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August 2021 SIL Translation Newsletter

BMBrian Migliazza · Aug 4, 2021, 8:24 PM · Last modified: Sep 28, 2026, 11:39 AM
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 International Translation Services (ITS) works in collaboration with colleagues in SIL and other agencies to creatively steward and advance the translation practices, tools, methods, and training necessary to enable a supportive environment for individuals and communities to flourish and engage with Scripture.
We value: Interconnectedness. Capacity Building. Diversity. Innovation.

August 2021

  • ITS and SIL’s Founding Three-Fold Purpose - Greg Dekker
  • New Consultants - David Rowbory
  • Textual Criticism Class - Thomas Hemphill
  • TN is My Favorite Translation Resource - André Kamphuis
  • Asia TCDW 2022 - Angie Seow
  • Hebrew Bible Website - Bible Society in Israel
  • Bible Translation Training CoP - Phil King
  • Old Testament Training in Israel - Katy Barnwell
  • EMDC Online Bible Translation Topics - Darcie Drymon
  • Digital Training Library Update - Hans Combrink
  • Biblical Hebrew Training for Consultants - Bob Carter
  • History of Bible Translations - Finnish, Italian, others
  • Richard Blight (1925-2021) - SIL Mexico Translation Consultant 
  • Hebrew for the Nations - Baruch Kvasnica
  • Translation Needs - Progress.Bible Snapshot

Links for International Translation
SIL International Translation Services Team

ITS and SIL’s Founding Three-Fold Purpose
Greg Dekker (ITS Director)

At ICON21, SIL had the privilege, as is our norm at international conferences, to hear from our partners in the Bible translation movement (BTM). Partner representatives were invited to give observations on SIL’s work and direction and progress. I recall one of our partners kindly commenting something to the effect that SIL engages / works in many ways, applying its expertise to a variety of projects and initiatives. In a follow up exchange of messages, I asked this partner to elaborate on the comments they gave. “Do you feel that SIL lacks focus?” I asked.  The reply was that to some it may seem that way, but it was not this person’s place to judge what SIL is doing or what SIL determines to do. 

This exchange has sent me on a “thinking” journey in the months that have passed since ICON21. “Has SIL indeed lost focus?” and “Can we legitimately be accused of “mission creep”?, a descriptive phrase I have heard applied to SIL more than once. 

Last year I came into my role as ITS Director asking several questions of our team: “What are our priorities for the next year, and for the coming years?” “In what ways can ITS best serve the translation needs of SIL and our partners in the BT movement?” and, a more strategic but arguably more difficult question, “What good and worthwhile activities should we stop doing in order that greater effort can be put on what’s most important?” In this regard I have again asked myself, are we contributing to the Movement in the most critically important ways, or have we lost focus? 

Webster’s dictionary defines “mission creep” as “A gradual broadening of the original objectives of a mission or organization.” I have found myself asking whether this is a legitimate criticism of SIL. I hope you have had the pleasure of reading the 2018 book edited by Gary F. Simons (to which Simons, Frederick A. (Boone) Aldridge and M. Paul Lewis are all contributing authors), entitled A Threefold Purpose: Rediscovering the Heart of SIL. In part, using histories of SIL and Wycliffe, and a letter written by Uncle Cam shortly after the founding of SIL in 1934, the book demonstrates that SIL has indeed stayed on course with our three-fold founding purpose. Simons states it this way in the Preface, “...SIL’s founding threefold purpose… married Bible translation with scholarly research and integral development.” Simons reminds us that it was SIL that was first established in 1934. Wycliffe was later established in 1942 “as a strategy for engaging with churches in the United States to raise the funding, personnel, and prayer that were needed to support the work that SIL was already doing with language communities.” 

