A Hope Fulfilled: A Brief History of the Mormon Esperanto Society

Edward Dembski was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he decided to translate the Book of Mormon into Esperanto, but he did believe that the book he was translating was the word of God. When he started his work in 1980, there were official translations of the Book of Mormon in three Eastern European languages: Czech, Western Armenian, and Croatian. The Polish and Russian translations were published in 1981, but after those, the next Eastern European translation, Hungarian, would not be completed until 1991.1 The Iron Curtain constrained missionary opportunities in Eastern Europe and, in the 1980s, Esperanto represented a way for Mormon Esperantists to part the Iron Curtain in fellowship. Robert Blair, a linguistics professor at Brigham Young University (BYU), and Paul Kern, the longtime anchor of the Mormon Esperanto Society, or Por Esperanto Mormonaro (PEM), were key players.2 Kern oversaw the publication of Esperanta Mormonaro, an Esperanto-language magazine dedicated to ideas of interest to Mormon Esperantists. After the Iron Curtain fell, it died out. The projects that PEM pursued grew out of a powerful commitment to both the constructed universal language, Esperanto, and a worldwide religious movement. Examining these projects shows how an ideological confluence of Mormonism and Esperantism drove PEM members’ commitment to bring them together in an Esperanto translation of selections of the Book of Mormon.Esperanto was invented by Ludoviko Zamenhof, a Jewish ophthalmologist living in Russian Poland near the end of the nineteenth century. The Unua Libro (First Book, introducing the idea of the language) was published in twelve languages in the 1880s.3 Zamenhof hoped the language would bring people together from different nations in a spirit of brotherhood. Esperanto is genuinely easy to learn, with its regular verb conjugations and root words that come mostly from Germanic, Romance, and Slavic language families.Esperanto has ebbed and flowed in popularity since its invention nearly 150 years ago. It was most popular between 1903 and 1914 and after WWI, although it was never a mass-culture phenomenon.4 Esperantists were among the minorities persecuted by the dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin. Esperanto was forbidden in Portugal in 1936, in Russia in 1937, and in Germany and regions occupied by Germany after 1938.5 These governmental prohibitions of Esperanto greatly weakened the movement.After the First World War, Esperanto communities split down political lines, with Esperantists still active in communist, socialist, and anarchist communities in Russia. In the 1930s, Soviet Esperantists were targets of Stalin's purges,6 but after Stalin's death, the Soviet Union and nearby Eastern European countries began to subsidize the study of Esperanto as an alternative to English.7 These subsidies came in diverse forms, including allowing Esperanto as an elective language in secondary school.8 Small villages could have their own Esperanto clubs with ten to twenty people in them. Because of this, Esperantists in Europe were poorer and more rural than American Esperantists, who typically had a special interest in language.9Towards the end of his tenure as president of the European mission in July 1933, John A. Widtsoe received permission from the First Presidency to publish a few proselytizing pamphlets into Esperanto for distribution to Esperanto reading rooms. Widtsoe wrote that “this international language would bring our doctrine into contact with the intellectual world in a number of countries in which we have no literature at the present time.”10 Widtsoe's interest in Esperanto as a proselyting tool wasn't fulfilled at the time, but it did foreshadow the future of the ways that the church would use Esperanto to advance its missionary activities. After Widsoe's interest in 1933, there were mentions here and there of Esperanto in Utah newspapers, including an article in The Young Women's Journal,11 but there was no dedicated Esperanto community in Utah, or in Mormonism, until the late 1970s when Robert Blair, the founder of BYU's Linguistics Department, started teaching Esperanto in his linguistics classes. The earliest known Esperanto translation of Church materials is of “The Testimony of Joseph Smith.” Alfred Karl Gregorius, from Brazil, translated it in 1974. Wayne B. Illes learned Esperanto in 1976, went to Greece to attend international Esperanto meetings, and led the Young Esperantists of Canada. He translated a few Church brochures into Esperanto, wrote to several Seventies about Esperanto, and sent them his translations. He met Blair in 1978 at an international linguistic conference in Montreal. Illes showed Blair his translations. While visiting Provo as a missionary at the MTC, Illes had the opportunity to speak to Blair's Esperanto class, where he met Paul Kern. Illes also met Eb Davis of the LDS Church's Translation Department and gave him information about Esperanto.12Esperanto is sometimes described as a starter language, or a language that can teach people how to learn a language. In much the same way as elementary school students learn the recorder to make later music learning easier, learning Esperanto can make later language learning easier, at least theoretically.13 Blair used Esperanto as a starter language—it allowed his students to experience learning a complete language in a short period of time, which helped them to learn how languages are learned. For Paul Kern, the main instigator and sometime president of PEM, his Esperanto publishing experience was a “starter” experience that prepared him for his later positions in the Church Translation Department in overseeing Church non-scripture translations of all kinds.Latter-day Saints have long been interested in linguistic innovations that facilitate the teaching of the Brigham Young and his the when as a way to the language to make it for Mormon to In much the same Kern and Blair were interested in Esperanto as a way to make it to teach people the world who did not Kern, who of the for