as part of Pam Munro's annual Christmas story translation.  Working with many different collaborators through the years, she has translated Luke 2: 1, 3-20 into several indigenous American languages.  This one represents her tenth such collaboration.  She and Ignacio, whom she notes "put considerably more effort into his translation than any of the nine wonderful earlier translators I have worked with on this project" deserve all of the credit for the translation presented here.  Below, except where redundant with other parts of the web site, I include (with some modification) most of Pam's additional notes on the translation:

    Three previous translation of the Bible influenced this retelling:  the King James (English) version, the Atepec version (translated by an SIL team headed by Nellis and Nellis), and the Spanish version provided with the Atepec New Testament.  Note that the English translation above is not from the King James version nor from some other standard English translation of the Bible, but is a retranslation back into English from Macuiltianguis Zapotec. 

    The orthography used here is not identical to the one used in other parts of the web site.  As has been noted, the best way to write this language is still being worked out.  This translation has the following assumptions and conventions:  There are three level tones, high (marked with an acute accent), mid (marked with an umlaut), and low (marked with a grave accent), and two contour tones (falling and rising, marked with high-low and low-high respectively).  Stressed short vowels are (assumed to be) lengthened.  Main stress is marked with an underline in words where it does not fall on the first vowel followed by two consonants, the first diphthong, or the first vowel with a contour tone (written with two vowels) of the word.  Monosyllabic words without an underlined vowel are unstressed.  Words borrowed essentially unchanged from Spanish are written with Spanish spelling, with added tones and stress.  As this presents a fairly early attempt at writing MacZ, some recordings may be wrong. 

    1.  In the familiar King James version Caesar Augustus orders people to be taxed, while in the Spanish version, which we follow here, people are ordered to be counted.

    1ff.  Two of the four pronouns are used here, exhibiting differences in their referents' status.  =Yé, the respectful third person pronoun, is used for all adult humans in the passage.  =Bí, the affectionate third person pronoun generally used for children, domestic animals, baby animals, and one's children of any age, is used in this passage to refer to Jesus and to the angels (Ignacio explains, "because they're not adults and we love them").

    10, 12.  This passage also shows both the informal and formal second person forms in use.  In these lines, the angel addresses the shepherds informally (with =lì).

    14.  The angels use the formal "you" (=cwà') to refer to God here.

    19.  Àánng is a title used before the first name of a married or respected woman.  Ignacio feels that since Mary has now had her baby, she should be referred to with this title at this point in the story.