Eduardo Balderas
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Balderas was the leading translator of Latter-day Saint scripture
and other materials into Spanish. He served as the chief Spanish translator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for almost 50 years. Along with Rey Pratt
, Balderas was also most responsible for translating the hymns
of the LDS Church into Spanish.
to José Apolinar Balderas Carranco and María Centeno Guerrero. His family moved to Torreón
México
when he was a young child. They later moved to El Paso, Texas
. It was in El Paso in 1918 that the family joined the LDS Church.
Balderas served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Arizona and California from 1929-1931. He then worked in a lumber yard in Ciudad Juárez
and also evenings doing translation work for the LDS Mission office in El Paso, the headquarters of the Spanish-American mission. As part of this later work, in 1934 Balderas began assisting Antoine R. Ivins
in translating the Doctrine and Covenants
into Spanish.
in Salt Lake City. She had been born in Payson, Utah
but raised in Salt Lake City. She had been serving as a missionary in Los Angeles before being transferred to El Paso and had sought out occasion to meet Balderas since she had heard him praised as a great teacher and speaker by members in Los Angeles. Rhea first met Eduardo when he was at work in a lumber yard, dirty from his tough manual labor, and wondered if this man covered with sweat was the great missionary she had heard of, but later on hearing him speak in Church meetings she fully knew it was true.
After Ross returned to Salt Lake at the end of her mission, she and Balderas continued to correspond. They were eventually married in the Mesa Arizona Temple
on 10 October 1935. After that, the Balderases settled in El Paso. He continued working in the lumber yard and as a part-time translator for the Mexican American Mission.
Eduardo and Rhea were the parents of two girls and three boys.
, a project not completed until 1948. Balderas remained a full-time translator until 1977 when he officially retired, but then immediately became a volunteer translator. As such he worked on the 1980 Spanish edition of the triple combination.
Balderas worked under the direction of Stephen L. Richards and Gordon B. Hinckley
, with them giving him guidance and direction on what to translate, but the review of his translation work was done by Ivins.
Endowment ceremony
into a language other than English, specifically Spanish, in cooperation with Antoine R. Ivins. In 1961 Balderas helped Marion G. Romney
improve his abilities in Spanish so he could more effectively function as the area supervisor for the church in Mexico. Balderas was still working as a translator for the church in 1974, also giving lessons on how to use the church's Liahona
magazine in a church lesson.
In addition to this Balderas translated A Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrand Richards
, The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball
, several books by James E. Talmage
, Essentials in Church History by Joseph Fielding Smith
and several other works by apostles into Spanish.
. He wrote an article on translating the scriptures into Spanish that was published in the Ensign in September 1972. The previous month, Balderas had served as Church President Harold B. Lee
's interpreter at the Mexico Area
Conference of the church. Balderas also wrote "A Brief History of the Mexican Mission, 1874-1936" which was published in the Spanish Liahona in August 1956.
Among his other church assignments were service as a stake patriarch and as a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple
. While a stake patriarch he also had special authorization to give patriarchal blessings to Spanish-speaking members no matter where they lived. He served as an officiator in the Mesa Arizona Temple as well, helping there during excursions of Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints. It was while in Arizona to assist with the Spanish-language temple sessions that Balderas gave most of his Spanish-language patriarchal blessings.
Standard Works
The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon.* The Holy Bible * The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ...
and other materials into Spanish. He served as the chief Spanish translator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for almost 50 years. Along with Rey Pratt
Rey Pratt
Rey Lucero Pratt served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 23 years as president of its Mexican Mission and for six years as a general authority. Pratt helped establish the church in Mexico and among Spanish-speaking populations in the United States and Argentina...
, Balderas was also most responsible for translating the hymns
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymns
This article is about LDS church hymns in general, for the book, see Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint hymns come from many sources, and there have been numerous hymn books printed by the Church since its organization in 1830...
of the LDS Church into Spanish.
Birth and youth
Balderas was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to José Apolinar Balderas Carranco and María Centeno Guerrero. His family moved to Torreón
Torreón
Torreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,...
México
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
when he was a young child. They later moved to El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. It was in El Paso in 1918 that the family joined the LDS Church.