The mission of SIL in those days diverged from the fundamentalist focus of the times, but has proven to be pivotal in the modern missionary movement, as attested to by Church historians Lamin Sanneh (Yale Divinity School and Professor of History, Yale University) and Mark A. Noll (Professor of History, University of Notre Dame and Regent College). However, as Simons points out in his book, SIL is now in the shadow of Wycliffe who has been, by virtue of its founding mission, the brand which the Church now primarily identifies with the Bible Translation movement. I find myself now asking why it is that SIL’s story and three-fold purpose is not clearly understood by the Church? And, how do we now, as SIL, decoupled from Wycliffe, tell, again, our story of scholarship, Bible translation, and integral development? 

The answer to that question comes in many forms. Yes, we do need our partners' assistance (Wycliffe especially) in this, to tell, re-tell, and give us space to corporately tell directly to the Church, in an accurate and full way, the pivotal and foundational role that SIL’s three-fold purposeful work has played - and is now playing - in the Bible Translation movement. But, recognizing that we live in a new and different era, an era in which the Church presence is “heaviest” in the Global South, SIL must also look to a localization strategy to let our “story” be heard and supported by the Church (and others) globally. This strategy will not replace the need - and urgency - to tell our story to the Church in traditional sending contexts, but the global Church may increasingly assume a greater position of support for SIL, a position of support once assumed primarily by the Western sending Church and at one time more intentionally “marketed” by Wycliffe who assumed a primary responsibility for making SIL’s story - and three-fold purpose - more fully known to the Church, a responsibility, it seems, we must now take on for ourselves. 

So where does that position ITS? How must we respond strategically? I feel our mission statement accurately states our goal, “[To] work in collaboration with colleagues in SIL and other agencies to creatively steward and advance the translation practices, tools, methods, and training necessary to enable a supportive environment for individuals and communities to flourish and engage with Scripture.” Our part is in support of Bible Translation. But increasingly, we, as part of the Church, must explore ways to engage with the Church both to tell our story, and to ensure that together the necessary translation tools are in place to ensure access to, use of, and application of the truths of Scripture to life, and thereby increase the possibility that language communities everywhere can flourish. 
 

New Consultants
David Rowbory

Africa: Congratulations to David Rowbory (SIL Nigeria).  The SIL Accreditation Committee for Translation Consultants in Africa has reviewed his application and certified him as a new translation consultant. He participated in and helped lead numerous translation checking workshops with SC consultants and also a Consultant Development Workshop. Katy Barnwell provided initial encouragement to become a translation CiT. David joined a group of Nigeria-based translation CiTs who banded together for peer-level support of each other - including Gareth Mort, Jonathan Barnhoorn, Emese Lang. He has been formally and informally mentored by Pat Rosendall, Mark Gaddis, Ben Kuwitzky, Uche Aaron, Andy Kellogg, Andy Ring, Anne Kompaore, Chuck Tessaro, Ronnie Sim and others. 

David has a computer programming background and first came to Nigeria in 2001 to work on a dictionary with the Lelna people. He received the MA in Translation Studies (2011) from NEGST (now AIU) and then returned to Nigeria to teach computer-based courses at Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN) and translation courses at Kagoro Seminary. He has also worked with the Gworog, Nikyob, Bwaatye and other communities in their translation programs. Since 2016 he has focused on the Gbari  and Koro communities (Ashɛ, Waci, Dũya).

Textual Criticism Class
Thomas Hemphill

Thomas (SIL Eurasia Translation Coordinator) will be providing "textual criticism" Zoom training sessions on the EMDC website. You can sign up for these two courses below, at this website. The training includes practical examples of real-life textual critical problems that course attendees are working on. If the EMDC times and dates don't suit, and you can get a group together, please email Thomas to see if he can teach your group another time.  If you have any questions, please contact Thomas. 

