Bible translation expansion project under way in Indonesia

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Holy Bible

Holy BibleBIBLE translation throughout Oceana remains a high strategic priority with underlying challenges.

Art Greenleaf with Wycliffe Associates explains, “We’ve got a great opportunity there in Timor partnering with the national church. This particular area is not as heavily Islamic as more western provinces might be. There are a lot of Christians there, very similar to what you might have in the province of Papua.”

Using national translators streamlines the process of Bible translation in a region that sometimes deals with hostility toward Christians. “Nationals can move and function 100% better than we can as expatriates,” says Greenleaf. He adds, “We are on a property that we’re sharing with the national church. They have actually provided this property to develop the linguistics center. There is harmony in this particular part of Indonesia.”

However, the team’s progress is being hampered by the cramped quarters at the current translation center. A short-term solution came through renting additional workspace. Even then, some translators are carrying out their work in a garage and even outdoors.

That’s why Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that involves people in the acceleration of Bible translation efforts, is planning to build a fully functioning translation center on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. “There’s a need to train national translators right where they are,” he explains, adding that an “indigenous linguistics center with the local church eventually overseeing it, is perfect.”

“They are deeply committed. They’re willing to work. They urgently want to see God’s Word in the heart language of their people. But they need our help,” says Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.

More than 65 Bible translators are currently working on translations in more than 80 languages in the Timor region and the surrounding islands of Indonesia, and some of the languages are spoken by as many as half a million people. Greenleaf says that “Indonesia is probably one of  the most needy areas in the province of Papua, which is part of the island of New Guinea. It has the largest number of languages in the world to be reached.”

Wycliffe Associates is seeking to raise $100,000 to turn the current facility into a fully functioning translation center, doubling its size and providing the basic necessities and equipment for translation work.

The timeline? “We’re beginning work now over there. Over the next year, we would like to see the facility completed and functioning. This will be probably an ongoing project as we have the Training Center, housing, that sort of thing, on the church campus.”

Much of the construction will be completed by teams of volunteers who partner with and are mobilized by Wycliffe Associates. Aside from the resources, Greenleaf says, “We need to pray for the safety and security of those linguists. Something we need to be praying for, too, is the wisdom to do the task they’re doing and the tenacity just to stick by it. It’s not an easy task, taking God’s Word and putting it into one’s own language.”

Wycliffe Associates involves people in accelerating the work of Bible translation through their time, talents, and treasure. Because millions of people around the world are still waiting to read the Scriptures in the language of their heart, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as they can to translate every verse of the Bible into every tongue to change every heart.

The organization partners with nationals, mother tongue translators, staff, volunteers, and supporters to direct and fund these efforts as well as provide logistics, networking, and technical support. Through a growing global network, Wycliffe Associates is striving to overcome local limitations of time and resources to achieve the goal of beginning the translation of God’s Word in every remaining language that needs it by 2025. Source: Mission Network News

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