Category Archives: Bible Translation
This just in from our Headquarters
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Thank you for your continued support ending Bible poverty!
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Sometimes Work is Just Tedious
Ken has just returned from his latest trip. It was one of the most exciting and successful workshops that he has served at! We’ll update everyone on our upcoming newsletter.
When a group comes to a location for a translation workshop, they are usually broken up into smaller groups to work with a translation consultant. They are assigned chapters to work on each day. At the end of the day, they need to save their data using a specific naming convention and format that Ken has taught them. The translated Scripture chapter then needs to be combined with the chapters that translators from the other groups have completed. To make sure the data is backed up, the process needs to be done daily. Once an entire Scripture chapter is merged, it is checked to make sure that there are no missing chapter, chapter markers, verses, or verse markers missing. Finally, the data is merged into a New Testament, saved, and labeled properly for a third and fourth level of checking. Whew!!!
That’s a lot of clicks!
One aspect of the software that they use, is that each chunk of verses (usually consisting of 3-4 verses) needs to be “confirmed” as being user and peer checked. It is a two click process. “Click to confirm”, “Confirm”. “Click to confirm”, “Confirm”; “Click to confirm”, “Confirm.” Over and over again. Do you know how many verses there are in the New Testament? 7,957! Confirming each chunk consisting of three to four verses each is …. well, a lot of confirmation to save this important data as one unit: the New Testament!
Ken spent several hours doing this on the twelve-hour plane trip home and since he’s been home, he’s been doing it off and on throughout each day. It’s not something you can do for 8 hours at a time! But it needs to be done. It’s just one behind-the-scenes job that was required in order to get this first draft of the New Testament into the hands of literally millions of people living in a sensitive area of the world.
Your prayers and financial support helped bring this about. Once again, you were a part of the team of 55 individuals that translated the New Testament into a gateway language, a language of wider communication. Once checked, published, and distributed, it will then be used as a source text to translate the New Testament into other minority languages. Much work remains but Step 1 is completed.
Thank you. It is tedious, but it will all be worthwhile.
Why the Bible?
The Bible is still the most read book in the world. It draws people in even when they haven’t read it before. People have lost their lives protecting the Bible. It’s important enough for us that we’ve spent the last 26 years supporting ways to multiply the number of people that could have access to the Bible in their own language. Many of you have supported Bible Translation because of your own love of God.
Check out this announcement from Wycliffe Bible Translators:
You’ve seen the Bible change lives around the world. It brings light and hope. It’s a source of comfort. And best of all, it leads people to Jesus.
This September, we’re launching #WhyBible-a campaign that encourages people from all backgrounds to share how the Bible has impacted them, their communities and their world.
How has the Bible changed you? We’d love to hear! Just send your name and story to why_bible@wycliffe.org, either in writing or as a video testimony.
So get ready! Sign up here! Are you on Twitter? Check out #WhyBible and add items yourself in the next few months!
Sheep Stealers…the T people
Picture this. A rugged mountainous South East Asian country. This country is not open to the religion of Christianity. But through the work of Wycliffe Associates and their colleagues, the Open Bible Stories (OBS) have been translated into the national language.The Open Bible Stories are 51 stories from the Bible that cover that basics from Genesis until Revelation. Beautiful pictures accompany each story and the Good News is clearly communicated. These are a great resource for opening the door to translating a Bible in various languages. Ken has been a part of the workshops that support these translations.
The 2,500 Christians in this region are hungry for God’s words in their own language so the pastors in the T language are excited to use this resource. Although the community is uneducated with approximately 80% unable to read or write, they long to learn more about their Savior. The local pastor also plans on distributing 1,000 OBS to the various villages in the area to reach an unchurched and unengaged group. The pastor says that there is a lot of false teaching as well as sheep stealing in this region. A picture Bible will be perfect for them!
Will you pray right now for the T people?
Prayer:
-Distribution of 1,000 OBS
-Open doors for Bible Translation
-Traveling needs for the distribution
It’s a big deal…to some
Introduction to translationStudio
Step-by-Step
It’s so wonderful to see people using their God-given gifts. Often times it doesn’t even feel like work for them.
