Wycliffe Associates Bible translators at work in the Democratic Republic of Congo before the pandemic.(Photo: Wycliffe Associates)
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches across the globe in the advancement of Bible translation, saw the completion of more Bible translations in 2020 than in any other single year.
This happened despite challenges presented by the pandemic and subsequent national lockdowns across many countries.
The Bible translation ministry told media reporters that last year, New Testament translations were completed in 141 languages, and eight languages now have completed translations of the Old Testament.
Wycliffe’s interim president and CEO Mr Tim Neu stated that Bible translation work had “actually accelerated” during the pandemic, rather than slowing down.
“I’ve been humbled to see how believers in difficult areas, some in places of intense persecution and real danger, have been absolutely unwavering in their dedication to the cause,” Neu said.
How was the organisation able to achieve this milestone? According to the Christian Post, Wycliffe Associates leveraged the power of technology to accelerate Bible translation.
“COVID lockdowns kept Bible translators home,” said Neu, “but our online Bible translation system enabled many to continue their work together.”
Wycliffe Associates, which has led the effort to translate the Bible into every language for 79 years, has 773 Bible translations in progress and has received requests from 273 language groups seeking help with launching Bible translations in 2021.
Wycliffe Associates estimates that there are 70 million people across the globe who are born deaf and about 80 percent of them can’t communicate in their local sign language.
This prompted the organisation to release a translation of the New Testament in a new concept-based language that deaf and blind people across the globe can begin learning in less than a week.
The new notation is called SUN (Symbolic Universal Notation) and is according to the Christian Post, a symbolic representation of the words in Scripture.
Wycliffe Associates, which has led the effort to translate the Bible into every language for 79 years, used a team of 400 online volunteers who created symbols to represent the precepts found in Scripture. Production of the SUN New Testament took about 1.5 years.
“Only about 20 percent of the deaf population of the world has access to education,” Jenkins said. “So the question is, ‘How do you provide a Bible for those that have no education at all?’ And this is the problem that SUN answers.”
