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by David Morgan, Wycliffe UK Travel back in time with me to the early 7th Century. We are on a visit to imperial China and the Tang dynasty is on the rise. Our focus, in this story, is on the second emperor of that dynasty, Emperor Taizong, often regarded as one of the greatest of all Chinese emperors. He was quite a scholar; he established one of the largest libraries in the ancient world and promoted study of the Chinese classics for all who would take on a role in his administration. After a period of struggle, in which he established control, his reign was marked by great prosperity and peace. This was due in part, at least, to his fostering trade and cultural links with places outside China, such as the Sasanian Empire in Persia and beyond. The emperor’s grandmother was of Turkic ethnicity and he seems to have taken particular interest in non-Chinese people. Traders following the ancient Silk Road trade route, from as far away as Damascus, were frequent visitors to the imperial capital, Chang’an, known today as Xi’an. The visit of one such trader to Chang’an is recorded in some detail on a large stone slab that was discovered in the 17th Century. (The Nestorian Stele, as it is known, actually originates from 781AD, but had lain buried underground for over 800 years.) The text on the stele relates how, in the ninth year of Emperor Taizong, the most virtuous Alopen came from Ta Tsin bearing the true Scriptures. To spell this out for a modern reader, a Christian trader, named as Bishop Alopen, came from Damascus, or possibly Antioch, in 635AD. On arrival in the capital, he was invited, with his Bible, into the palace to meet the emperor. The ancient text goes on: the sacred books were translated in the imperial library; the emperor investigated the books in his private apartments; after becoming deeply impressed with the rectitude and truth of the religion, he gave special orders for its dissemination. There is a growing body of evidence that churches sprang up in many parts of the Chinese empire in the years after Alopen’s biblical texts were translated. Now let us not get too carried away. Alopen did not produce a translation of the entire Bible and there was no printing press, not even in China, to enable wide dissemination! On the other hand, consider these amazing facts. Firstly, Emperor Taizong did not ask initially for debate or a lecture; he wanted to examine sacred texts. His interest in literature fits entirely with what we know about him from other sources. He wanted to discover for himself more about this ‘Persian religion’, for this was evidently how he viewed the Christian faith. Christianity had earlier grown very strong around the Persian Gulf; there were vibrant centres of the faith in Seleucia and Baghdad. In point of fact, the Scriptures Alopen carried with him were almost certainly written in Syriac. He wanted to discover for himself more about this ‘Persian religion’. Secondly, translation of these sacred texts was obviously required. Indeed, it was the first task of the followers of Jesus in this new cross-cultural dialogue, as Dr Andrew Walls pointed out in a 2007 lecture to Wycliffe staff. Dr Walls went on: ‘The first Bible translation into Chinese took place in the royal library under the eyes of the official scholars.’ We do not know exactly what was translated, but we have clues. There was one book produced in 638 entitled Discourse of the Universal Lord concerning Almsgiving. It is, in fact, a translation of much of the Sermon on the Mount. There is another book entitled Introduction to the Messiah which presents an overview of the Fall, the law and Gospel extracts. It is a story of the spreading of the faith from Asia to Asia. Challenges in how you translate key terms such as Messiah, how far you employ Confucian concepts, how you convey Paul’s theological ideas are all evident. To this day, they remain issues for the translator to wrestle with. Consider also the impact of these translated Scriptures. The text on the Stele states that Emperor Taizong was impressed with what he read. Furthermore, it states that he issued an edict in the seventh month of the year 638. His Edict of Toleration allowed the spread of the Christian faith in China. There is a growing body of evidence that churches sprang up in many parts of the Chinese empire over the next 200 years. The story of Alopen is remarkable at several levels. It is a story of the spreading of the faith from Asia to Asia. This was not the work of the Roman church but of the Eastern Church, the Nestorian church based in Syria. It is also a story where the text of Scripture is central. Emperor Taizong did what no Sasanid ruler had ever done; he examined the biblical text and, having done so, sanctioned the spreading of the Christian faith. And as for Alopen, we have no idea who he was. Some speculate that Alopen was a Chinese version of his name, and that he was really called Abraham. The title he is given on the stele is obscure. ‘Lofty Virtue’ is the way one translation has it. He may have been a bishop or he may have been given such an honorific title for other reasons. It is a story from a very far off time, but nonetheless remarkable for demonstrating the power of the word and the effectiveness of mission that is both bold and humble. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK

