Is Consultant Cluster Checking Effective? Lessons from East Africa

Abstract

Cluster checking is the most frequently used form of consultant checking in one area of East Africa. This kind of checking is primarily exegetical checking. In this paper, the negative and positive aspects of cluster checking will be discussed, with a special focus on the checking of three translations of Exodus in October 2022. In preparation for this cluster-checking session, many notes were prepared for each team. The impact of these notes on the translations will be examined. Despite the fact that cluster checking may not be the best form of consultant checking, the interaction between the teams in such a checking session often leads to improvements in the translations that probably would not have happened in a comprehension-style checking session with one team.