Multiplication Strategy: Training Few, Reaching Many

We all struggle with new technology. As soon as we get comfortable with a new gadget, the newer version is already knocking at our door. Bible translators face this frustration all the time. They are familiar with one program and don’t want to switch to another one. Imagine you were responsible for creating a dictionary in a language. You are skilled at typing on a typewriter and love hearing the clickety-click as the keys whack against the platen. You feel a sense of accomplishment as the completed pages stack up. This is your dictionary and you are making great progress. Why learn to use new tools? Your system works just fine.

This reaction always reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the wineskins. Granted, Jesus wasn’t referring to software, but the parallels are striking: “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say” (Luke 5:37−39 nlt, emphasis mine). Jesus was comparing the old wineskins to the Pharisees’ traditions. When Jesus’ new teaching came to them, it disrupted their whole way of doing things and required new behaviors.

SIL International has been serving the world’s languages for many years and has a highly developed system of ensuring quality in all produced materials. But while we were busy working, a technological revolution crept up on us from behind.

The disconnect between new technology and language teams struck me when I went to West Africa to serve as a language technology trainer. My wife and I had just spent our furlough preparing a New Testament for publication, using a software package called Paratext. When we returned to the field to begin training others, we discovered that most translators were still using an outdated version of the program, missing out on many important, time-saving features. It didn’t take long to train teams on the new version, but the incident pointed out a serious gap in our method of getting new technology to the field. We needed new wineskins—new ways of implementing the software. Thanks to the vision and encouragement of my supervisor, Barbara Trudell, the Africa Area language technology department was created. Its goal is to guarantee language teams access to and training for new language software.

This turned out to be a major breakthrough for technology training in Africa. Suddenly we had a system for establishing technology consultants in almost every country where SIL serves. We identified candidates for training in each country and sent them to a consultant-training workshop. They learned about new software and how to use it in language projects, then returned to their country to train others. It was a true 2 Timothy 2:2 solution: “Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (NLT).

Today, five language technology coordinators have been appointed to cover the globe. Their job is to assure a smooth path from the development of new tools to their widespread use on the field.

Upgrading from something familiar to something new can be a frightening, even dangerous, task—where one might lose irreplaceable data. It is vital that language teams everywhere have access to a language technology consultant with the knowledge and experience to help them adopt and use new tools efficiently.