What is ‘the region of the Decapolis’, that was visited by Jesus? "Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis." - Mark 7:31 Most of Jesus’ ministry was spent in Jewish regions, but the Bible records that he also ministered among the Gentiles. The Decapolis was a loose confederation of 10 autonomous Greco-Roman city-states dependent on Rome, mostly to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The New Testament records 3 events in Jesus’ ministry in the Decapolis area: Jesus heals the Garasene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). Jesus healed a deaf-mute man (Mark 7:31-35). Jesus had many followers in that region (Matthew 4:24-25). Only Scythopolis and Hippos are within the borders of present-day Israel. The others are further north and east, in Syria (Damascus) and Jordan (Canatha, Dion, Raphana, Gadara, Pella, Gerasa and Philadephia).

When the global pandemic hit in 2020, it greatly affected people all over the world. It has also affected the people living in Bantayan Island, a beautiful island located in the Philippines. People were not able to travel around as much as they liked, their meager budget had gradually decreased, and business could not proceed as usual due to the restrictions imposed by the government. While having a great number of Christians in Bantayan Island, they are still a people group living without their own Bible. As a result, Wycliffe Philippines decided to help the Bantayanon people with Bible translation, to provide them with their own Bible that speaks to their heart. During the lockdown in the Philippines, translators were unable to continue with their work, which heavily impacted the Bantayanon translation project. The translation team also had limited resources when it came to their daily needs and income for their families, which brought about another set of challenges. In this documentary from Wycliffe Global Alliance, we see the story about the people and their journey of Bible translation, led by Wycliffe Philippines. We also witness God’s love and mercy for the Bantayanon people during this time. Watch the documentary here . Pray for those in Bantayan Island: Praise God for helping the Bantayanon to see His love and mercy during the tough times, and for bringing them closer to Him. Pray that God will continue to keep the people in Bantayan Island safe and healthy and that they will be able to overcome the barriers caused by COVID-19. Pray that God will continue to provide the Bible translators with the resources they need in order to continue the Bible translation process. Video first published on Wycliffe Global Alliance's website .

The team at Wycliffe Singapore look back on 2021 and see how God has worked in their lives. Praise be to our good, good Father! Praise God for a smooth handover to the new Executive Director. Thank God for technology that allowed the work to continue despite Covid, that we have been blessed with Zoom, WA, shared drives, social media, etc. I’m thankful for God's provision for a good office to work in, for wonderful colleagues to work with, for being part of the admin team and a role to fill in which is part of my passion. I’m grateful that support for the R200 programme has been steady in spite of the pandemic, and that the projects are also able to keep moving forward somehow. I’m also grateful for the lovely folks in the Teochew Storying Team. Praise God that we have all found ways to work even though we have spent more time WFH than in the office. And that there is hope that we can return to working in the office in 2022. Praise God for his protection and keeping those in the field safe. Thanks for good health and for successfully losing some weight this year. In April, I discovered I had diabetes. But I’m grateful for this, because I was finally motivated to lose weight and work on my fitness. I’m now in better health than I’ve been for a long time. I’m grateful for being home at the right time—to go through the pandemic with family, colleagues and friends. Thank God for having a good and caring government that takes care of us (the people) during challenging times by providing practical help. Praise God for his provision that I was able to receive the needed financial support despite the situation in Singapore. Thank God for being part of a cell group in our home church—rebuilding relationships with the ministry leaders and congregation. Praise God for my husband’s new role in church as an Executive Ministry staff in the area of Mission and GYM (the Glowing Years Ministry for the seniors). For rebuilding relationships with the Pastoral team, Staff & Ministry Team leaders, Board leaders and the congregation. Last but not least, I’m thankful for God's mercy, goodness, grace and love to us all. What are you thankful to God for this past year? Share your thanksgiving in the comments below! From everyone at Wycliffe Singapore, a huge thank you for your continued prayers and support. Let's share God's Word with more people in their heart language in the year ahead. Blessed Christmas and a happy new year!