Ken’s work includes training nationals on Bible translation software. Since everyone learns in different ways, he always includes a variety of modalities when he teaches. Although each course is different, he often teaches and demonstrates how to use the software and/or has the course participants read the material on their own. This is often accompanied by a related video, practicing the concept alone, or solidifying their newly learned material by demonstrating it to their classroom neighbor.
In his most recent trip, Ken created a support document and sent it to our Indonesian counterparts in advance so they could translate it into bahasa Indonesian for the class. They could now read in their Mother Tongue, the language that not only speaks to the heart but facilitates comprehension in the head, to learn the software. We love it when people can use their own language to learn as well as to read God’s Words! Having documentation in your own language is a big deal for our colleagues.
Thank you for your support so that we can use our gifts for the Kingdom of God!
Promises Promises
“Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name.
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
I love this promise and prophecy from God in his book of Revelations! Did you see the highlighted words? ALL NATIONS! All nations with all of their own languages will one day worship our God together. One way to reach them? Give them the words of God in their own language so they know how to get to heaven! Their worship can begin here on earth!
This is the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators and Wycliffe Associates. I’m so glad we get to be a part of it with you.
Wednesday night we’ll be sharing at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, SC. Hope to see you there!
You can’t get there that way
“But what’s the point? You can’t go anywhere!”
Words said to an American Bible translation consultant when talking to his African colleague.
They were talking about a stationary exercise bicycle!
It does seem kind of silly that we have to ride a stationary bike to get exercise when much of the world walks everywhere.
Just a little third world perspective….
The Little Flower that Could
Most of us remember the story of “The Little Train that Could.” The popular children’s book recounts the story about a little train with a small engine. No one thought that was powerful enough to help the other engines, but he ended up saving the day.
While many of us have been told that we can do or be anything that we put our minds to, most of us know that there are some limitations to our dreams. When I was a young child, I want to be a firefighter. Actually, we didn’t even have that word in our vocabulary. There were fireMEN but you never heard of woman being firefighters. While many woman have broken that glass ceiling, I seriously don’t think I could do the job. I’m not that strong and my aversion to getting burned grew as I got older!
But still, it’s inspiring to see someone go for an audacious goal. Even if they don’t reach it, it inspires me to see people’s courage.
Which brings me to my flower garden.
2014 Flowers
Flanking our walkway that leads into our front door, we’ve planted low bushes and add colorful annuals to it each year. I like flowers that don’t need too much care. I’ll plant and water them, but they have to be pretty hardy to survive the southern sun that beats down on that area for 12-14 hours a summer day.
Each year, several seedlings from a previous years flowers appear. I love leaving them where God planted them and having them join the array of colors that I have chosen for that year. This year Torenia that I planted for Ken’s birthday party last year showed up in quite a few places. Red Celosia that I planted probably 5 years ago came back too. What’s funny, is that they did not show up the previous four years! Where were those seeds hiding?
And then come the New Guinea Impatiens. I remember planting them back about 2004 or so when we returned from Indonesia. Year after year a few show up. The color has changed on them, but there they are.
This year, I had a determined flower on my hands. Not content to share the
Tenacious little flower
flower bed with the other flowers, this seedling sprouted several feet into our gravel driveway. I shook my head in wonder.
Since weeding the gravel driveway has mercifully fallen into my husband’s hands, I had to warn him that this green plant was a flower and that he should leave that one be.
“Let’s see how long it lasts”, I said.
Last week that crazy plant bloomed.
It wasn’t watered, loved or cared for, but somehow it made it through and now shows its glory.
I love that flower. Every time I walk into the house, I break into a smile and shake my head.
#refusetobeunseen
All around the world today, there are communities struggling. Some are racing for new lands, some are trying to hold out in their own country to see if the horror that is war will finally pass them by. Some wait for children who were kidnapped months ago and still there is no word on them. Some plan their day so that they only drive on the roads during the safe hours.
These communities are waiting. They are waiting and many are blooming while they wait. In spite of the tragedies in their lives, they continue to strive to serve God and do His work day after day.
Thank you for allowing us to stand with them in a very small way and help them with their task of translating God’s Words into the language that God created for them.
The Haugh Herald 