New Computer Program Aids Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, Florida 32862-8200
(800) 922-5433 or 407-852-3600
info_usa@wycliffe.org
JAARS
Box 248
Waxhaw NC
28173-0248
Phone: 704-843-6000
FAX: 704-843-6200
Email: webmaster@jaars.org
URL: http://www.jaars.org/
(Papua New Guinea)
A new tool to help in evangelism and discipleship was dedicated recently in Papua New Guinea. JAARS,[3] which speeds Bible translation by providing quality services for Wycliffe Bible Translators and others, has been working among Alekano (ah-LEHK-ah-noh) people there. Ellis Deibler help translate scripture into Alekano, which enabled the production of the Luke Video. "The visual means of communicating the Gospel has great affect, because they've never seen anything like this before. And, so we're believing that God will use it in many ways amongst our people. Not only in evangelism, but as a teaching tool as well." Deiblers says despite the Alekano being a third world people group, the video will be watched. "There's electricity into every village now. There was none when we were there. They said, people all over the place have video players so they're thinking that they'll start off with 50. Maybe they'll need two or three times that many copies to show."
JAARS is using a shoe box to help them in Bible translation around the world.
JAARS, which speeds up Bible translation by providing quality service for Wycliffe Bible Translators, has developed the Shoebox five computer program. Bud Frank is JAARS Director of Computer and Communications Services. He describes what it does. "Every time we learn a new word, we put in the word, it's translation. We can put in an illustration - illustrious sentence. Just like a dictionary entry you might see in an English Dictionary. So, it's a tool to keep track of our data as well as in the analysis of these unwritten languages around the world that we're working with." Frank says Shoebox Five gets scripture into the hands of the people so they can come to the saving knowledge of Christ, but they can't do it without help. "Some people think that to be a missionary you've got to go out and be a preacher or a doctor or something. But, we need school teachers, accountants, managers and secretaries, mechanics, pilots and computer people."
Gospel Of Mark Completed In 3 Nigerian Languages
Three people groups in Nigeria have Scripture portions available in their own language for the first time. The Seed Company, a ministry of Wycliffe Bible Translators, empowers nationals to translate Scripture. The Seed Company's Harold Good says the Gospel of Mark was recently dedicated in three languages: Cishingini, Tsikimba and Tsishingini. "As people are reading God's Word in their own language they come up with the comments like, 'Oh, now we don't even need a pastor anymore, we can understand it ourselves.' That's how real it is to them. They can understand it because it's in their mother tongue." Good says the new translations are already resulting in people of other religions coming to Christ. (Mission Network News)
(USA)
And finally, JAARS is doing all it can to get people involved in Bible translation work. JAARS, which speeds Bible translation by providing quality services for Wycliffe Bible Translators and others, is in the midst of a campaign to see a translation of scripture in every language by 2025. JAARS' spokesman Arthur Lightbody. "At the current rate of progress it will take 100-150 years to provide God's word for everybody in the world that doesn't have it. We feel that this is too long a period of time." So, Lightbody says they're producing infomercials, plays and more to let people know about the need they have for computer experts, construction workers, translators and pilots. The need for funding is also great. "Financially, as we get involved with mother tongue translators that don't have the ability to pay their entire support we'd like to step up our giving and contributing to these kinds of people four-fold."
January 18th 2001
And, JAARS is reporting the good news on their latest project. Workers recently completed the Gospel of Mark on audiotape in the Mündü (MOON doo)language of Africa. The goal now is to distribute tapes and a hand cranked tape recorder to every Mündü village. Please pray for the Mündü New Testament revision team. JAARS provides technical and other services in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators and others so that all people will have God's Word in their own language.
December 15th 2000
And finally, as Christmas approaches it's a season of hope for some two billion people around the world. However, according to Jaars spokesman Arthur Lightbody, it's different for many people groups around the world. "3,000 languages groups in the world, that's about 250-million people do not even have one verse of scripture in their language. These Bibleless people can't read or hear the Gospel of Luke's account of the angel appearing to shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem." Jaars speeds Bible translation by providing quality services for Wycliffe Bible Translators and others. Lightbody explains. "We provide coordination and training for many support services for Bible translation, such as, construction and maintenance, aviation, computing and technology. These tools that we help provide are crucial to getting the job done." Jaars as a need for 180 people in computer-related work.