Wycliffe Singapore wishes everyone a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! We give thanks to God for enabling us to continue with our ministries, even though mostly online, in 2021. We look forward to what God has in store for us in 2022! Let us continue to pray for those who do not know of the good news of Jesus Christ’s coming. We pray that they will have the opportunity to hear this message in their heart language this year, and that their lives will be transformed. Pray that Wycliffe Singapore and other Christian organisations will continue to be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission. May God’s peace reign in every heart this Christmas season.

When you picture translating the Bible into sign languages, what do you think about? Today sign languages are considered the “final frontier” of Bible translation, filled with exciting opportunities and creative innovation. Two couples who work in sign language translation, Dan and Carolyn Rehder and Harry and Geri, share four things you need to know about getting involved in sign language translation. IT’S ALL ABOUT WILLINGNESS TO LEARN When Dan and Carolyn Rehder were first drawn to the possibility of serving with sign language Bible translation, they assumed it wasn’t a possibility for them. “From the beginning we thought … there’s no way we’re qualified to [serve in sign language translation],” Carolyn said. Neither of them had ever been involved with the Deaf community before joining Wycliffe, but they were eager to get to know Deaf people and learn a sign language. After talking with a recruiter from Wycliffe, the Rehders realized that they just needed to be willing to learn. Wycliffe’s comprehensive training experiences prepared them for serving alongside the Deaf. Harry and Geri, translation consultants and administrators working with the global sign languages team, agreed that having a lifelong learning mindset is key to serving well. Harry said, “We can take in people with no sign language [experience] and with our orientation and training program, they can learn a sign language. [They can] … learn [about] Deaf culture and be successful.” Now Carolyn Rehder serves the global sign languages team as the communications coordinator, and Dan works with the team as the associate regional director for sign language work in North and South America, offering critical support to Deaf translators. THE DEAF TAKE THE LEAD Signed languages have complex grammar systems that differ from spoken languages, so translating the Bible into a sign language is a unique process. People from the Deaf community serve in all kinds of roles from translators and translation consultants to video editors. Wycliffe missionaries like Dan and Carolyn provide support by coming alongside translation teams, but it’s important for the Deaf to take the lead in the project. “[If Deaf people are] going to truly own and use the translation, they need to be fully involved from the beginning,” Geri said. “They can make their own decisions and they need to be involved.” ACCESS TO SCRIPTURE IS CHANGING LIVES Deaf people around the world often face many barriers when it comes to accessing information and education. Opportunities to be involved in translation projects and Scripture engagement have enabled the Deaf to overcome many of these challenges. “The Deaf in one region have been working on using the arts to do trauma healing and it’s been very effective. We’re hoping … that something similar could be done in other places too,” Geri said. In Africa, Deaf adults from multiple regions attended Scripture engagement training in early 2020. After the training they returned to their own regions to share Bible stories at 11 different schools for the Deaf. The stories impacted the Deaf students, and God has transformed many lives through his Word. In Mexico a group of translators visited a church to show a portion of Scripture in Mexican Sign Language. A Deaf man stayed afterward to ask the translation team some questions. He told them: “It’s better in sign language. It’s clear. I’ve tried again and again to read the Spanish [Bible] but I don’t know what it meant. Now finally you have shown me, and I am overjoyed.” Dan added, [When a woman saw Scripture in sign language] she got goosebumps, because she finally understood what … [the passage] meant.” NOW IS THE TIME Recent advancements in technology have also enabled translation teams to overcome challenges. In the past, portions of Scripture in sign language were only available on VHS tapes and DVDs. Now passages can be streamed from a mobile app or downloaded to a microSD card. The Bible is more accessible than ever for Deaf communities. Geri said, “What’s happening [in Deaf communities] today would not have been possible … 20 years ago.” She continued: “But God has brought technology [and] he’s brought people together. He’s just made it possible.” Harry agreed, “There’s lots of work to do. … [This] generation is the first generation that has the possibility of translating God's Word and making it accessible to Deaf [people] all over the world.” To learn more about getting involved in sign language translation, watch this webinar. Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators (USA).

