Finding the appropriate metaphor
Every language uses metaphors, but they may only have meaning in one culture. Translating them literally may be meaningless.
Categories
Some things change, some stay the same
The impact of technology on translation work Translating Scripture is a complex process and despite technological advances, will remain complex. Translating the nuances and subtlety of language; ...
Some things don’t change: we still need people like Keith and Carol Barber
While new members represent the future, retiring members give us the history on which to build our future. Keith Barber recently retired from Wycliffe after serving for 26 years alongside his wife Carol.
How beautiful are the feet...
Translated Scriptures are of no use if they are unused: written but unread, recorded but unheard, filmed but unseen. For Wycliffe, making the translated Scriptures accessible to the people they are translated for goes hand in hand with translation work.
When waiting is the thing
God has been teaching us that our work is less about the programs and achievements that we accomplish, and more about waiting on him to work. We can’t make literacy happen and we can’t force people to do anything, but God is definitely at work in the hearts of the Kungka people. And it’s often in the people we didn’t expect.
Early starts for more time with God
My quiet times these past years have been extremely important in rediscovering intimacy with God, far better than anything experienced in the last 20 years. This has also positively impacted my relationships with my wife and boys, along with my relationships with children and staff at school.
Discovering new passions
I once thought linguistics was not my thing. I failed badly in Indonesian when I was in school and the sciences excited me more. But God changed my mind. Through a couple of service opportunities I was called on to interpret and translate programs into Indonesian.
Persevering in prayer
I have a particular calling to lead and teach women, and before coming to West Asia, God had always provided someone to be my ‘right-hand woman’ - someone who was mature in the faith with whom I could work. However, here in West Asia I have not had it so easy. Over the past three and a half years I have been running a women’s group that has fluctuated considerably in size.
Waiting on God for a breakthrough...
I am currently praying into three matters and waiting on God for breakthroughs. Firstly, after wanting to record more Scripture for a long time, I was finally able to get 1&2 Thessalonians recorded in May 2017. Secondly, I’ve been involved in negotiations on and off with the publisher of the Alyawarr to English Dictionary for ten months now, and still no contract has been signed, nor has layout work begun (as of late May 2017).
Transforming the J people
On a hot summer morning in June 2016, a group of J girls welcomed an entourage of guests to their village to the sound of beating drums and dancing. It was a day for the Christians of that village to celebrate the dedication of the New Testament now available in their mother tongue. The J language was surveyed to identify the need for Bible translation and language development almost 20 years ago, in 1996.
Thanks for your patience...