November 21st 2000
We turn next to Uganda, where a modern day Noah Webster is helping to bring the Scriptures alive to tribes in Uganda and Tanzania. Ron Moe is collaborating with Wycliffe computer programmers on a special Bantu language initiative. Specifically, he's been asked by JAARS to help produce a dictionary template. "Our translators are really excited about this because a dictionary is one of the major tools they need in translating the Bible. They need to find words that will exactly express the nuances of the meaning of the Bible, and to do that, they have to hunt through the words of the target language, comparing them and figuring out which ones mean exactly what in order to find the correct translation equivalent." Moe says theirs is a prayer-driven task. "We've got 500 languages to work on, and we could sure use some help. It's a big job and we'd appreciate your prayers and any help anybody could give us." JAARS speeds Bible translation by providing quality services for Wycliffe Bible Translators and others.
September 12th 2000
Meanwhile, we turn to Russia, where a recent mission involving JAARS and Wycliffe Bible Translators helped set a course for the church there. JAARS' Jim Akovenko explains the point of his visit. "Our purpose was to go to St. Petersburg, Russia to encourage the newly formed Wycliffe organization. In the 'New Russia', as they call it, they have formed this organization to mobilize Russians to go out from Russia to the remaining parts of the world where translation is needed." Akovenko adds that the future for the spread of the Gospel is a hopeful one, because: "We found it very encouraging to see that they were above ground, public and they had a sense that they were a privileged group now to be involved in the church worldwide. That seemed to give them a whole sense of 'This is working out.' It was a different sense of how is this new organization going to engage the church in Russia."
August 16th 2000
We turn next to Papua New Guinea where nationals will be on the receiving end of translation education. JAARS, which is the service agency of Wycliffe Bible Translators, is proposing a new 19 building training center. Pat Hakanson (hohk-ehn-son) is a JAARS engineer. "At commercial rates it will cost 4.6 million U-S dollars. If volunteer help is used it will be quite a bit less than that. In which case, we're hoping we can use the money for other needs at the training center." Hakanson says the government supports the project and will help train PNG nationals to be Bible translators and literacy workers. However, she says it's unclear when the facility will open. "We're hoping the construction supervisor will be able to go over some time in October, then it will depend mostly on volunteers who are available to go over and get things built, so it could be quite a long project."
June 9th 2000
JAARS is exploring new strategies to help in Bible Translation. Not long ago, the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation sent out a call for skilled workers to support Bible translation. GILBT's Kofi Binder (BIHN-der) discovered a new necessity-keeping the technical equipment up and running. Binder explains his vision. "For the translation work to go on with the people that are involved, I need to use my work to link between the people doing the translation so they can always be in touch with the station...because they are living in remote areas." Binder adds prayer is crucial. "We are waiting on about 34 projects and we have over 30 language groups that have not yet been started and we still need people to do the translation and literacy work so that the Word of God will be heard in their language."
May 30th 2000
Next, mission groups continue to help Hondurans recover from the effects of Hurricane Mitch. JAARS' teams have been working to repair homes and lives in La Ceiba. Nearly 80-percent of the agriculture was destroyed and almost a quarter of the population was left homeless from the 1998 hurricane. As they reach out to rebuild a country set back a half century from the storm, they are also able to share the Gospel. So far, 11 homes have been completed and with another eight finished by this summer.
May 8th 2000
Today's leading news focuses on the latest computer virus, dubbed the 'Love Bug'. Like Judas' kiss, the virus unleashes its devastation while hiding behind new identities and worming its way into more and more systems. The virus' potential impact could be destructive to missions work dependent on Internet communications. Wycliffe's Chris Sheeran is the e-mail administrator for JAARS. "I don't think it was really malicious, as far as deleting everything on your hard disk, but it's something that could really mess the work up. At this point, we don't have really beefed up virus protection in front, and so we're looking at a budget item for this next year because I think it's going to continue." Sheeran masterminded the group's response and adds that: "One of the guys here was able to put a block in on the viruses coming into our system and so the block scans the messages for certain things--- started 'parking' them and not forwarding them to the other people in the system. This one was kind of insidious because it was coming from people that you knew."