  • Textual Criticism Is Fun! (one hour class). 7 October 2021 Thursday: 5am Dallas time/ 11am London time
  • Introduction to Textual Criticism for Translators and Exegetes (a four session seminar). Each session is 90 minutes -- two NT sessions and two OT sessions. This includes a (1) brief look at the textual history of both Testaments, (2) which textual sources are the most important, and (3) how to use the apparatus in the Greek UBS, the Hebrew BHS, as well as the HOTTP information in Paratext.  We will also look at how to make use of commentaries, Translator's Notes, and the UBS Handbook.
    • 2 Nov 2021 Tuesday: Session 1: 5am Dallas time/ 10am London time
    • 9 Nov 2021 Tuesday: Session 2: 4am Dallas time/ 10am London time
    • 16 Nov 2021 Tuesday: Session 3: 4am Dallas time/ 10am London time 
    • 23 Nov 2021 Tuesday: Session 4: 4am Dallas time/ 10am London time 

TN is My Favorite Translation Resource
André Kamphuis

TN (Translator's Notes) is widely used amongst Bible translation teams. André Kamphuis (SIL Tanzania Translation Coordinator) highly recommends TN as one of his favorite resources for training translation teams. He says: 

_When I was asked in a recent meeting what I view as the most helpful translation resource for Bible translators in Tanzania, I did not hesitate to mention the Translator’s Notes series. This series has been an incredible help to both our translators and those who assist them in making exegetical decisions. Not many resources prioritize the questions that Bible translators ask as does the TN series. And not many resources consistently use easy-to-read English in explaining (sometimes complex) translation problems.

In Tanzania, where many translators have only had basic Engish and limited education, this resource serves as their primary exegetical advisor, assisting them in exploring meaningful ways of translating. We ask all our translators to interact with this resource as they draft their translations. We even used the series for teaching English to our translators, so that they become familiar with the particular vocabulary related to exegesis and translation. We hope that all the books of the Bible will soon have a TN volume available!_

Asia TCDW 2022
Angie Seow

The next online Asia TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop) will be held 30 May to 24 June 2022 (four weeks), co-directed by Steve Doty and Angie Seow. To request an application or for more information, please email TCDW Coordinator. The application deadline is 31 December 2021. Space is limited. Preference will be given to the best qualified applicants who apply before the deadline.

  • Weeks 1 & 2: Online classroom training in translation checking techniques and other consultant skills.
  • Weeks 3 & 4: Online checking of translations under the supervision of experienced Translation Consultants.

Hebrew Bible Website
Bible Society in Israel

The Bible Society in Israel has provided a Hebrew Bible study website, which includes the Scriptures in six languages, the Delitzsch text of the New Testament, the 'The Edut' translation (the OT in Hebrew for youth), and a topical index in Hebrew.  With every Greek and Hebrew word in the New Testament (such as here in Ephesians), you can hover your mouse over a Hebrew Word in the Hebrew NT and get the underlying Greek and also see the Hebrew word. 

Bible Translation Training CoP
Phil King

Connect. Learn. Share. These are the aims of the new Bible Translation Training and Development Community of Practice that had its first meeting on 22 July, using the EMDC.online platform. The goal is to regularly bring together training practitioners from across several different organisations for mutual encouragement and learning, and the first event was attended by 32 people from 11 different countries.

Participants spent some time connecting and getting to know each other, learned about the Digital Training Library and shared about their excitements and challenges in Bible Translation training at the moment. The recording is available through EMDC Online. If you're interested in joining future events, or participating in other discussions about Bible Translation training, please sign up for the Trainers_COP google group, through which invites will be sent out. Just send an email to Trainers_COP. 

