Wycliffe Associates Translation Work Continues Despite Challenges from Coronavirus Plague

Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates

Wycliffe Associates remains confident that translation work will continue around the globe despite difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Translation Despite Crisis

At the beginning of this year, Bruce Smith discussed the new strategies and goals Wycliffe Associates developed for translation in the coming years. With country after country shutting down travel, Smith explains that those translation efforts are going to be disrupted.

“[The pandemic] has caused us to reassess how [translation] will happen. One of the things we’ve learned from experience is that God’s ways are not our ways, and His ways are higher than our ways.”

However, Smith believes Wycliffe Associates’ strategy will help translation work to continue.

“We can see how God has prepared us through the years. We’ve worked to equip and train local churches around the world,” he says. “Preparation for such a time as this really has positioned us in a place where Bible translation can move forward despite the limitations that have now surfaced.”

Wycliffe Associates has equipped a large number of indigenous believers to undertake translation work around the world.

“We’ve actually trained thousands and thousands of people to do Bible translation in their own language,” Smith explains. “In fact, in the last 12 months we’ve had around 7,000 people involved in Bible translation around the world working in about 108 different countries.”

Helping Neighbors

Another impact on translation, though, is training new people groups. When travel began to shut down, most of the Wycliffe Associates staff members leading workshops were able to return to the United States. Even without these workshops, Smith is confident training can still happen.

“[We] tried to leave the training and the technology with the local people,” he says. “These are the people that still have access, still have opportunity, and now have training and experience in Bible translation where they can begin training their neighbors.”

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SOURCE: Mission Network News, Rachel Pfeiffer

CALL TO ACTION

• Pray for the new translation strategy.
• Pray for Wycliffe Associates staff that haven’t been able to return to the United States yet.
• Pray for Wycliffe Associates’ partners all over the world.
• Partner with Wycliffe Associates financially.