the use of Esperanto in the about Esperanto as a missionary in Blair, the of Robert Blair, was a missionary in the same mission and the about Esperanto at a While his Kern learned an language in the of from Robert Blair, who the mission Paul Kern learned Esperanto from Blair in his linguistics in at The of a Esperanto was 1976, although Kern was not a part of that In the late Kern started his own Esperanto Esperanto in the Esperanto Esperanto, its to was there wasn't much contact between and Eastern countries Poland and for the students the but about their and their his Linguistics students to learn Esperanto for them to be and learn the language and the of three He that the students were to language after of He used Esperanto as a way to teach students how to learn and teach a language in a short period of was language In an the of at the Paul Kern that he at the Esperanto to them how to teach with a language that was to all of learned Esperanto a at University in the late In a of his from after he it as the language for he had popular languages and but also languages and Esperanto materials or translations of from languages by a number of Blair and Kern Esperanto in countries in their international and its of linguistic were part of Blair and Kern to Blair's use of Esperanto was he was by the or of Esperanto as a language that could between diverse He in Esperanto as a proselyting He in at a of In he that the international of Esperantists and their could be an the of information about the to who the Iron Blair that religious were represented at the World Esperanto He also gave a of ways that Esperanto could be used for missionary Mormon Esperantists could translate the for and the the Church to in Esperanto, and with Esperantists the world to to where He had more that the Church could use Esperanto as a language between Church and also use Esperanto as the language of translation of While these ideas never came to PEM most of Blair's ideas for missionary work among Esperanto both as a missionary tool and as a teaching in 1980, he Esperanto its own as a of He with Esperantists all the In 1980, he the The that Esperanto was of the few between the and the and that Esperanto, people could with in where are not While not that he Esperanto be used for missionary he that people in Poland to be as as the for missionary He to use Esperanto as a teaching and between and he students Esperanto in his Linguistics grew out of the Esperanto where Esperanto in the of these a Mormon in Brazil, Kern that he a Mormon Esperanto Kern, a the idea and the 1980, at the at The were Robert Blair, and Kern of these people were still active of PEM a in in Kern that would an of the the of the for the of all and for all When the of Esperanto, to and countries where the Church was not present at the time, an to a to in way the of religious were to their Esperanto and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could from member The member a as as a of the were for the of Blair's for Esperanto as a missionary tool in in of the PEM did was to translating proselyting materials into translated for into Esperanto and the with the in 1980, which PEM could to a from the Linguistics In 1981, materials were the of and the for as as an of in The was translated by from also the Church to Esperanto-language information about the After a in the Church started to a few of of the PEM Esperanto the of and the of for in PEM was not of this, and the materials in the Church most people who were interested in Esperanto materials them PEM, not the Church The had Esperanto its of Paul Kern of PEM that to the Church an Esperanto Book of the materials from the Church PEM was their was a of Mormonism among Esperantists and to Esperanto among the more than the international Church were into the in countries had their own church For in the there were church in from the later international Church and in These from in the to published in by Church from of the Mormonaro these church The magazine from a to a publication of translations of and Church materials with about the Church and Esperanto, and Esperanto It also of who the of the PEM had in the Esperanto Esperanto official Esperanto, and in the Esperanto, for contact information of Mormon Esperantists in the also out in Esperanto for contact information for Mormon Esperantists in and In their PEM the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Esperanto and to to Church with their in the Esperanto, for several Mormon to PEM, and in the and people to the in 1980, and PEM sent them an Esperanto of “The Church by and a of a Joseph in their language, sent the contact information to the Church Department as for Esperantists showed sent them a Book of Mormon in their language where Kern of the Book of Mormon to and countries where missionary work was not active in the of the Department, of and the as to to in of the world which not be of PEM had people to to a in The The that the Book of Mormon had been translated into Esperanto but was publication in PEM out more in Esperanto the Esperanto of in their that the was and that were to to all was a to that the LDS Church allowed to Esperanto was not a language. The Esperanto Book of Mormon translation of the few Book of Mormon translations that is for After translating and Esperanto proselyting the next was to translate the Book of Mormon into The of the Book of Mormon into Esperanto was a member of PEM, Edward He in and had to the Church for Dembski was as a or in literature He for interest in the Esperanto He began his Mormon Esperanto translation projects by translating Paul into Esperanto in PEM sent him of the Book of Mormon in both and as the Polish translation was not Dembski used the and translations of the Book of Mormon in his translation In 1981, Dembski sent PEM his translation and PEM for more and which PEM sent also sent him and In 1981, Kern had at Church and was the of for the time, Wayne Illes in the PEM magazine that the Translation Department would publish the Esperanto translation of the Book of Dembski translated the Book of Mormon the of a He in or from until He died was in his and his