Wolrd Religion

$25,000 to install printers in closed countries.  This is one way the Bible is still finding its way into the homes of the persecuted.

Thank you

Donn Hallman

https://wycliffeassociates.org/press-releases/print-on-demand-equipment-is-missing-link-for-bible-translation-teams-facing-intense-persecution/

Print On Demand Equipment is “Missing Link” for Bible Translation Teams Facing Intense Persecution

(Orlando, Florida, USA)—Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is using technology to protect and empower Bible translators working in regions of intense persecution for Christians.

By using high-capacity, Print On Demand equipment, Bible translators can quickly print the Scriptures from a flash drive, whether a few or many books, and then distribute them. Wycliffe Associates also trains workers to operate and maintain the equipment once it’s installed.

“This is the missing link for national Bible translation teams who have been working tirelessly, risking their very lives, translating God’s Word in some of the most difficult and dangerous places on earth, places where Christianity is against the law, and national Bible translators have had to work in secret,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. 

Wycliffe Associates plans to deliver high-capacity, Print On Demand equipment to national Bible translators for hundreds of language groups, which will make it possible to discreetly produce thousands of copies of the Scriptures.

“They want to be able to read, study, and absorb the Word themselves, in the safety of their own homes, or share the Scriptures quietly, discreetly, with those they love,” Smith said.

The Print On Demand units are critical tools once a Bible translation is completed. With over 1,350 translations currently in progress using the MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) translation method, Bible translators will need a way to print and distribute the Scriptures once they have finished the translation process.

MAST accelerates the Bible translation process as mother-tongue translators work collaboratively to translate the Scriptures into their language. When Wycliffe Associates first piloted a MAST program in 2014, a team of 13 translators working 12-hour days drafted 48 percent of the New Testament in two weeks.

Today, 318 New Testaments have been completed using MAST.

“In some places where translation is already complete, we’ve seen how God moves when we provide Print On Demand units,” said Smith. “Response was so great—hunger for the truth of the Word was so strong—that we quickly needed to print not just a few copies, but thousands of copies of the Scriptures.”

The cost for each Print On Demand unit, installed, is $25,000. Wycliffe Associates is raising funds to respond to three new requests for units.

About Wycliffe Associates

One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.

Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers are currently accelerating Bible translations in 108 countries. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.

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There are 287 Languages spoken in Borneo!  Here is our press release to translate 100 of them.

Thank you!

Donn Hallman

https://www.wycliffeassociates.org/who-we-are/for-the-press/press-release/697

Wycliffe Associates Looking Toward Launch of 100 New Bible Translations for Millions in the Dayak People of Borneo

(Orlando, Florida, USA)— Wycliffe Associates, an international organization involving people in the advancement of Bible translation, intends to launch 100 new Bible translations this year among the most populous people on the island of Borneo. More than three million Dayak people on Borneo, representing 287 languages, are without the Scriptures.

“Millions of Dayak people have never seen a Bible in their own language,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “But now, Christians from these language groups have contacted us, requesting the tools to translate Scripture for their own people.”

Decades ago, missionaries shared the gospel with the Dayak, predominantly in the Indonesian language. As the gospel spread from the cities to smaller towns and villages, it could only be shared by word of mouth. Only a handful of the local languages had Bible translations. In some of the most remote Dayak villages, only a few of the residents speak Indonesian.

“The Christians in the villages have heard stories from other parts of the country about the incredible transformation that happens where God’s Word becomes available in the heart language of the people,” said Smith. “Tribes at war for generations, regions bound by demonic influence, have experienced a new wave of peace.”

Through an innovative translation method known as MAST, or Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation, Wycliffe Associates provides training to mother-tongue translators in a workshop setting. The workshops are staffed by local churches, and the translators and church leadership participate in a review process throughout the translation project to help ensure the translation is accurate.  Twenty-first century neurological and education theories guided the development of the MAST strategy, which consists of four drafting steps and four accuracy checking steps.

“One hundred language groups are already recruiting mother-tongue Bible translators to start translating,” said Smith, “yet they can’t start without the technology and tools: computer tablets, Bible translation resources, and training.”

In addition to training at the MAST workshops, Wycliffe Associates equips translators with computer tablets loaded with translation software and provides technology such as Print On Demand equipment, open-source translation technology, and resources to help empower local Bible translators.

More than 1,300 Bible translations have been launched since the development of MAST.

About Wycliffe Associates

One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.

Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers are currently accelerating Bible translations in 92 countries. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.

