Below are some of the staff needed to fulfill the Bible translation vision. Most of them are full or part-time member positions, but some can be filled by volunteers. If you are interested in any of these positions and would consider raising your own financial support, please fill out a Preliminary Questionnaire which you can e-mail as an attachment.
1. Bible Translation Team Advisor
Goal: To provide God’s Word to people in their heart language.
Bible translation is a team effort involving speakers of the local language and those from outside the language area who can advise and train the team. Translation team advisors can find themselves being challenged intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually as they seek to help bring God’s Word to those who have never held or understood it. The job is hugely fulfilling, and the rewards are out of this world!
To successfully advise a translation team (or teams) requires:
- Good knowledge of the local language and culture often obtained by living among a people group and taking time to build relationships.
- A commitment to working with gifted mother-tongue translators and training them to participate fully in the task.
- A thorough understanding of the Scriptures, so that the original message can be communicated clearly in the local language.
- Careful checking of the translation work to make sure it communicates accurately, clearly, and naturally.
Time invested in helping members of the language community read and apply the translated Scriptures for themselves. - Interaction with church leaders and government officials to encourage ongoing support for the work of Bible Translation.
- Applicants for translation work are usually educated to a degree level, have a good understanding of the Scriptures, and enjoy working with people. They must also receive required linguistics training and complete a translation internship of some kind.
2. Literacy Worker
Goal: Develop reading materials and programmes to facilitate literacy and teach others to do the same.
Imagine English without books or any written information. Even in a post-literate age, that’s scary. Millions of people all over the world have no one to help them write down their language, produce books, or set up programmes to teach adults and children to read. In almost all cases, it is the poor and marginalised who are denied access to literacy.
Might you have what it takes to be a literacy specialist? The following are all very valuable:
- A love of teaching and passing on skills to others.
- Concern for the marginalized.
- A desire to serve and help others.
- Flexibility and tolerance.
- The ability to organize and manage people.
- Talent in art or graphics.
- Good communication skills.
- Commitment to being a team player.
- Enthusiasm for learning new languages and cultures.
- You may have some of these skills and characteristics already. Others can be learned over time.
If you’d like to be involved in literacy, you must receive the required training and experience in this field, and be willing to work in rural areas.
3. Scripture Use Specialist
Goal: To help people see the relevance of God’s Word to everyday living.
The job requires creative abilities, enjoyment of people, and the ability to build partnerships with Christians from a wide variety of church backgrounds.
The work of Scripture use is extremely varied. It may include working alongside church leaders and literacy specialists to develop Bible study materials or Sunday school programs. It may also involve helping local Christians to produce audio cassettes, videos, or radio programs. Those with musical abilities may develop their skills in ethnomusicology and help church communities worship God in ways natural to their culture.
4. Language Survey Specialist
Goal: To gather and utilize language information as a guide for decisions about what future language work is needed.
Language survey specialists travel extensively throughout a language area, typically taking word lists and using stories on tape to test how well people in various locations understand one another. These data are complemented by interviews and observation. Surveyors use scientific research methods, the results of which can benefit not just Bible translation, but other agencies interested in minority groups.
Apart from traveling for fieldwork (which is only about one-quarter of a surveyor’s job), the survey consists of a preparation phase and a post-survey phase. Library research, as well as other research, is essential to a successful survey. Post-survey work consists of data analysis and reports writing. Formulating strategies with church partners for language projects is also a key component of survey work.
Due to the nature of the work, language survey specialists should be prepared to commit themselves to an initial period of service of 2-3 years. Working in the area of language survey combines research, travel, analyzing data, and report writing.
5. Teacher
Goal: To help accomplish the translation task by teaching the children of language workers.
Itinerant teachers work with small groups of children for short periods of time. These teachers have the rare opportunity to live in different village environments as they consult with Wycliffe Africa parents who teach their own children.
Teachers must be university graduates and approved as teachers in their own country. They should also have the willingness and flexibility to teach students of other cultures and nationalities.
Teaching missionary children is both challenging and satisfying – and a vital part of accomplishing the Bible translation task.
6. Finance Professionals
Goal: To help Wycliffe Africa be wise financial stewards.
Wycliffe Africa is concerned about properly handling the funds’ God entrusts to us. This includes accurately receipting and disbursing funds, accounting for them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, wisely investing any funds available, and providing financial services to our staff members in insurance, banking, and personal financial matters.
To accomplish this, we need people skilled in bookkeeping, accounting, insurance, and financial management. If you are a bookkeeper or accountant, Wycliffe Africa has a role for you! An accounting certificate is required and the ability to speak French is an added advantage.
7. Administrator
Goal: Meet the critical need for leadership in carrying out the mission of Wycliffe Africa.
The need for administrators continues to grow as Bible translation and literacy work expand into new countries. Besides translators, the need for administrators is one of the most critical.
Administration roles vary considerably, but may involve:
- Keeping our offices running smoothly by handling correspondence, hosting visitors, organizing meetings, or preparing workshops.
- Handling, storing, or distributing linguistic, literacy, and translation materials.
- Carrying out management functions such as planning, organizing, coordinating, or staffing.
- Helping fellow missionaries and nationals effectively develop their skills and fulfill their responsibilities.
- Training colleagues in administration and management.
The skills and qualities that make a good administrator in the secular world will make the same person an asset to the Bible translation team. Many situations call for imagination, ingenuity, and initiative, as well as a deep sense of commitment to the Lord. If God has given you administrative or management skills, then these can be invested in taking his Word to the many people groups in Africa.
Public relations skills, experience in management and administration, and a degree in a relevant field are required. If you are interested in the area of personnel, you must have experience in human resource management.
8. IT Professional
Goal: To increase productivity and efficiency by applying IT solutions to the needs of staff members.
The overwhelming number of Christian IT professionals who take Jesus’ commands seriously have assumed that any professional involvement in God’s work must be in a “spiritual” domain like evangelism or church planting. They can’t imagine a role in God’s activities as IT professionals. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Bible Translation desperately needs IT professionals in virtually every area of the work.
Qualifications include formal training or on-the-job experience in an area of IT such as network administration, information management, website development, hardware repair, software support, and more.