India (MNN) — The current pace
of Bible translation in India will put the Bible into all Indian languages in
90 years.
In response, the Wycliffe
Associates' team is helping to build a new translation training center near
the Himalayas that will speed up the translation and cut that down to a little
more than 18 years.
The sense of urgency is growing
for more training for more effective leaders. Amongst a majority Hindu
population in India, there are those who are straining to be free of the caste
system and spiritual bondage.
Those are the Dalits, the
untouchables. President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates Bruce
Smith says, "They are 'allowed' to
perform only the most menial of tasks for the worst possible pay. God's Word in
their language will give Christians of all castes the reassurance of God's
grace in an unforgiving system."
However, the ostracization is not
limited to the lower castes, alone. Smith continues, "Any Hindu who converts…is
considered 'outcaste' and thereby excommunicated. They effectively lose their
place in society and are often banished by their community and rejected by
their family. "
Wycliffe Associates is working
with the New Theological College, which has made space for a training center
that will equip and enable translators and translation work. The center will speed work
forward at five times the present rate by training Indians who know the
languages they are working in. With an estimated 10 translation starts each
year, it will cut the time from 90 to just l8 years. Click here if you can help.