Balderas served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Arizona and California from 1929-1931. He then worked in a lumber yard in Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
and also evenings doing translation work for the LDS Mission office in El Paso, the headquarters of the Spanish-American mission. As part of this later work, in 1934 Balderas began assisting Antoine R. Ivins
Antoine R. Ivins
Antoine Ridgeway Ivins was a member of the First Council of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1931 until his death.- Youth and family :...
in translating the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
into Spanish.
Courtship and marriage
At about this time Balderas met a missionary named Rhea Ross. Rhea was the daughter of Milton H. Ross, a teacher of penmanship at LDS High SchoolLDS High School
LDS High School was a secondary school located in Salt Lake City, Utah operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The school was closely associated with Latter-day Saints' University, the last vestiges of which are now LDS Business College...
in Salt Lake City. She had been born in Payson, Utah
Payson, Utah
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...
but raised in Salt Lake City. She had been serving as a missionary in Los Angeles before being transferred to El Paso and had sought out occasion to meet Balderas since she had heard him praised as a great teacher and speaker by members in Los Angeles. Rhea first met Eduardo when he was at work in a lumber yard, dirty from his tough manual labor, and wondered if this man covered with sweat was the great missionary she had heard of, but later on hearing him speak in Church meetings she fully knew it was true.
After Ross returned to Salt Lake at the end of her mission, she and Balderas continued to correspond. They were eventually married in the Mesa Arizona Temple
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
on 10 October 1935. After that, the Balderases settled in El Paso. He continued working in the lumber yard and as a part-time translator for the Mexican American Mission.
Eduardo and Rhea were the parents of two girls and three boys.
Full-time translation service
In 1939 Balderas took a job as a fulltime translator for the Church and moved to Salt Lake City. Here he continued to work on the Spanish translation of the Doctrine and CovenantsDoctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, a project not completed until 1948. Balderas remained a full-time translator until 1977 when he officially retired, but then immediately became a volunteer translator. As such he worked on the 1980 Spanish edition of the triple combination.
Balderas worked under the direction of Stephen L. Richards and Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
, with them giving him guidance and direction on what to translate, but the review of his translation work was done by Ivins.
Translation projects
By the same time Balderas had completed the translation of the Pearl of Great Price into Spanish on his own; this was completed under church assignment, but he was the only person on the project. In 1939, Balderas became the first person employed full-time by the LDS Church as a translator. He also worked on the first translation of the templeTemple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
Endowment ceremony
Endowment (Latter Day Saints)
In the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, an endowment refers to a gift of "power from on high", typically associated with Latter Day Saint temples. The purpose and meaning of the endowment varied during the life of movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
into a language other than English, specifically Spanish, in cooperation with Antoine R. Ivins. In 1961 Balderas helped Marion G. Romney
Marion G. Romney
Marion George Romney was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...
improve his abilities in Spanish so he could more effectively function as the area supervisor for the church in Mexico. Balderas was still working as a translator for the church in 1974, also giving lessons on how to use the church's Liahona
Liahona (magazine)
Liahona is the official international magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is named after the word Liahona from the Book of Mormon. The Liahona is published in 51 different languages from one to twelve times per year depending on the language...
magazine in a church lesson.
In addition to this Balderas translated A Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrand Richards
LeGrand Richards
LeGrand Richards was a prominent missionary and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, and was then called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by Church President David O. McKay...
, The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
, several books by James E. Talmage
James E. Talmage
James Edward Talmage born in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1911 until his death in 1933....
, Essentials in Church History by Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church...
and several other works by apostles into Spanish.
Other services to the LDS Church
Besides his work as a translator, Balderas also wrote articles in English for church publications about the translation process and also about the success of the Spanish-language sessions at the Mesa Arizona TempleMesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
. He wrote an article on translating the scriptures into Spanish that was published in the Ensign in September 1972. The previous month, Balderas had served as Church President Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee
Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :...
's interpreter at the Mexico Area
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
Conference of the church. Balderas also wrote "A Brief History of the Mexican Mission, 1874-1936" which was published in the Spanish Liahona in August 1956.
Among his other church assignments were service as a stake patriarch and as a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. While a stake patriarch he also had special authorization to give patriarchal blessings to Spanish-speaking members no matter where they lived. He served as an officiator in the Mesa Arizona Temple as well, helping there during excursions of Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints. It was while in Arizona to assist with the Spanish-language temple sessions that Balderas gave most of his Spanish-language patriarchal blessings.