May 8th 2000
Today's leading news focuses on the latest computer virus, dubbed the 'Love Bug'. Like Judas' kiss, the virus unleashes its devastation while hiding behind new identities and worming its way into more and more systems. The virus' potential impact could be destructive to missions work dependent on Internet communications. Wycliffe's Chris Sheeran is the e-mail administrator for JAARS. "I don't think it was really malicious, as far as deleting everything on your hard disk, but it's something that could really mess the work up. At this point, we don't have really beefed up virus protection in front, and so we're looking at a budget item for this next year because I think it's going to continue." Sheeran masterminded the group's response and adds that: "One of the guys here was able to put a block in on the viruses coming into our system and so the block scans the messages for certain things--- started 'parking' them and not forwarding them to the other people in the system. This one was kind of insidious because it was coming from people that you knew."
April 21st 2000
Elsewhere, tribal warfare and alcoholism was decimating the Palikur (polly-coor) tribe in the grasslands of Brazil a generation ago. But today, the information age is the tool connecting the tribe to Christ. [JAARS'] Wycliffe's Harold and Diana Green invested 37 years of their lives with the people. Diana describes their early teaching. "When we first went to the Palikure people, many of them didn't know how to hold a pencil, and none of them knew how to read. We made an alphabet and primers to teach them how to read in their own language." Green says since then, they've translated the New Testament, and they've now come full circle. "We're working on the Palikur Old Testament. We've finished 50-percent in a rough draft, and we're deep in the middle of the book of Job. We have taught some of the Indian men how to use computers and one specific young man is serving as our co-translator in the Palikur tribe." Green says they're on target to have the Old Testament ready by 2004.
March 17th 2000
Meanwhile, a group committed to Bible translation is renewing its pledge to see that everyone has Scripture in their own language. Jaars, which is Wycliffe's technical support division, introduced their Vision 2025 plan. Jaars President Jim Akovenko explains the vision. "Vision 2025 is our focusing on the remaining task of the 3,000 language groups who yet do not have any word of scripture in their own language, in a language they fully understand. And, it's a focal point for us internally as well as to get the word out to the churches world-wide." Akovenko says it's awesome to consider getting scripture into every language by 2025. He says communicating that need is challenging. "Because we have the Bible so prevalent in our society here, the idea that there are cultures that don't have one written word in their language is a big step. So, the challenge is to communicate the need and then to seek out specialists." Pilots, maintenance workers and computer specialists are some of the positions needed.
March 1st 2000
The question facing many Bible translation groups is "what will it take to get the job done?" JAARS provides the support for the technology used around the world in this effort. Pat Snyder says they are using the latest technology in order to overcome the greatest obstacles faced by missionaries on the field. "Previously, communications could be maintained-you'd exchange letters, which would take quite a bit of time to physically get from one place to another. The first e-mail was exchanged and it's reduced the amount of time that it takes to get things done." Snyder adds that this means greater flexibility for their work. "As folks go out to their allocations, suddenly the satellite telephone takes on an importance for us within Wycliffe to add e-mail capability to the traditional radio/telephones that we use. As a language team goes out to their allocation, they can stay in that communications loop, even when there are no other ways to do it."
December 27th 1999
And finally, many mission groups are looking at what God has done over the last ten decadesas they look to the new century. For Jaars International'sNard Pugyao (POOG-yow), seeing his people, the Isnag, be evangelized through a video ministry is an exciting prospect for the future. "I'm praying that every one of those 35-thousand Isnags would hear about the good news of Jesus Christ. That's why the passion that I have is that they too, will know the good news of Jesus Christ and know him in a real way." Pugyao adds that the vision of groups like Wycliffe Bible Translators and its partners is: "...to translate the Scriptures in the hearts of those two-thousand more languages by the year 2025. I'm praying that other mission organizations would take the vision and the passion to go and disciple and make these people grow."
December 22nd 1999
Elsewhere, you might call his journey a full circle--Jaars Incorporated's Nard Pugyao (POOHG-yow) first read a translation of the Scriptures in the Isnag language of his home village nearly four decades ago. He later returned to the Philippines to bring his tribe the New Testament and now, Jaars' latest project. "We just got back a week and a half ago from the Philippines, to do the premier showing of the Luke video that was dubbed in my heart language of Isnag. And the exciting part is, it's a ripple effect of what God has been doing among my people in the Philippines." Pugyao says the video's message speaks for itself. He shared this breakthrough moment: "One of my grade school friends said to me after watching this video, 'Why would God allow such cruelty against His Son on my behalf? Why would He love me that much? But, this video shows me that He really does love me and this video is just encouraging me and it draws me closer to Jesus Christ.' And I said, 'Yes! That's what this video is all about!' "
