USA (MNN) — Wycliffe Associates, an international Bible translation organization, equips Indonesian and Southeast Asian Christians with training and equipment to translate the Bible into more than 35 language groups. Mark Stedman, the Vice President of Technology at Wycliffe Associates speaks to the importance of empowering people globally to translate the Bible into their heart language.
“The story of Wycliffe Associates is the story of Church ownership of Bible translation,” Stedman says. “We come from a perspective that says the Church, the global Church, the very people who need Scripture, should be in the driver’s seat of Bible translation for their people.”
This is where Wycliffe’s Bible Translation Acceleration Kits (BTAK) come into play. Each BTAK, a group of software and hardware translation resources, is bundled together to meet the specific needs of the country, location, and people group doing the Bible translation.
“That’s copyright unencumbered source texts to translate from, quite a few translation resources to help them translate accurately and effectively, and then check those translations,” Stedman says. “Then all the hardware and the technical support that they need to engage those tools in the process of Bible translation.”
Wycliffe Associates is also available to support, encourage, and disciple these translators.
In some more remote locations, like many islands in Indonesia, Internet access isn’t readily available. In those cases, the BTAKs include small satellite modems allowing translators to connect the kit to a satellite and reach the internet. As technology advances, Wycliffe is cautiously optimistic about the role that tools like artificial intelligence can play in Bible translation.
“You know, we are fully committed to God’s people doing the work of Bible translation and having that sense of ownership,” Stedman says. “The first thing we think about with AI is not taking away the blessing that comes onto a group of people who are doing the work of Bible translation.”
Translators can use AI tools to draft Old Testament translations using completed and accurate New Testament translations. But that raises a question; how do translators ensure these translations are accurate?
“The short answer is ‘We don’t,’” Stedman said. “We, as the staff of Wycliffe Associates, are not capable of checking a Bible translation done in a language that we don’t speak. So then the question becomes, well, how is it done? And the answer is we train the Bible translators to check their work.
Wycliffe trains these translators to engage with their communities and equips them with tools to check their own work or partner with local church communities to check the work.
Along the way, every volunteer who engages with the Scripture translation grows in understanding and knowledge of the Bible.
Stedman encourages committing to prayer for those engaging with Bible translation around the world.
“Be aware that not all the world has scripture and that if you have benefited from reading your Bible, we want the same thing for people overseas,” Stedman says. “You can commit to spending a part of your daily prayer time asking the Lord to help these translation groups to do their work well, to help them be successful, help them overcome a spirit of discouragement if they get discouraged.”
Visit WycliffeAssociates.org to learn more about how you can pray for these translators, volunteer for the organization, or donate funds to help in the creation of new Scripture translations.
Header photo courtesy of WycliffeAssociates.org.