was a of his that it was to translations but since it was translated from the Book of it wasn't a translation of a translation have more than a translation from a language. was the with and translations of the Book of a more translation an but at translation by a member of PEM, Edward a more Esperanto study to the translation had been the of from to a of three Esperanto and had Esperanto a of words by the He was not a member of the but he was interested in the translation and had a who had the decided to make his own translation after He to that the translation was with translation of the the word for of the among Paul Kern and He the language to that it with the LDS Church to as a and language died in but completed work the from the Book of Mormon in Esperanto sometime from translation were published in Esperanta Mormonaro, with the in the and later their own of the in and an from to that he received a of the completed in to the sometime after Paul Kern the translation had been by the Translation of the translation that never his about the to to make twenty to of the and about to the and and them in Eastern Europe a for Paul Kern that the Church would the He wrote that the of PEM had been in with the of the Church the Translation and that PEM to the translation to the Church the Translation and and that the Church would them use the of the Church the book and them their official PEM to publish the from the Book of Mormon in In a for Kern could his to publish the Book of we all can more to In his he wrote that had the of the Church to publish the Esperanto brochures about the Testimony of Joseph but to them did Kern that the Church had their permission years In an in Kern that the Church had never to publish the Book of Mormon in Esperanto but that Eb the of translation in the 1980s, it for PEM to publish Davis that Esperanto would never an official Church translation language who Esperanto language that is translated by the He Kern that the Book of is in the and Kern to his could of in Davis that at the Translation had about the Esperanto and that was not to the Esperanto He that their translation and and with for a Book of Mormon Davis was about Book of Mormon the LDS Church has a for to translations of their While the earliest translations of the Book of Mormon their translations an the LDS Church has not to from translating the Book of Mormon into for in an of a translation of the Book of Mormon into was after his long experience in the Translation Department, that since the translation was of the official Church for it have for official While their translation was have to translation that official Church the and the of the Book of an in the Church Translation Department, in an the translation that the of key and of as as for He also that Church translations a of member as as an an translation, the Esperanto Book of Mormon did not member or an the July of Esperanta Mormonaro, the that for our not PEM was to to publishing the Esperanto Mormonaro in an a where selections of the Book of Mormon translation at with a of ten also to their including of the and PEM published a few translations as translation of the of Joseph was published in translation for the Book of also translated the of and of the and into Book of Mormon translation for from language is among the most of translation with translating In the to translation of wrote that language of the is as much a tool as the with the own an a the Book of are or still have to with the Book of language, which is by the of the with that from a and a member of the to Esperanto and its selections from the translations. He that translation was more it had words that their translation did use more words and in the Esperanto translation of the the In both translations have Kern translation, that it the of the Book of which to the Church's for a more translation that of the to the of or language, a translation of a book in their in and translation of the Book of Mormon used a word for which had of In the translation, the and gave the in a to the translation In to time, the word or a of is not at all present in which from present way of and a to a In the of the word we not of the by a or for of a or a of for but we of the of which is with the of the of Jesus the 1980s, LDS Church were still to out a way to a of their translations. In a in translation, with the to that also has a of in about words in in Esperanto, as Kern of the of that Church translation that are to the Esperanto translation of the Book of the to to all which the to it for the to as it or translation but to use the word of that in several how and and is to in and the of the the of a when that come when the of a used than the more work of with interested Esperantists, and publishing Esperanta Mormonaro, and translating the Book of Mormon was by a few people Kern of PEM the more than a of active were and Edward in as and in Germany as the and as and Kern when there was no way at helped to our with the of were who are in the and of it it with and to it all went to the for PEM as and were but For a twenty a in the of the started to and all to These and with and translating into Esperanto, and which was the word that allowed for Esperanto and publishing our magazine in work was and a and with the and the that the of Esperanta that by time, and to was in way a that had with the to mission to the same time, in the of the a work and as of was a and of a an international in a and PEM in of the long the of the to that would come from Church member in came a in that a The that we had been living in for years came to an end to the and with in the It was that came to in Church as Translation in the in constrained as a in to work for the Church in as a the of an were to Church translation and not to The publication of came to an and the time, had dedicated of of and in to PEM in the of the Kern and gave the of the translation to the LDS although the are for to in Kern that he learned and in his experience translation of the of the Book of his ten years of and materials in Esperanto, he was to contact people and learn about their in Eastern Europe years the Iron Curtain