• Bible Translation in Today’s

World(Part One)

Presenters: Walt & Bette Hamilton

Summer 1986 – First venture into short-term missions for a one week VBS at Chipewyan Lake, Alberta, Canada.

1986 – 1988 They were liquidating their company interests1988 – 1997 Bette worked for the Lutheran Church district office1990 – 1995 Walt worked for LAMP Ministry as Dir. of Development1998 – 2007 Walt worked for Wycliffe Associates as Dir. of Stewardship1998 – 2007 Bette worked for Eastside Christian Church as accountant2007 -- Both retired from regular income producing jobs2007 – 2011 Walt (with Bette’s help) was Branch Funding Coordinator to the Wycliffe SIL branch in Malaysia 2009 – 2014 Walt served on the board of LAMP Ministry2011 – currently Walt serves on the board of Wycliffe Associates

Both serve at MBC Tysons in several capacities mentoring others

Following are a few pictures from some of

our LAMP Ministry experiences

1986 Loading plane for trip from Edmonton to Chipewyan Lake, AB, Canada. No, Walt is not a pilot.

Northern Alberta from air

Community of Chipewyan Lake, AB, Canada 1986

Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Connie & Bette leave guest house for VBS, Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Kids waiting at school house for VBS, Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Custom requires everyone to remove boots/shoes when entering a building.

Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Kids enjoy singing at VBS, Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Walt learning how to help with crafts. Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Bette helping girl with her memory verse. Chipewyan

Lake, AB 1986

End

Our VBS group picture. Chipewyan Lake, AB 1986

Girls in native costume, Tanana, AK

1992

Native canoe outing during VBS. Kitkatla, BC 2010

VBS pillowcase project. Kitkatla, BC 2010

Walt face painting at VBS. Greenville, BC 1993

Walt teaching at VBS in Lac Brochet, MB 2009

Landed safely on the ice at Cat Lake, ON 1993(Walt is taking picture)

Following are a few pictures from some of our Wycliffe

Associates missions experiences

Bette & Walt with the Kifili river & Indian Ocean in background; Giryama,

Kenya near Mombasa. 2002

Giryama speaking congregation near Mombasa, Kenya.2002 still waiting for bible in their own language.

Note: After our visit the Giryama New Testament was dedicated in 2006.

Giryama, Kenya 2002

Giryama, Kenya 2002 Climbing a palm tree is harder than it looks – even with foot cutouts.

Their elder & our elder got to share the chicken gizzard. 2002

My queen emerging from an inspection tour of a local Giryama hut. 2002

Celebrating the Numonggang New Testament dedication in

Papua New Guinea 2006

Dedication of the Numonggang New Testament in Papua New Guinea was on Superbowl Sunday 2006: Pittsburgh vs. Seattle. I never let on I was a Seattle fan.

Following are a few pictures from some of our

SIL Malaysia missions experiences

Rungus language translation team at Sabah, Malaysia 2009

Tobilung language translator at his computer in Kota Belud, Malaysia 2009

Translator’s computer showing 16 individual screens side by side.

Translator’s computer with 16 open screens.

Bidayuh language translation team,Kuching, Malaysia 2011

Bette & Walt with some of the Bidayuh translation team, Kuching, Malaysia 2011

TEACHING LITERACY

Bidayuh languagePlay school atKampung BunukKuching, Malaysia 2011

Bidayuh language play school

Kampung BenukKuching, Malaysia 2011

Following are a few pictures from some of our Eastside Christian Church, Fullerton, CA missions experiences

Bette on cart with local at construction site Ribeirao Preto, Brazil 2000

Bette & Walt on the Great Wall near Beijing, China 2001

Walt sharing the gospel with student in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China 2001

Walt and Pastor John discussing next phase construction for a 2,000 student school. Kerala, India 2008

Walt brings greetings to the congregation in English while Pastor John translates into Malayalam.

Bette & Walt with some of the kids at the orphanage in Kerala, India 2008

Pushpins indicate where Walt & Bette have participated in missions work 1986 - 2014

So what?

So what?So now that we are through with the credentials section we can now get down to the business of looking at “Bible translation in today’s world”.