What is a shofar, and how was it used in the Bible? Blowing the shofar at the Western Wall©Government_Press_Office, Flickr The Hebrew word shofar has been variously translated as trumpet, horn or ram’s horn in English versions of the Bible. A shofar is made from a hollowed-out animal horn, and sounds are produced by blowing through it. It is sometimes unclear whether the word trumpet in the English translations indicates a shofar or other types of metal trumpets used by the Israelites. The first mention of the shofar in the Bible is in Exodus 19:16, when a loud “trumpet (shofar) blast” heralded God’s appearance on Mount Sinai. Another well-known story when ram’s horns were used was during the Israelites’ siege of Jericho (Joshua 6). Other uses of the shofar were in warfare (e.g. Judges 7:15-22) and in worship, where they might be used alongside metal trumpets (e.g. Psalms 98:6). Joshua 6:6©Sweet_Media

‘Before I joined Wycliffe, I really did not see the difference Bible translation makes,’ says Ian Lund. ‘We had plenty of Bibles in English and so I did not understand the impact on a community. ‘But after working for over 9 years in Southern Africa, attending the Makonde Bible dedication in Northern Mozabique (pictured above), seeing the excitement of the whole community and hearing people say, “Now I know that God knows me – he speaks my language,” it is important to me that all people have the opportunity to hear God’s word in the language that is most accessible to them.’ So why did Ian get involved in Bible translation in the first place? He explains: ‘From our 20’s my wife Cheryl and I had said that if we could we would plan to stop ‘normal’ work in our mid 50’s and do something ‘useful’! ‘Chris and Ada Lyndon, who were part of our church, worked in Mozambique and we felt we could help support them while they carried out the work of Bible translation. Unfortunately, Ada died a short while before we planned to go, but we still felt we should go and help with the work in Mozambique. We did not really have a clear idea what that might be. But I ran a training centre in Mozambique and my wife started the process to become a translation consultant.’ After hearing people say ‘God speaks my language’ it is important to me that people have the opportunity to hear God’s word in the language that is most accessible to them After some time, Ian took on a new role heading up the Human Resources work for countries in Southern Africa. ‘I spent most of my working life in a commercial organisation managing teams of up to 100 people. This meant having an understanding of HR practices and approaches but not as a ‘professional’ – my background is marketing. But there are now good online professional courses that provide the expertise to add to the personal qualities that someone may have.’ But after several years in that role, the time had come for Ian to start looking for a successor. ‘We needed someone who could be involved in HR for a longer period than I could. Someone who could be thinking about the needs of our team for the next 5–10 years and be part of putting that thinking into place.’ That proved easier said that done. ‘We went down all the usual recruitment channels, but didn’t get any interest – not even an enquiry. ‘So we started to look at our own team – not the jobs people were doing at the time, but people’s personalities and characters. In all our discussion and prayer sessions, one person’s name came to the surface. It took us two years, but in the end it has all come together.’ People are the most important part of any organisation ‘It is often said that people are the most important part of any business or organisation and this is particularly true for us. We have highly skilled people who are working with local teams to support and develop them in the work of Bible translation. Some of these are local to the countries in which work is being carried out and some are expatriates. Some of our team will be supported by donations, some may be salaried and some maybe volunteers. HR plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the people working to realise the vision for Bible translation are well supported in their work and everyday life. ‘We are working to try to remove some of the barriers to local people being involved in supporting Bible translation work – this is one area the new HR director will be involved in working on. ‘Our aim is always to serve the local work and community. Part of that is to provide training and experience so that local people can fulfil these roles, but this does not mean we do not need expatriate staff as well – it is not one or the other but both are needed.’ HR plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the people working to realise the vision for Bible translation are well supported in their work and everyday life Ian’s team isn’t alone in this – there are hundreds of opportunities to make a real difference in the Bible translation movement so that more people can know Jesus through the Bible. A number of these are HR roles, so if you’re interested in this kind of work, we’d love to hear from you. The exciting thing is when God is drawing people to work in Bible translation… Seeing people grow in their roles… Seeing new areas of work develop… This work can be tremendously rewarding, says Ian: ‘The exciting thing is when God is drawing people to work in Bible translation and you can work with them to find that right role and location. Seeing people grow in their roles and then encouraging them to take supervisory or leadership roles. Seeing new areas of work develop by releasing people to try new things. ‘The challenges are working with people struggling through illness, stress, or difficulties in work relationships – Christians are not immune to these. The other hard areas are when people have to be withdrawn from an area due to security concerns. As HR people we need to ensure that there are good support networks to enable people to thrive. I have been privileged to work with seven organisations in Southern Africa that have come together to start projects they could not start on their own ‘Our particular team is working across 17 countries in Southern Africa, with staff living in four of those countries and some also living in Europe and the US. As part of a leadership team you have a responsibility to represent your own area but also to contribute to the broader vision and work. ‘I have been privileged to work with seven other Bible translation organisations in Southern Africa that have come together to start projects that individually they could not start on their own. This has meant raising funding to employ local staff in the projects and to fund the specialist staff such as translation consultants. In the last three years, 22 new projects have been started – that is very faith building!’ Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK.