Old Testament Training in Israel
Katy Barnwell

At a recent surprise 85th birthday party for Halvor Ronning, founder of the Jerusalem Center for Bible Translators (JCBT -- previously known as, The Home for Bible Translators), Katy Barnwell (Senior Translation Consultant) gave an overview of the development of JCBT during its quarter century of work in training translators. She thanked Halvor and Mirja Ronning for their vision and persistence, in founding JCBT and to all who have contributed in many different ways, through sharing their knowledge, skills, experience, time, prayers, and finances. Katy says that in the latter part of the 20th century, a number of significant changes happened in the Bible translation world:

  1. The shift to training mother-tongue translators - local people translating into their own languages
  2. Growing awareness of the huge number of languages worldwide still needing translation
  3. More Old Testament translation projects started
  4. More Old Testament translation consultants needed – to train translators and check translations
  5. Focus on learning Biblical languages for increased accuracy in translations
  6. Awareness of the cultural backgrounds of the Bible.
    • Knowledge of the historical and cultural context is essential for understanding the Bible.
    • A translator who has spent time in Israel is aware of the geography, flora & fauna, habits of building, farming, and many other activities which help in understanding the meaning of the original text and thus better able to communicate the message correctly.
  7. That JCBT has offered many courses in Biblical languages, and Biblical cultural background, has made a significant contribution to improved training of translators and consultants in many parts of the world!

EMDC Online Bible Translation Topics
Darcie Drymon

Darcie Drymon has a Google document listing all of the Bible Translation and Language Technology topics available on EMDC online. This is a handy one-stop shopping place to find future topics coming up and also an archives listing all past topics, which you can listen to. Anyone on EMDC can scan through the class list that contains all the topics. 

If you or your translation teams and field partners are not already enrolled on EMDC.online, please go to EMDC.online and click "Enroll." The approval process goes faster if you use a work email from a pre-vetted organization (SIL, Wycliffe, Cru, FCBH, SC, etc.). If your partners or teams are not part of a pre-vetted organization, then you can expedite the process by sending a list of their names and email addresses to Steve Baughman, and he can put them in the system, and then they can easily enroll.

Paratext Hour - recordings of the July 2021 topics: 

Digital Training Library Update
Hans Combrink

Hans Combrink (Vice President, Training & Quality Assurance at Biblica) updates the progress of the Digital Training Library (DTL). It is an online learning platform designed to provide guidance, training, and knowledge to the network of Bible translation specialists in order to improve quality assurance for the entire Bible translation movement. For further inquiries, you can also email Susie Lipps, the “Partnership Liaison."

The Digital Training Library (DTL) is born out of a desire to provide the global Bible translation movement with training resources to accomplish the task of reaching the ETEN All Access Goals so that every language community will have access to at least a portion of God's Word by 2033. As the pace of Bible translation accelerates to achieve these goals, DTL helps ensure that the quality of translation keeps pace with the quantity.

DTL is a collaborative effort by all ETEN implementing partners to make relevant translation training content available to individuals and agencies across the globe through an integrated online training platform based on a robust pedagogical model. This will benefit the entire Bible translation movement and contribute to translations of the highest possible quality.

The Digital Training Library hopes to improve the start-to-finish performance and quality of an entire network of translation specialists, including translators, next-level checking assistants, and translation consultants. This will be achieved through the completion of a number of certificates in translation.

Biblica leads the process to curate content for the Digital Training Library on behalf of all ETEN partners, while Fuller Theological Seminary provides pedagogical expertise to develop the content using tried and tested online learning methodology.

Biblical Hebrew Training for Consultants
Bob Carter

Bob Carter announced that a new Biblical Hebrew Training for Consultants cohort is starting soon and will cost around $1,000 for forty weeks. This is in partnership with Jerusalem Seminary (parent organization of Hebrew for the Nations) which is running the course. This forty-week course is just the first part of the NT2OT program that Bob has organized for the past few years. The second part of the NT2OT program consists of going to Israel for a four-week intensive Hebrew course in August 2022, held at JCBT (Jerusalem Center for Bible Translators).