ProlegomenaProlegomena simply means prefatory remarks. The Prolegomena of a systematic theology refers to the methodological questions generally found in the opening.

Romans 10:13-14“Anyone who calls on the Lord will be

saved.To call, they must believe.To believe, they must hear.

To hear, someone must tell them.…in a language they understand

well.

History of Bible translation

Jesus is “with us to the end of the age.”

He speaks to us through prayer.He speaks to us through the Bible.He speaks to us through our worship.He speaks to us through circumstances.He speaks to us through others.

He is living and will live in us if we let him.. . . . . “to the end of the age.”

Matt 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ NIV

IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN BIBLE TRANSLATION

Ten Commandments written in Hebrew on stones by God himselfOld Testament written by men chosen by God, also in Hebrew

New Testament written by men chosen by God, in Koine Greek – 1st centuryFirst translation into another language by Jerome -- 4th centuryLatin Vulgate outlives it’s purpose by the middle agesJohn Wycliffe first translates the Vulgate into English -- 14th centuryGutenberg press revolutionizes printing output *** -- 15th centuryFirst Bible published on Gutenberg pressWilliam Tyndale translates Bible from Hebrew and Greek -- 15th centuryMartin Luther translates Bible to German -- 15th centuryKing James I authorizes scholars in first group translation -- 16th centuryFirst non-European scriptures translated into Malay language -- 17th centuryJohn Eliot translates Bible for Massachusetts Indians -- 18th centuryWilliam Carey translates Bible into a few Asian Indian languages 19th centuryCameron Townsend translates Bible into Guatemalan languages 20th centuryWycliffe Bible Translators established in US 1942 20th centuryLess than 2,000 world languages still needing bible translation 21st century

Johannes Gutenberg originatorof the first movable type printing press approx. 1440AD

So where are we today

In Bible translation?

Approximate status of worldwide Bible translation 2015

6,900+...the number of languages spoken in the world today

1,900+

...the number of languages without any of the Bible, but with a possible need of a Bible translation to begin

about 350 million

...the number of people who speak the 1,900+ languages where translation projects have not yet begun

nearly 1,500...the number of translation programs where Wycliffe is currently at work

1300 +/-

...the number of language groups that have access to the New Testament in their heart language

500 +/-..the number of language groups that have access to the entire Bible in the language they understand best

about 7 billion …approximate population of the world

DISTRIBUTION OF WORLD LANGUAGES

Central Mainland & IndonesiaAfrica Southeast & the

& Nigeria: Asia Pacific Islands

450+/- 450+/- 600+/-

75% languages with greatest need:

AFRICA

LanguageDistribution

ASIALanguage distribution

PACIFICLanguage distribution

Vision 2025

By the year 2025 a Bible translation By the year 2025 a Bible translation project will be in progress for every project will be in progress for every people group that needs it.people group that needs it.

A few of the Bible translation agencies

• Wycliffe Bible Translators• Lutheran Bible Translators• Pioneer Bible Translators• World Team• United Bible Societies (UBS)

Typical steps of Bible translation (past model):

Most work done by expatriate workersSurvey made of considered area: Demographics of population, etc.Assign lead translator: experience, education, support, logistics, budget, etc.Translator arrives in country: sets up housekeeping, etc.Learning national or trade language: e.g. Malay, EnglishLearning the specific tribal language and culture: e.g. Bidayuh, Rungus, etc.Housing in bush location and getting to know people (can take several years)Securing help of Mother Tongue SpeakersBeginning translation: language conventions, cluster considerations, local authority approvals, etc.Collateral work: Branch responsibilities, workshops, literacy for nationalsChecking of translation: accuracy, UNS checking, back translation, final checkFinal check of draft with correctionsPublication approvalPost publication work

End of Part One

What Happens When a Crowd Translates the Bible?

So where do we go from here?

• Current trends in speeding translation

4 of the Wycliffe family of organizationswebsites:

• www.wycliffe.net• www.wycliffeassociates.org

• www.wycliffe.org

• www.sil.org

Matt 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ NIV