HERMAN P. ASCHMANN


    AMERICAN TRANSLATOR

A LIFE OF LIGHT TO THE TOTONACS


FELIPE RAMOS COMMENTS READ AT HERMANN ASCHMANN

MEMORIAL IN 1992.


I am sorry I cannot be there in person because of the distance that separates us. Nevertheless, I would like to share some words about Mr. Aschmann. He was a spiritual father to me. From the age of 10 he began to speak to me about God. He invited me to sit at his table and share his meals and live with his family. He showed me much love. Through the years he invited me to co-labor with him in the translation of the Totonac New Testament. During this time he would ask me the meaning of every Totonac word. I just thoroughly enjoyed being at his side.

    Whenever we would begin work he would pray for me that I would accept Christ, even though I didn't understand at the time what he meant by that. We would take portions of the Gospels and translate them. Whenever we would finish a particular passage he would have me read it back with a loud voice to see if there was anything we needed to correct. By the time I was 13 I was able to confidently read the scriptures that Mr. Aschmann had translated.

    Often we would hold meetings in his house to pray and read the word of God in Totonac. I remember well when during one of those meetings he asked me to give the talk because I could read Totonac well. And so I obeyed, and talked with such passion that I don't even remember what I talked about. I so appreciate the way in which Mr. Aschmann took on the job of mentoring me.

    And so it was that I heard the call of God on my life to go to bible school and prepare myself for a life of service to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I owe so much to this servant of God that led me in that direction. Years later when I got back from bible school the first translation of the Totonac New Testament had been completed with the help of Mr. Manuel Arenas.

    In the 1970s this great work of translation would revolutionize the entire Totonac people and culture through the medium of the Totonac radio program. Through this initial effort, seventy-five Christian congregations were begun in the states of Puebla and Veracruz. These initial congregations have now multiplied to more than 900 churches among the Totonac people.

    Because of this widespread acceptance of the Gospel, it was necessary to translate the Bible into other dialects of our language. For this reason Mr. Aschmann also translated the New Testament into the Papantla dialect of Veracruz. One interesting incident is that the Catholic church of Papantla distributed so many copies of the Papantla New Testament so fast that we ran out. We also felt the need to help the non-Christian population by distributing the Totonac dictionaries for both the Highland and the Lowland dialects. Eventually, in 1996, we felt the need to re-translate the original Highland New Testament so Mr. Aschmann invited my wife and I to go to Tucson, AZ to complete this work. It has been a while since we last saw him, but we have always kept in contact.

    It was many years before the Coyutla translation was printed. But finally Peter Petry and I had the privilege of participating in a great dedication celebration for the Coyutla New Testament in Coyutla, Veracruz in August of 2007. Again, there is currently a new revival happening in the hearts of people as a result of the radio program in Totonac. Thank God for the life of dedication of Mr. Aschmann. He came to lay down his life out of love for our people the Totonacs. We must also remember Mrs. Elizabeth his wife for her wonderful singing voice for the Totonac hymns that are still heard in the Totonac region. Their lives are an example for us all.


Felipe Ramos