June 15, 2020 5 Reasons Why Google Can’t Translate the Bible By Guest Contributor Back to all stories Artificial intelligence translation programs like Google Translate are used all over the world to interpret everyday conversations, website content and more. But what you end up with can often sound closer to one of my second grade attempts at writing poetry than intelligible thoughts. The work of Bible translation is complex, and it requires teams of passionate and talented individuals working through unique scenarios on a daily basis. Don’t just take my word for it, though! Here are five real-life reasons why human translators, not computer programs, are needed for clear, accurate and natural Bible translations. How complex can one word be? What’s the longest English word you can think of? Maybe it’s a scientific term or the name of a specific phobia. Whatever the case, the longest word you can think of probably can’t compete with this one: yanataycaćhayalpachi.wshillacmanlätacchućh-cansi . That’s a single grammatical word in the Wanca Quechua language of Peru. It’s made up of 46 letters containing a root and a series of suffixes. That one word in Wanca Quechua roughly translates to a full (though not grammatically correct) sentence in English: “Furthermore, I’m not sure I’ll even be able to be helping you turn it completely black or not, sir.” Wait, this word doesn’t even exist! Something that fascinates me about different languages is that they don’t always share the same words. It feels like we have a word for every situation and item in English, but that’s not necessarily the case. Bambalang translators in Cameroon talk with Wycliffe Canada’s Dan Grove. For example, mencolek is an Indonesian word that describes the action of tapping someone on the opposite shoulder to get them to look in the wrong direction. Tartle in Scots refers to that moment of hesitation before introducing someone because you can’t remember their name. There are also words in English that don’t exist in other languages. The Chuka speakers of Kenya don’t have a word for “ambassador.” This became problematic when the Chuka Bible translation team was translating the verse: “I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador” (Ephesians 6:20a, NLT). The team consulted community members about the word, and they determined the closest options were words for “spy,” “spokesman,” “messenger” and “representative.” The team decided to translate the verse as follows: “I am in chains now, still representing this message as God’s messenger.” In a culture without ambassadors, the translation team found a way to preserve the meaning of the verse in a way Chuka speakers can understand. This is why we edit. Editing usually includes verifying that the text is grammatically correct, the sentences are structured well and that everything makes sense. It usually doesn’t include wondering if something that makes total sense could actually be communicating something entirely different. For the Mbe translation team in Nigeria, this became an issue when they were reviewing Luke 2:7, where Jesus is described as lying in a manger. The team had used the word ókpáng — a traditional cradle used by the Mbe — for the term “manger.” The problem is that an ókpáng is something every Mbe mother wants her newborn to be placed in, so the meaning was lost. One translator then said, “We feed our animals out of an old worn-out basket that is not usable anymore except to feed the animals. We call it ‘ ɛ́dzábrí .’” The team tested it by reading the story of Jesus’ birth to church groups and individuals in Mbe villages. As the Mbe listened, they were visibly moved. Picturing the newborn baby lying in the animals’ feeding basket, they understood that Jesus was willing to do whatever it took to reach them. Digging beyond the dictionary. Hdi translators in Cameroon learned that for almost every verb, they could consistently find forms ending in i, a and u. But when it came to the word for “love,” they could only find forms ending in i and a: dvi and dva . The word dvu was conspicuously absent. Digging deeper, the translators learned that in Hdi, that kind of love— dvu —couldn’t exist because it meant that you’d love someone no matter what. That’s when the translators realized this is how God loves people. With one simple vowel, everything changed. For centuries, that little word, dvu , was there — unused but available, grammatically correct and quite understandable. Verbs that are more detailed than I’ll ever be. As a writer, sometimes I’ll whip out a thesaurus (not really, I’ll just type into a search engine) when I’ve overused a word. In other languages, people sometimes have even more choices for different words—but with very specific meanings. If I was looking for a different word in the sentence: “I carried the baby and walked around the room,” I could probably exchange the phrase “carry” with “to hold.” But the Tzeltal language in Southern Mexico has 26 very specific verbs for “to carry.” Lat’ means “to carry in a plate or container,” cats’ means “to carry tightly gripped between two objects” and tuch means “to carry in a vertical position.” And that’s just three of the options! It’s important that these verbs are used correctly or the entire meaning of the sentence could change. That makes Bible translation a little tricky, but it adds a great layer of visual detail we can miss in English. Imagine how a Tzeltal speaker would feel about our one English word for “carry”! Bible translators constantly amaze me with their skills and perseverance. Someday, the last word of the last bit of Scripture for the last language will be translated, and everyone will be able to understand the story of God’s love. But until then, thank God for giving translators the unique gifts and passions they need to participate in this important work. Condensed from an article by Emily Lupfer at wycliffe.org Related video: How One Word Can Be Complex Posted in Bible translation Previous Next

