How can Bible translators get the consultant help they need?

Dear Friends,

As I (Doug) was walking in Ruiru Kenya last week, I slipped on a ripe avocado there on the sidewalk, leaving a trail of bright green sauce. As I looked around, I noticed plenty of other avocados, and looking upwards I saw the tree they had fallen from. Wow! An avocado tree right there on the Bible Translation and Literacy Center! Around me, I observed an abundance of these trees, all leaving plenty of fruit on the ground. As far as I could tell, that is where they stayed and rotted—nobody was collecting them. I briefly thought about taking some back to Michigan where they’re worth $2 a piece. But in this place, they were unremarkable. That is often how it is with God’s Word. We’ve got an abundance of exposure to the Bible, in any translation style we like, and in any media format we prefer. But often the Word sits unnoticed and abandoned. Elsewhere, we hear reports of people receiving God’s Word in their language for the first time and being transformed through its power. May we, like they, allow ourselves to be nourished by the Word of God daily!

hh_avocados.jpg

As we think about minority languages, the United Nations has established 2019 as the Year of Indigenous Languages. We pray that the global focus on languages this year will help tear down obstacles that make it difficult for Bible translation to take place.

When we invest time and energy in someone to help them grow, we get a certain satisfaction when they succeed. You’ll find this true whether you are a parent, a teacher, or an employer. When the one you are guiding reaches their goal, we enjoy celebrating their achievement! I experienced this joy again last week in Kenya during the closing ceremony of our Language Technology training workshop. We handed out certificates to those qualified as consultants and rewarded others who made further steps toward that goal. All participants are growing in their ability to provide training and support for Bible translation projects all over Africa, and we are thankful for a good way to measure and celebrate their successes.

Language Technology Consultant Training

It wasn’t always this way. When we started doing this training in 2008, we didn’t have a good way to measure progress. We just hoped that the training would bear fruit. In subsequent years, we’ve developed a competency-based approach to training, and can now track each participant’s progress toward becoming a consultant. Earlier this month, I was asked to present our system at SIL’s Global Language Program Services meetings in Dallas. The group was unanimous in their decision to use our system for developing consultants in all specialties: translation, linguistics, literacy, etc. This was a great affirmation that our language technology department is on the right track! But it is also a great boost for Bible translators globally and will help them to more readily get access to consultant help when they need it. When it comes to Language Technology Consultants, in ten years we’ve gone from zero to 75 people who are actively working on improving these skills to advance Bible translation. And so, the workshops continue—each one another opportunity to grow consultants. We covet your continued prayers and support!

hh_distribution1.jpg

hh_distribution2.jpg

hh_distribution3.jpg

hh_distribution4.jpg

A lot of my travels have been solo again, but P.J. and I are pleased to be able to travel together to a series of training events in the Netherlands for the next three weeks. We’ll be teaching a workshop on Bible Modules that allows Scripture passages to be extracted from a Bible translation to facilitate the creation of discipleship materials in multiple languages. Then in May we're heading to SE Asia to lead a Paratext workshop.

Partners in the Gospel, (Phil. 1:5)