The Korean Netflix series, Squid Game, has raised some intense debate about translation issues. Since most of the viewers are not Korean-speaking, translated subtitles are essential for them to follow the dialogue. It all started after a Korean speaker, Youngmi Mayer, claimed that the English subtitles were “so bad” that the original meaning was often lost. Translators as Storytellers Translators are storytellers. They do not simply engage in word-for-word or phrase-by-phrase substitution, but seek to evoke emotions and insights through the stories they tell. Their main aim and their KPI (key performance indicator) are whether the story is told clearly, accurately and naturally, but in another language. Balancing all these factors can mean that lengthy explanations are not be possible as they interrupt the flow of the story. This is especially so for film subtitles! Such decisions are hard to make, and will always be disputed. Translators also have to consider how the audience is likely to understand or react, and tell the story in such a way as to evoke the responses intended by the show’s scriptwriters and producers – is it a joke, is there a cultural reference or nuance, does is make use of wordplay? All these may require change and adaptation to the literal meaning of words to make sure that resulting text makes sense and creates the same audience reaction in the other language. Translating the ‘Untranslatable’ But what if a word is uniquely culture-specific? Such words may be ‘untranslatable’ if the hearer does not have a genuine understanding of the source culture and language. An example of an ‘untranslatable’ cultural term that was used in Squid Game is the honorific hyung or ‘older brother’. There is no term in English which adequately captures the nuances of this Korean honorific. In Korean society, people do not address each other by name unless they are friends of the same age. A younger man would address an older male friend as hyung to indicate a close friendship. In the drama, Ali, a Pakistani migrant worker, began by addressing another participant, Sang Woo, as sajang-nim or ‘CEO’, a term foreign workers are taught to use to address their Korean bosses. As their friendship deepened, Sang Woo asked Ali to call him hyung. However, the poignancy of this moment was lost as there is no equivalent English word which would convey the closeness implied by this term of address. In the English subtitles, the line “Call me hyung” was translated as “Call me Sang Woo”. Korean speakers have criticised this choice, but perhaps there was no better option given the constraints of subtitling? Bible Translation – Bringing Transformation Through Telling God’s Story Bible translators are also storytellers – their aim is to tell the story of God and his dealings with mankind in the heart language of the hearers. They seek to make God’s power, love and his ultimate plan for mankind shine through, in every language and culture, and evoke a response that brings transformation to the hearts and lives of every people group. Just as the translators in Squid Game struggled with choosing words and expressions, Bible translators also strive daily to find the best way to tell God’s story. Please pray for those who are engaged in this important work!

Which biblical character used selective breeding of livestock to produce streaked, speckled and spotted sheep and goats? Jacob (Genesis 30:31-43). Historians say that this is one of the oldest documented examples of selective breeding – by selecting the streaked, speckled and spotted lambs and goats, then encouraging the stronger ones to breed, he eventually built up a large flocks of his own. Different explanations of Jacob’s curious use of peeled branches in the water troughs have been suggested. Just having the animals look at them would not explain the colouration of the resultant young, but Jacob may have believed that substances in the wood might possibly aid in bringing the animals into heat (unproven), or he may have used the branches to corral the animals near the troughs to encourage breeding. Sheep trivia: There is a breed of black and white sheep known as Jacob Sheep in the UK and North America. However, Elisha Gootwine, a sheep expert at the Israeli Agriculture Ministry, has said that the resemblance to the sheep in the Bible story is a coincidence, and that the breed is not indigenous to ancient Israel.