November 27, 2018 Alaska celebrates Yupik Bible recording By Samuel Ko Back to all stories Paul Marlow, an Arctic Mission volunteer, prays during the dedication of the translated Yupik New Testament. In 1959, Wycliffe Bible Translators sent two young linguists, David and Mitzi Shinen, to Gambell, Alaska. There they spent a few years learning the Yupik language and then started translating the New Testament. A careful and accurate translation from the original Greek New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation, took translators 59 years to complete. And then, audio recordings this year made those Scriptures even more accessible. Gambell is a small city on the north coast of St. Lawrence Island, just 58 km from Russia. Ninety-five percent of this isolated island’s residents are the indigenous Yupik people. Faith Comes By Hearing representatives traveled to Gambell in February 2018 to record Yupik speakers reading the New Testament. The process took two months — from the end of February through mid-April. Shortly thereafter, the translation became available on MP3, CDs, as an Android app, in the Bible.is app and on the FCBH website. In September, the Yukon’s executive presbyter, Curt Karns, organized dedication services for the completed work, with the theme “All for the Glory of God.” The first service was held Sept. 16 in Gambell. Participants then went to Savoonga, the island’s other city, for a service the next day, and finally to Nome for a service on the 19th. Attendees sung hymns in both English and Yupik, and four people read from the Bible. The translators were recognized, and the Shinens spoke to the gathering via video. The current lead translator spoke about her work, and then everyone prayed to dedicate the New Testaments. At each stop, the service included a chance for local Adventist members to participate. In Gambell, Arctic Mission volunteer Paul Marlow prayed during the Bible dedication. In Savoonga, it was church elder Chester Noongwook, and in Nome, Pastor Leon Ringering led the opening prayer. Noongwook read several verses in Yupik, including Revelation 14:6 — “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.” (NKJV) This article is based on an article by Chris Koonooka from the Gambell Church and originally published by North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) at Gleaner/GleanerNow.com . It is adapted here with permission. Posted in News and updates Previous Next

December 17, 2018 Curious About Christmas By Samuel Ko Back to all stories A young woman named Rashmi lives with her family in a sensitive region of Asia. Of all her girl cousins, Rashmi stayed in school the longest. Still, she wasn’t there very long. The teacher assigned to her village said he had no use for teaching girls. Representative photo Then one day, while Rashmi was staying for a few months with her aunt’s family in a village across the valley, two Bible translators came to visit. They brought booklets, called The Christmas Story , in the mother tongue of the villagers. The entire community was invited to hear the story. “I was surprised,” recalls Rashmi. “The story was not in [the national language], but in our own language! At first, I did not understand why they had travelled so far to tell a story about a baby. I had so many questions. I wished I could read the small book for myself!” Rashmi directed her questions, about the birth of a person named Jesus in The Christmas Story to her aunt’s neighbour, a believer named Aapti. The neighbour explained how God offered salvation to all people through His Son, Jesus Christ. Aapti taught Rashmi to read and together, they studied the book of Mark—the first book ever printed in their language. “I learned more about Jesus,” says Rashmi. “Those were wonderful months and I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. “ When it was time for her to return home, Rashmi did so with a copy of Mark, as well as the Christmas booklet that Aapti gave her. “I pray every day for the Bible translators, literacy teachers and the audio team who are bringing the Word of God to my village and to villages all across my country,” she stresses. “What a precious gift for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear!” Posted in Impact Previous Next

