Bible Translators to Focus on Multi-Media
In the last 10 to 15 years much progress has been made in translating the Bible into more and more languages Wycliffe Bible Translators said at a recent directors meeting
In the last 10 to 15 years much progress has been made in translating the Bible into more and more languages Wycliffe Bible Translators said at a recent directors meeting.
"It looks like we have about 3,000 languages that are still in need of some kind of translation of Scripture. So, there's still a lot of work to be done, but there's a great deal that has been accomplished," said Luis Bush, who headed up AD 2,000 and Beyond and now part of World Inquiry.
Bush, who spoke to translators at the headquarters of Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) International, presented his findings of the status of evangelism around the world and the need for Bible translation to help facilitate that.
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Bible translation is still a great need, Bush said as reported by Mission Network News. However, according to Bush, translators can't be singularly focused. They must begin focusing on oral learners.
Even in cultures where education is a priority, many people are quickly becoming oral learners, Bush said. "They won't necessarily be picking up and reading a Bible or New Testament. And, how do we communicate effectively through radio, through television and through video and CD and other kinds of media. It becomes an essential question today."
And while that doesn't mean the Bible will be replaced, it does mean there will be additional tools to communicate the Gospel to those who wouldn't ordinarily read the Bible.
"The Gospel is the power of God for salvation and transformation of individuals and communities," said Bush. “So, Wycliffe's Vision 2025 initiative to see God's word translated into all the major languages is still a priority. Pray that funding and translators will be available to help accomplish this goal.”
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, founded in 1942, is part of an international association of Wycliffe organizations comprising of over 5000 active members from 46 countries. Already Wycliffe workers have helped to complete 500 translations, making God's Word available to more than 35 million people.
According to Wycliffe, the goal of Vision 2025 is to see translation in progress among every language group that needs it by 2025.
