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by Evangeline How many languages are spoken in Singapore today? Four? Seven? 12? The answer is actually 24. Most people (in Singapore, at least) would probably know that English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, the four official languages of Singapore, add towards this count. What, then, are the other 20 languages? 10 of these languages are still commonly used and include fairly familiar ones such as Southern Min (a branch of Chinese that includes varieties like Hokkien and Teochew), Eastern Min (such as Fuzhou), Puxian, Cantonese (while these are all forms of Chinese, they are mutually unintelligible and therefore counted as separate languages), Hindi, Sindhi, and Singapore Sign Language. The remaining 10, such as Malayalam, Madura (including Boyanese), Baba Malay, and Orang Seletar, are languages either ‘in trouble’, or dying. Of course, there are also unestablished languages like Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Tagalog, and more, which do not add to the country’s overall language count. But facts aside – how can one get hold of such information? All it takes is a quick check-in to the Ethnologue (although a paid subscription is now required), an online and print reference publication that provides detailed information and statistics on all the known languages in the world, and voila! all the above-mentioned facts and more will appear. The online site is practical and easy to use, where one can locate a language based on its name, family, or even region. Founded by Richard Pittman, the first version of the Ethnologue was published in 1951, with 10 pages describing 40 languages. This was when the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) was sending missionaries to the field to translate the Bible into languages which lacked the Bible, 34 years after Cameron Townsend first set out to translate the Bible into Cakchiquel. To do so, Pittman, who himself was with the SIL, felt that they would need greater and more comprehensive information about which languages needed a Bible. As a result, he put together the Ethnologue, and went on to edit it for the next 20 years. In 1971, Joseph and Barbara Grimes, also members of the SIL, expanded the Ethnologue survey from just minority languages to all languages in the world. This revealed the full scale of just how massive the global Bible translation project being undertaken was. Each year, the number of languages that were found to still be in existence increased, subsequently increasing the need for Bible translation. Based on recent statistics, there are currently about 7,353 languages spoken or signed in the world and of these, 2115 languages affecting 171 million people need translation to begin. To Ethnologue, the SIL, and Wycliffe, a ‘language’ is defined as a particular variety which is mutually unintelligible from another. Thus, it would require its own literature, and in the case of Wycliffe’s mission, its own Bible. Before missionary field linguists even begin Bible translation, they have to conduct surveys to assess which varieties of that particular language are mutually unintelligible; the fewer the words that speakers of different ‘dialects’ can understand, the more likely they are to need two separate translation projects. However, this process is hardly so straightforward – sometimes, mutually unintelligible dialects may still be ‘combined’ in a project if they share some form of cultural heritage or another. The same process applies for projects other than Bible translation, such as literacy projects. Today, the Ethnologue has established the official ISO standard for three-letter codes for language identification worldwide. Entries in the Ethnologue continue to be fed from linguists in the field but, unlike its earlier days, it now serves more than just missionaries. Academics, scientists, tech developers, politicians, lawyers, and many other categories of users rely on it for linguistic, literacy and language development, multilingual education, and a whole range of other seemingly secular purposes. Nonetheless, the extensive documentation of languages since its beginning and the vast depth of information of over 7,000 languages to date undoubtedly remind us of God’s amazing creativity – and Wycliffe’s mission: that by helping a people to retain the use of their language, we are not only protecting their cultural heritage and identity, but also maintaining part of God’s creation. More about the Ethnologue and other useful resources can be found here. For several years now, the Ethnologue has been the go-to reference for this writer for various purposes, especially when it comes to linguistics research. She was first introduced to it as a student but, nevermind that she was a linguistics major, it became more of a useful tool in the cosmopolitan environment that she was in then; every time she met someone who spoke X language, she would look it up in Ethnologue out of plain curiosity. Little did she know that she would one day end up working in the organisation that is historically linked to the one that produces the Ethnologue!