fell, and his work in Esperanto was for his as of Translation for the Church in where he translation for all Europe in and, all non-scripture translations Esperanto in and countries led to translation in his work the Esperanta Mormonaro magazine helped him to of the he later to make the Translation translations and in with from Church of was to learn Esperanto it to and missionary work in countries where we not have and to a language community In the of their with Esperantists in of PEM sometimes the that started a of In a and PEM to the were for more information about the PEM for them a of their or These came from and interest in the Church and never of it for people who in countries where missionary work was not After their of in the PEM was with for with Church Kern in that the of were missionary and least In to missionary of PEM helped to of the LDS Church in and among and wrote a to PEM them that a of in the of the had their own of PEM, the Church was PEM the of the Church about the and sent a of to the in The LDS Church to to after the Church in in where the had about and Blair's with had for the between and Kern for a after to learn For part of the in his the of Esperanto in he started with Esperantists there in both and Blair gave Kern his to to of to teach in Blair also to be a of to teach in at a conference that was sent to the He an to to and teach the school He was to teach but Esperanto as after students interest in the While Blair was in Kern of his at including the Esperanto Blair's teaching in was the of BYU's which was in BYU's grew out of did missionary work in where we not have but also their ideas to American Esperantists. In a member of PEM, and founder of the Utah Esperanto was a main of the Esperanto which was in The showed a of the Mormon interest in and which was with Esperantists. were from Esperanto and the Zamenhof a of the Esperanto was and book a Jewish with to Blair, as the of the language an Esperantists, mostly from the and to Esperanto of PEM were to use Esperanto to with people worldwide in where missionary work was not of Mormonism to Esperantists, a few to the their international were to people who were interested in the church in and to an LDS in the of showed a of Mormon and Esperanto in the for the Esperanto in but it was the of a of work in Esperanta of PEM, as in the were to Mormonism to Esperantists and Esperanto to in the of their of PEM a of Mormon and Esperanto in several teaching Esperanto in the Mormon Esperantists could Esperanto learn and missionary The Mormon of PEM was also in the way Esperanto as an missionary tool that could have an Paul Kern the to Esperanto in or by official He the idea by LDS Church that no can for in the He his to could the study and use of Esperanto in their own He them to teach their Esperanto for of Esperanto in the would Esperanto the is the of LDS we about but that we teach the in our own the of teaching Esperanto as a way to the from Joseph to study and learn and with all and with and He also wrote that with Esperantists that are the that Zamenhof for that it would international brotherhood. to not that teach a language. to speak a language which is much more than have have them to speak a language. not teach them The that Church to teach their language also was in of the Esperanta Mormonaro in translation, with The by and translated by Kern, the of learning wrote that for Church learning a language is a by the He to teach their to learn a or a mission a of Esperanto as a tool that helped advance the of In a to PEM he the who Esperanto as a tool to the ideas of as with the of both Esperanto and he could come to more about the and of idea that was the In the of Esperanta Mormonaro to use a than a to and the the that as believe that to advance the in the PEM we about our work with in of Mormon and Esperanto is in the idea that has a for the use of Esperanto to the Wayne Illes that in the same way that he never all of the of his missionary work as a missionary for the we never the of our the to wrote that he learned Esperanto to with his he that there was a more to learn He for a or way to be to attend the in Esperanto in were when he was to a of near his that would the He his with his that our had a work to Esperanto the PEM was by the in both the Mormon and the Esperanto and the to that with Zamenhof wrote an Esperanto which he published in in It a that is into the a of between people down the between them. The how world come the of a people by Paul he that the of the Esperanto are in the that Esperantists are about the of a from the are a part of Esperanto to as of a The for the Esperanto in in was the world PEM sent out a that was the of a between Mormon and the Esperanto was by Kern, who was wrote the words which Kern translated for who wrote the The was at the in Kern the as a to the Esperanto The of “The that the of Esperanto has been In the of the is of or In the of the our is not but as a of a The of international and have not and PEM is no an active Kern to his and to the of PEM, as did of with of Dembski and the translation of selections of the Book of Mormon into Esperanto a people about the church who did not about Kern received experience in a publication that prepared him for his later in the Church Translation PEM is no an active interest in the Esperanto language among Latter-day at that students to out Esperanto materials from the to the present a professor of linguistics at about Esperanto in his constructed languages and in his and to linguistics The Church not to an translation of the Book of Mormon into Esperanto, Eb Davis did that he is to the Esperanto no and no official Book of Mormon translation the of the Mormon Esperanto to be how the Church as a of can of the Church as an Edward in the Book of Mormon was and his for a language that he translated the Book of Mormon into Esperanto in a that was to of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day The that he did and that a of Latter-day Saints the work and translation projects their own at their own that the of can and people to official or

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