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Here is our press release for March concerning work in Nigeria.  Let me know if you have any questions or need further research.

Thank you!

Donn Hallman

https://www.wycliffeassociates.org/who-we-are/for-the-press/press-release/695

Once in Conflict, Nigerian Pastors Come Together for Bible Translation Conference, Request Launch of 250 New Projects

(Orlando, Florida, USA)—Wycliffe Associates, an international organization involving people in the advancement of Bible translation, hopes to soon launch new Bible translation projects for 250 language groups in Nigeria that are without the Scriptures in their heart language.

“The Christians there are pleading with us for the tools, technology, and training so they can start translating the Scriptures now,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “For them, this isn’t a ‘nice project.’ This is life or death.”

In recent months, hundreds of people in Nigeria have been slaughtered in tribal fighting, and for years Nigerians have suffered brutal violence and kidnappings at the hands of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. Decades of tribal differences also have put people at odds with each other.

Recently, Wycliffe Associates hosted Nigerian pastors at a one-week conference to introduce the collaborative Bible translation method known as Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation, or MAST, which significantly reduces translation time. Over 80 pastors attended, with an additional 15 pastors joining the conference before the week was over.

The pastors compiled a list of 250 language groups in Nigeria that need Bible translation, groups where churches already exist but haven’t had a way to translate the Scriptures into their heart languages.

“One pastor told us he had never seen representatives from so many different language groups together in one place,” said Smith. “For decades, they’ve been tragically locked in bitter conflict with each other. At first, they wouldn’t even speak to each other. But God’s Word softened hearts, and previously warring factions agreed to work together for the sake of bringing peace to their people.”

This caught the attention of a Nigerian governor who leads a state of 3.2 million people. He invited the Wycliffe Associates team to his office and personally encouraged them to continue translating the Scriptures into the language of his people, recognizing the potential of Bible translation to bring peace to his nation.

“Never before have we seen government officials in Nigeria involved in national Bible translation,” Smith said. “But this is no ordinary time. And Nigeria is no ordinary place. This is a place of desperation—and time is running out for them.”

“In the heart of Nigeria, a place of intense tribal warfare, a land of such spiritual darkness that people groups have refused even to speak to one another for years, we are witnessing a miracle,” said Smith.

Worldwide, more than 600 language groups have asked Wycliffe Associates to help them launch MAST-method Bible translations this year.

About Wycliffe Associates

One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.

Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers are currently accelerating Bible translations in 92 countries. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.

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Here is our release this month on the increasing demand from church’s around the world for assistance in Bible translation.

Let me know if you need any questions answered.

Thank you!

Donn Hallman

https://www.wycliffeassociates.org/who-we-are/for-the-press/press-release/692

No Matter the Danger, 600-Plus Language Groups Request Bible Translation Training, Technology from Wycliffe Associates

(Orlando, Florida, USA)—Church leaders from more than 600 language groups around the world have asked Wycliffe Associates for the technology and training to start translating the Bible using a translation method known as MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation).

“They have the commitment to proclaim Christ, even in the most dangerous areas,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “But they don’t have the tools, the technology, or training.”

In 2014, Wycliffe Associates piloted its first MAST workshop in a nation where Christians face ongoing persecution. Thirteen mother-tongue translators, divided into teams of three or four, worked to complete an average of 34 verses per day. Using an eight-step process, they drafted passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John during the mornings and checked the quality of the verses in the afternoons and evenings.

“The work produced through MAST methodology is excellent,” said Dr. John Luton, who has checked the work of numerous translation projects around the world. “It compares very favorably with text produced through other methods.”

Since then, Wycliffe Associates has launched 1,275 Bible translation projects using MAST. Bible translation projects that once took years to finish can now be completed in a matter of months with the MAST methodology.

 “The church is growing, even in countries where Christianity is cruelly oppressed,” Smith said. “But where the people have no Bibles in their own heart language, they struggle.”

The cost of a MAST workshop for launching a Bible translation in a new language is $19,500. Wycliffe Associates is working to raise funds to start new translations for every new language group that has requested one.

The organization provides mother-tongue translators with computer tablets, software, and the training to begin using MAST to translate the Scriptures for their own language groups.

More than 800 MAST Bible translations are currently underway.

“We are the first generation with the potential to see Bibles in every language on earth,” said Smith.

About Wycliffe Associates

One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.

Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Last year, 7,402 Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers worked to speed Bible translations in 94 countries. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.

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