The ministry of translating the Bible and Christian literature requires long-term, if not life-time, commitment. It takes years to translate a New Testament and decades for a complete Bible. Yet the fruit of bible translation work results in indigenous people groups having God’s Word in their heart language. OMF International believes in the value of this critical ministry for the evangelization of East Asia’s peoples. Where OMF is pursuing evangelization and translation is lacking or incomplete, we place workers with the gifts and tenacity to serve in bible translation. Bible translators need extensive preparation and a good background in biblical exegesis, functional linguistics and social anthropology. An MTh. with a major in Bible and an MA with a major in linguistics and a minor in anthropology would be ideal. These should be supplemented by a further year in translation studies. Bible translators need to first become so fluent in the language and so familiar with the culture that aspects of grammar, meaning and implication can be discussed freely in the local language. This is achieved through learning the national language well, engaging in linguistic research and living with the minority people group for a very long period of time. For biblical translations into a minority language, the same needs to be repeated in the dialect. Applicants should also have a mind for details, patience to pore over the same biblical text again and again, ability to engage in desk or computer work with translation helper and meet with others to discuss use of vocabulary and expressions in the language. As it is often unlikely for one to have all these pre-requisites, OMF International usually form teams in which various members bring with them different gifts and skills to contribute to the bible translation process. For long-term translation needs, OMF International believes that gifted indigenous people need to be trained to continue the work because they have the potential to produce the best translations in their own heart language. Moreover, language evolves over time, so translated Scriptures and Christian literature will need to be updated and revised. There are technological tools available today to speed up this work, but the training of new, faithful translators must continue. If you have the desire to serve East Asia through bible translation, contact us.