January 7, 2021 Word Search: Not your ordinary garden By Guest Contributor Back to all stories The Rangi translation team in Tanzania was working on translating “Garden of Eden” from Genesis 2. The Swahili word the translators used was bustani. However, that word did not describe anything special or beautiful about a garden; it simply meant “garden.” Photo by Paulius Dragunas on Unsplash The translation consultant working with the team described how beautiful the Garden of Eden must have been, with water, animals, trees, flowers and more. During the discussion, two of the Rangi translators, Paulo and Maingu, understood that for the first time. They realized the best Rangi word for a beautiful garden was ntindika . Paulo described ntindika as a place which, even though people need to tend and cultivate it, never fails to produce a great variety of delicious fruit. “You can always find food there,” Paulo said. The team agreed — they had found the right word for the Garden of Eden. Source: Frontlines, Winter 2021 (Wycliffe U.S.) Posted in Bible translation Previous Next

January 7, 2021 Four generations in missions By Guest Contributor Back to all stories The story of Wycliffe co-founder L.L. Legters and his family legacy Leonard Livingston (L.L.) Legters was one of the most significant leaders in Bible translation, but he didn’t just impact the lives of those he ministered to — his legacy continues through the work of his son, grandson, great-grandson and their families. L.L. and Edna Legters L.L. Legters began his ministry by serving as a missionary to Native American tribes in Oklahoma in the early 1900s. He later partnered with William Cameron Townsend to expand the work of Bible translation into Mexico and form organizations that would one day become the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and Wycliffe Bible Translators. Four Generations Serving in Mexico L.L. Legters helped open the door to Bible translation in Mexico and his family continues missions work in the country today. His son, David Legters, served in the Yucatán Peninsula as one of Wycliffe’s first missionaries. He traversed the jungles on foot to reach remote Mayan villages, working on Bible translation and literacy. David Legters Jr. continued the family tradition his grandfather began in Southeastern Mexico. He served in church leadership on a national level, and also established numerous churches and a seminary. A fourth generation missionary and L.L.’s great-grandson, Mark Legters serves in Merida, Mexico. He and his wife, Altia, work to equip local Christians to impact their own communities with the gospel. They pastor a growing church, plant churches, train local pastors and church members at a Bible institute, and serve the community with business training, mentoring and arts education. Because he was raised in Mexico, Mark doesn’t consider himself a foreigner — and neither do the people he serves. “Mexico is very much our home,” Mark said. “And because my family has been in the country for so long, we’ve made strong connections and have seen the way God is moving as Christianity continues to expand in our ministry areas.” Four Generations Answering the Call When you’re raised in a family of missionaries, there can be an expectation to continue the work. But being a missionary kid and growing up in the field doesn’t automatically mean you’re called to missions. Mark originally pursued a different vocation in the U.S. It wasn’t until after he was in a plane accident while travelling for his corporate job that the Lord made it clear to Mark that he was called to ministry. It was a turning point in his life, and Mark and Altia moved to Mexico in 1998. They’ve been serving as full-time missionaries ever since. Every Legters son has experienced their own path to ministry, but Mark sees God working in generations, not just in individuals. “When [God] chose my great-grandfather, he wasn’t just choosing an individual,” Mark explained, “but the generations coming afterward that would continue in that work.” Four Generations in Changing Times In the early 1900s through 1950s, most missionaries in Mexico were pioneers serving in isolated corners of the country. Since then, the culture has shifted and missions work looks a little different. “I’m not in any physical danger like my family used to be,” Mark explained. “And yet, we still face dangers today; they affect our minds and our souls. “If I could, I would ask my great-grandfather for encouragement and advice on how he would cope with some of these new challenges.” L.L. Legters’ love for Scripture and his desire to see it translated into every language never wavered, and that passion was clearly infectious. “What we do and what we believe, we are to pass on to the next generation,” Mark said. There’s no greater family tradition than continuing the work of missions started four generations ago. Source: wycliffe.org . Written by Emily Lupfer. Posted in People Previous Next