History of Bible Translations
Finnish, Italian, others

Finnish - Mikael Agricola: Michael Greed and family visited the south coast of Finland and went to the church where Agricola was baptized and lived the first years of his life. He says: If Agricola had lived in a different age he'd have founded SIL. Agricola (1507-57) was the father of the Finnish literary language, and wrote an "ABC Book" to help people learn to read and write Finnish. Published in 1543, this was the first book ever to be printed in Finnish. Up until then all books had been in Swedish and Latin. He also translated the New Testament into Finnish, published in 1548.  Agricola, the son of a humble farmer, who took his father’s occupation (in Latin) as his surname, was also a bishop, Lutheran reformer and statesman. It is estimated that there were some 250,000-300,000 people living in Finland in the 1500s; nowadays there are 5.5 million. 

Italian - the History of the Bible in Italy provides a good overview, starting from the thirteenth century when the first vernacular versions of Jerome's Latin Bible (Vulgate) began to appear, on down to the present day. The Protestant scholar, Giovanni Diodati (a professor of Hebrew at the University of Geneva), is credited as the first translator of the Bible into Italian from Hebrew and Greek sources which was published in Geneva in 1607. From a stylistic point of view, his work is considered one of the masterpieces of the Italian language of the 17th century. In 1641 Diodati completed a final revision of his work and prepared a second edition with the introduction of the Psalms in rhyme. Then in 1924 the Diodati translation was revised (the Riveduta edition) by the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), carried out by a committee chaired by the Waldensian, Giovanni Luzzi. In 1991, La Buona Novella published the New Diodati, and a revised edition followed in 2003. In 1994 the Biblical Society of Geneva published a revision of the 1924 Riveduta, followed by the 2006 Nuova Riveduta 2006. 

David Gray (SIL Eurasia Translation Consultant) presents a concise History of Bible Translation from the translation of the Old Testament into Greek to modern translations of the Bible. This includes an appendix "A List of Bible Translations Through History" which was compiled by Andreas Holzhausen and edited by David. 

Richard Blight (1925-2021)
SIL Mexico Translation Consultant

Richard Charles Blight served as a translation consultant with SIL since 1960. He completed the translation of the New Testament with the Tenango Otomi people of Mexico in 1975. In addition to authoring numerous articles and books, he was the senior editor of the Exegetical Summaries series. 

He was born in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. With World War Two in full swing, Dick enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of High School, serving from 1943 until 1946. He then attended Wheaton College, graduating in May 1951, and immediately continued on to Norman, Oklahoma for SIL training. After marrying Faith Lubbers, they were assigned to work with the Tenango Otomi language in Mexico. Then in 1980 Dick and Faith moved to Dallas, and he began working in the International Translation Department. Dick was involved in producing, editing, and formatting books to help translators around the world. At the suggestion of Millie Larson, he created a new series called Exegetical Summaries, working there till his retirement in 2016. 

Hebrew for the Nations
Baruch Kvasnica

Jerusalem Seminary's (JS) Hebrew for the Nations (H4N) is a newly established, grass-roots Jerusalem-based ministry that trains local believers to be teachers of Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language and sends them out to train Bible translation consultants, translators, Hebrew teachers and seminarians. Through Jerusalem Seminary, H4N graduates also teach Living Biblical Hebrew online in a new and developing H4N curriculum.  In the past four years over 50 Israelis have completed the H4N Teacher’s course. Intensive Living Biblical Hebrew courses have been taught in Mongolia, Togo, Niger, and to students around the world online. H4N has also supplemented teachers for JCBT’s summer intensive program in Israel for the past four years.  For further information email the H4N Director Jochanan Löwenstein or the JS Director Baruch Brian Kvasnica. 

What is happening this August 2021?

  • 2 Three Week Intensive H4N Living Biblical Hebrew Level 1 and Level 2 in Togo
  • Three Week Intensive H4N Living Biblical Hebrew Course - the Culmination of a 52 week online course for 18 consultants from Myanmar, India and USA (located in Michigan).
  • Teaching with JCBT’s August Intensive Living Biblical Hebrew Course.

What’s happening in September and October 2021?

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