Wycliffe Associates Develop Way of Getting Scripture to Those with No Written Language

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Sep 08, 2016

Wycliffe Associates Develop Way of Getting Scripture to Those with No Written Language

Wycliffe Associates have developed an innovative way of translating the Bible into the languages of people groups who do not have a written form of language.

According to a press release from the Bible translation organization, the new method involves a Bible Translation Recording Kit (BTRK) which translators use to translate Scripture using the Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation (MAST) method.

Wycliffe notes that the MAST method allows for rapid translation instead of the years-long translation of earlier days.

Using the MAST method, a group of mother-tongue translators work together to translate books of the Bible, while still focusing on achieving accuracy and quality of translation.

The MAST method is only about two years old. In 2014, mother-tongue translators translated 48 percent of the New Testament into their language in only two weeks. This is a massive improvement over older methods, which can take as many as 25-30 years to translate the entire New Testament.

Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, explained why the organization takes Bible translating so seriously:

“There are entire massive populations of people who have totally, exclusively spoken languages,” he said. “But Jesus died for them, just like He died for you and me. We can’t leave them behind. We’ve got to reach them—and we will.”

“Our teams are committed to taking recording kits into the most remote areas to establish a foothold for the gospel, to lead people to Christ and ground them in the truth,” Smith continued. “We know from our testing that this strategy is tremendously powerful.” 

 

Publication date: September 8, 2016



Wycliffe Associates Develop Way of Getting Scripture to Those with No Written Language