January 20, 2020 Language technology for all: expanding digital opportunities By Wycliffe Canada Back to all stories Six representatives from SIL, Wycliffe’s key partner organization, recently attended the Language Technologies for All Conference (LT4All) at UNESCO Paris from Dec. 4-6, 2019. The SIL team joined participants from major technology platforms including Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, Hanson Robotics, iFLYTEK and Mozilla. Aligned with 2019’s theme as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, LT4All aimed to promote the inclusion of all languages—particularly indigenous languages—online and in the global digital sector. Language technologies play an important role in ensuring a language thrives. These technologies offer major contributions to ongoing communication, literacy, education and translation efforts in communities worldwide. The final day of the conference included an exhibition session where participants could share technological resources and strategies available to provide communities with the means of representing their languages digitally and in print. SIL Language Strategy Consultant, Mark Karan, was among the event speakers, while five other SIL staff members prepared posters highlighting three of SIL’s foundational technologies: SIL Fonts, Keyman, and Bloom. The posters demonstrated technologies that enable communities to address important needs related to displaying, typing and publishing material in their languages: SIL fonts are the most downloaded items from SIL’s website. These fonts allow writing systems—the written form of languages—to be displayed correctly and dynamically both digitally and in print. Many writing systems contain special characters that can only be accurately rendered using fonts specifically designed to meet their needs. Keyman is a keyboard creation tool that allows language keyboards to be created and used on all major platforms and devices. Without customized keyboards to input their language electronically, many languages are excluded from the digital world. Bloom is an easy way to create or translate books in local languages, even with limited computer experience. Without software to produce resources and reading materials in local languages, many languages are struggling to thrive. These resources make important strides toward confronting the discouraging statistics presented during the conference discussion. According to Daniel Pimienta, an independent consultant for France and the Dominican Republic, there are fewer than 600 languages visible online, with 99 per cent of the Internet’s content composed of a scant 40 languages. In her address, Dorothy Gordon, UNESCO Intergovernmental Information for All program chair, was quick to suggest a solution: “We need to give people the skills to create online content in their own language.” Source: sil.org Photo by Marc Durdin Posted in Bible translation Previous Next

October 9, 2019 Wycliffe Global Alliance appoints new director By Samuel Ko Back to all stories The Wycliffe Global Alliance has appointed Dr. Stephen Coertze to serve as its new director, following a time of transition that will begin in April 2020. Coertze, a member of Wycliffe’s staff in South Africa, currently serves as the director for missiology on the Alliance’s leadership team. Dr. Kirk Franklin will continue as the executive director of the Alliance until September 2020, when the official handover to Coertze will take place at the Alliance’s global gathering. The Alliance’s board of directors stated: “The board are delighted that Stephen Coertze will be serving as the next executive director. . . . We trust that the whole of the Alliance will continue in prayer as we enter into this time of transition, especially for Stephen and his wife Lezelle, as they anticipate what is to come, but also for Kirk and his wife Christine who have served the Alliance faithfully since 2008.” Coertze served in the South African Police Services for five years before being called into church ministry. After undertaking theological training at the Teologiese Seminarium van die Afrikaanse Baptiste Kerke, he ministered at Kempton Park Baptiste Kerk for five years before responding to the call to missions. Coertze served with Wycliffe South Africa for 14 years, 10 of which he served as director. Members of the Alliance leadership team pray for newly appointed executive director, Dr. Stephen Coertze. A PhD (Science of Religion and Missiology) at the University of Pretoria, completed in 2007, drew him into the next phase of his calling—developing the Alliance’s missiological thinking and influencing the way the Alliance works today. Over the past 12 years, Coertze has led or presented at more than 40 seminars and consultations that have contributed to the Alliance’s understanding of God’s mission and our collective role in that mission. The Coertzes have two children and live near Johannesburg, South Africa. Posted in News and updates Previous Next

January 8, 2020 Word Search: Becoming One With Jesus By Wycliffe Canada Back to all stories “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (NKJV) “I have heard John 15:5 many times in Swahili and in English,” said Paulo Kijuu, a Bible translator for the Rangi language of Tanzania. When the team worked on that passage with their translation consultant, they talked about what it means to abide in Jesus. The phrase “to abide” wasn’t clear to Rangi speakers. “A branch of a vine cannot live in the vine,” Paulo said. “Instead it is attached or connected to the vine. Also, living in a person is an unclear concept to Rangi speakers—and even to me.” Realizing the team’s struggle, the translation consultant asked questions to guide their search for a better expression. Finally, they found a figure of speech that the Rangi use to describe two very good friends, or a couple who love one another very much. The expression in Rangi, kʉva kɨɨntʉ kɨmwɨ , literally means to be “one thing.” “When we put this expression in our translation,” recalled Paulo, “I pictured my grandfather sitting with his best friend. My eyes were teary because that helped me visualize my relationship with Jesus. When I live in him, I am one thing with him. I saw how Jesus takes care of me. I could feel his love, and I could see a whole new life with him.” The Rangi team’s consultant encouraged them to put the new translation of the passage through a community check. “We asked people what this means,” said Paulo, “to abide in Jesus. Right away, they gave examples of people who are very close friends.” “The Rangi people are so blessed,” he added, “to have God’s Word in their language, to experience his love and the promise of being one thing with him.” Source: wycliffe.org Posted in Engaging with Scripture Previous Next