From David Tan, Executive Director 2020 started on fairly normal note for Wycliffe Singapore. However, with COVID-19, things have been rather disrupted. The first to go were the events in the earlier part of the year. The Culture Meets Scripture workshop planned for March, which had over 30 people signed up, had to be cancelled, to the disappointment of many who were looking forward to it. Next to go was the annual Camp Wycliffe in Thailand which is usually held in May. Several trips to meetings and workshops overseas were also cancelled. It seems fairly certain that events and trips in the second half of the year will likewise be affected. Secondly, with flights being reduced and borders closing, quite a number of our members who were based overseas had to leave the field hurriedly. Most managed to return to Singapore smoothly and safely. One family that was heading to Europe had to face a separation as one member who was holding a different passport was prevented by the airline from boarding the flight. He served the 14-day Stay-Home Notice in Singapore, and has now been reunited with the rest of his family in Europe. There are several members who are still overseas; we pray for God’s protection over them, and that they will be a blessing where they are. On the home front, we had to make some changes. The 1-metre separation rule meant that we had to restructure how we worked and the staff had to take it in turn to work from home. Now during the "circuit breaker" period, we are all working from home and holding our meetings online. All of the above have been rather disruptive. We hope that with God’s grace and some creativity, we will still be able to continue our ministry to mobilize more workers and resources to transform the world through the translated word. Do keep us in prayer.

by Sharon Tan Robert Morrison by John Richard Wildman, Public domain Official: And so, Mr. Morrison, you really expect that you will make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese empire? Morrison: No, sir. I expect God will. Most, if not all, missionaries will acknowledge that it is most effective to reach the unreached with scriptures in their own languages. Sometimes, it is the only way. But language learning and Bible translation is a long, hard process, often with no immediate visible fruit. How much would you be willing to sacrifice for a foundational ministry which would enable others after you to reap the fruit of your labours? Some giants of Christian missions made great sacrifices when they answered God’s call to difficult but essential ministries. Robert Morrison (1782–1834) joined the London Missionary Society in 1804. It was decided that he should study the Chinese language as spoken by the ordinary person, not the language of the educated elite, with a view to creating a dictionary and translating the Bible for the benefit of future missionaries. Before leaving for China, Morrison started learning the language from a Chinese student in London using an old manuscript of most of the New Testament in Chinese (probably translated by Jesuit missionaries) in the British Museum. This introduced him to some valuable biblical terms and phrases (what we now call “key terms”). At that time, the Chinese people were forbidden to teach the Chinese language to a foreigner, or to have any dealings with foreigners other than for trade. The British East India Company, knowing that Morrison was a missionary, refused to carry him on their ships, forcing him to travel to China via the United States! He finally arrived in Macau in 1807 after a seven-month journey, and eventually found lodgings in Canton. After studying Mandarin and Cantonese in secret, he was appointed as translator for the East India Company in 1809, which gave him both an income as well as an official position. In 1812, he published a Chinese grammar and, over the years 1815–23, a three-volume dictionary. Unable to evangelise openly, Morrison baptised his first Chinese convert only in 1814, seven years after his arrival in China. Bible translation is slow, painstaking work, and even harder when working alone and with the risk of being found out. In 1813, Morrison completed a translation of the New Testament in the genuine colloquial speech of the Chinese. That same year, William Milne, also of the London Missionary Society, joined him in the work. Together, they completed the translation of the whole Bible in 1819. Realising that translating the Bible alone was not enough, Morrison also translated hymns and a prayer book into Chinese, as well as a little book called A Tour Round the World, to introduce Chinese readers to European customs and ideas, and the benefits that had flowed from Christianity. All this work came at considerable personal cost to Morrison. He had married in 1809, but had to leave his wife in Macau while he worked in Canton. Their first child died at birth, and his wife died in 1821, leaving him with two young children. The Chinese often took advantage of him, and the western traders had little sympathy for his mission. The Milnes were unable to get permission to stay in China, and had to eventually move to Malaya. Although separated, Morrison and Milne continued to work together. After the Bible translation had been completed, Morrison wrote in a letter to the London Missionary Society: "Granting that many had the talent to do better than we have done, yet few appear to have had the will; and I will be bold to say, there are many who could not have done so well at a first attempt; however, for what is actually well done, to God be all the praise." Morrison also believed firmly in the value of providing education for the local people. Unable to do so in China because of the restrictions there, he founded the Anglo-Chinese College in Malacca in 1818, to introduce West to East and vice versa, and to enable Christian thought to be disseminated in Malaya, and eventually, through the Chinese diaspora, back to China. He was also a founding member of the Singapore Institution (later renamed Raffles Institution) which was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823. Morrison only won about 10 converts during his nearly three decades of missionary service, but his years of dedication to the foundational work of language learning, Bible translation, writing and education laid the groundwork for the missionaries who came after him. He knew that he was the forerunner of many more who would work among the Chinese after him; at the baptism of his first convert, he prayed prophetically: “May he be the first fruits of a great harvest — one of the millions who shall believe and be saved from the wrath to come!” Christians and churches in our part of the world owe a great debt to missionaries like Morrison who willingly suffered and toiled so that others who followed could reap the harvest. How willing are we to do the same?

