Do you want to multiply your effectiveness in serving the King?

Canada Institute of Linguistics hosts a competency-based training program for translation consultants-in-training, leading to an MA in Translation of Scripture. They currently are working with 13 CiTs in 8 countries. At present it is limited to CiTs who are fairly fluent in English, but will soon be available in French; plans are being made for Bahasa Indonesia, and the program can be adapted to other languages. Students must have direct experience in a translation program, and an undergrad degree or equivalent education and experience. There is generous financial aid available (in most cases, 100% of the tuition, as well as a stipend for mentors to help defray costs of workshops and other resources).

 Our biggest need at the moment is for Academic Mentors (see description below) who may be in one of two situations:

1. You are working with a CiT who would qualify for the program, and you and they would benefit from a comprehensive curriculum that's built on a set of BT-community-approved competencies expected of entry-level translation consultants. Your CiT would benefit not only from your mentoring and their ministry-based education, but they would also receive a graduate degree which can open up doors for their ongoing professional development (e.g. Doctor of Ministry studies with a Bible Translation specialization).

2. You have some room in your life to invest in a new CiT who is clearly qualified for this program but cannot enter because we are short of Academic Mentors. Typically you would be required to commit about 3-5 hours per week for each student; you'd serve on a team with two ministry mentors.

If either of these situations applies to you and you would like more information, please contact Joost Pikkert (joost.pikkert@canil.ca). If you do not have a doctoral degree but would consider working toward that while serving as a MATS mentor, we have extensive financial aid for that as well.

 Roles and Responsibilities of Mentors in the MATS Program

Ministry Mentor

The Ministry Mentor guides the student as they engage in their day-to-day ministry.  This mentor needs to have a good  understanding of the MATS program and be a translation consultant.  It is the ministry mentor that attempts to align and dovetail the student’s existing work/ministry with the academic requirements of the MATS program.  As the student meets with their ministry mentor, it is expected that the ministry mentor will work with the student to chart each 6-month work plan so that MATS outcomes (readings, workshops, interviews, translation assignments etc.), are able to satisfy not only ministry goals but also the academic goals of the MATS program.  It is expected that possibly 10-15% of a student’s time may be spent doing assignments that may not naturally dovetail with their daily tasks.

Academic Mentor

An Academic Mentor will ensure academic standards are maintained and provide clear feedback (online) on assignments submitted by students that were meant to guide the student in mastering outcomes.  On the basis of assignments and interaction with the student, the academic mentor, together with the other members on the mentor team, will assign a grade to the work submitted by the student.  It may be necessary for the Academic Mentor to have a biweekly zoom call of 15 minutes to ½ hour discussing assignments and getting clarity on work submitted, or to help the student stay motivated. These calls may include the ministry/field mentor.  In conjunction with the Ministry Mentor, the Academic Mentor may suggest changes in assignments, reading, interviews, etc.  It is expected the Academic Mentor may spend around 3hrs/student/week, but this may vary, depending on when assignments are submitted by the student.  Should the Academic Mentor not feel qualified to mentor a certain module or grade a certain assignment, other experts can be brought into the process who could pick up specific outcomes. To call on other Academic experts the Academic Mentor can contact Joost Pikkert (joost.pikkert@canil.ca).

For more information, you can download a complete program prospectus of the MA in Translation of Scripture.