January 8, 2019 SIL Philippines Contributes Photographs to Prestigious Encyclopedia By Samuel Ko Back to all stories For more than six decades, personnel serving in the Philippines with SIL, Wycliffe’s key partner organization, have researched many of the languages spoken in that country. They’ve also kept their cameras handy, taking thousands of photographs of daily life among the language groups in which they’ve served. Now, several hundred of these images from SIL Philippines’ photo archive collection are gracing the pages of a large, prestigious encyclopedia, recently revised and published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Entitled the Encyclopedia of Philippines Art (EPA), the 12-volume reference is the most authoritative and comprehensive source of information on art and culture in the country. Also available in a digital edition, the encyclopedia focuses on peoples of the Philippines, as well as architecture, visual arts, dance, music, theater, film, broadcast arts and literature. It was for the “peoples” section of the encyclopedia that EPA editors approached SIL in 2016 to help supply visuals of indigenous groups, says Manuel Tamayao, SIL Philippines’ librarian and archivist. “They researched for three days looking at our photo gallery,” he recalls. “Initially they selected 800-plus photos, but they trimmed it down to [select only] colour images. “They were specifically looking for anything related with culture—images of the people groups, structure of houses, musical instruments, and weavings.” The CCP team had plenty to choose from. SIL Philippines boasts a collection of 72,800 shots from the language projects where its personnel have worked since 1953. Now completely digitized, many of the images were originally slides, negatives and photographic prints. While reviewing the collection, CCP selected 313 images for its updated EPA, which was published as a first edition in 1994. Tamayao says the chosen photos are in colour, covering a period from 1980 to 2000. Thirty-one ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines—ranging from the Agta and the Ifugao, to the Palawano and the T’boli—are represented. The encyclopedia’s first volumes on peoples of the Philippines contain essays about their history, economy, political system, social organization and customs, religious beliefs and practices, architecture and community planning, visual arts and crafts, literary arts, performing arts. Source: sil.org Posted in News and updates Previous Next

October 31, 2018 Gospel Comes Alive for Ethiopian Deaf By Samuel Ko Back to all stories “With a worship service led by the Deaf in sign language, more Deaf people will learn God’s Word, receive Jesus Christ, and learn to serve Him with their time and talents,” says Sherri*, a Deaf woman from Bishoftu, Ethiopia. She recently shared this bold statement of faith with Wondwosen, who serves with DOOR International in Ethiopia. Under the tutelage of Wondwosen and his teammate Solomon, Sherri and her husband have grown tremendously as Deaf leaders. “In January, Wondwosen asked us to open our house for a Deaf believers’ fellowship. He also asked if we would be willing to lead the fellowship,” signs Sherri. “It was scary to think of ourselves as leaders, but Wondwosen has encouraged us.” Sherri and her husband used to attend a hearing church. They felt accepted by the congregation, but understanding the pastor’s sermons was a completely different matter. “Learning God’s Word among the hearing congregation has always been a challenge. We hoped that, one day, we would get a way to learn God’s Word in a way that we understand best,” Sherri recalls. The gospel is coming alive for Sherri and other Deaf believers, thanks to Scripture in Ethiopian Sign Language and Deaf-friendly teaching methods. “Since we began [DOOR ministry] in Ethiopia five years ago, I have seen how God’s Word in Ethiopian Sign Language completely transforms Deaf lives,” signs Wondwosen. “There are more Deaf people learning God’s Word than at any other time in history. More Deaf people are giving their lives to Jesus Christ as they understand – for the very first time – why they need a Saviour.” *pseudonym Source: https://doorinternational.org/ethiopian-deaf-encounter-gospel-growth Posted in Engaging with Scripture Previous Next