Have you ever thought about serving but felt that your call is to remain in Singapore? While there is much work to be done in the overseas missions field, did you know that a great deal of support work is also required in local offices? Such support is crucial for the wellbeing of missionaries in the field. Locally-based Wycliffe members serve in a variety of ways ranging from administration, to human resource, to leadership roles. In this multi-part series, we get Up close with Wycliffe members who work faithfully behind the scenes. In previous parts, Hannah and Felicia shared about their roles as Project Coordinators, while David shared about his role as Executive Director. In this third part, Sally Ong, who has been serving in the Wycliffe Singapore office for over 15 years, shares with us about her current role as an Administrative Officer: What is the role of the Administrative Officer in the Wycliffe Singapore office? Sally: As some might say, admin officers are often the ‘do everything as and when needed’ people. So, basically, I manage the regular administrative tasks such as compiling all sorts of data, keeping contact and mailing lists up-to-date, mailing out soft- and hardcopy publications to relevant parties, and even keeping the office stocked up with essentials like pantry and other supplies. More specific tasks include preparing for our weekly office prayer meeting – I need to plan the theme for the week, assign a list of people to lead the sharing session, look for worship songs, prepare presentation slides, and also collect and collate items for prayer. This involves trawling through articles and prayer items on the Wycliffe Global Alliance (WGA) prayer net and selecting items to pray for, as well as contacting Wycliffe members for their specific and individual prayer needs and collating these. Some other ad-hoc tasks I have also helped with include mission awareness programmes, such as setting up missions booths in churches and at events, meeting and sharing with people about Wycliffe’s ministry, and helping to coordinate The Journey programmes. How did you come to serve in this administrative role in Wycliffe Singapore? Sally: I had always worked in the area of administration and accounts. When I first started serving with Wycliffe in 2004, the then Executive Director felt that administration was my strong point. Hence, I have been serving in this capacity to this day. What are some challenges you have encountered in your role? Sally: More often than not, admin tasks can be rather menial. Admittedly, I have at times faced difficulty in finding fulfilment in these tasks. What, then, has kept you serving at Wycliffe? Sally: I feel that there are still many things I can learn about the missions world in the midst of performing even routine tasks. For example, the world is constantly changing; along with it, the circumstances of our missionaries in the field and their needs also change. I get to know about all these and keep up-to-date with what is happening in the world and around us when consolidating prayer requests from missionaries and searching for prayer needs on the WGA prayer net for prayer meetings and lists. Moreover, I have to remember that though my role might seem insignificant at times, it is nonetheless an important one in helping to bring people together – whether in the office, as prayer supporters, or in any other way. Ultimately, I find that because I still have a heart for missions, I can continue to serve God’s purpose, through Wycliffe, with conviction. Find out more about the various ways you can serve with Wycliffe Singapore here.

Revelations from Revelations Ocha, an Ambonese Malay translator, was struck by the words of Revelation 7:9 as she worked with her teammates on translating the book. “This is God’s plan,” Ocha said. Others from the community have also been impacted by Revelation. Ray, a college student who read the draft text and offered feedback to the translation team, had tears in his eyes as he read Revelation 3. “We young people want to live freely and do whatever feels good,” he said. “When I read Revelation, it occurred to me that we don’t know when we’re going to die.” For Ray, the text reinforced that he wanted his life to honor God. “I’m very glad I could come and help with this work,” he said. The final two books of the Ambonese Malay New Testament are currently being consultant checked. Growing impact and momentum "Ever since my family and I started reading the Word of God in our language, we’ve been rejoicing — and our joy continues to increase each day,” a Komo church leader said. “The Bible passages we read have a different impact on us than those we listen to in Swahili.” Excitement among the community is building as the completion of the New Testament is now in sight. Many people offer the team what they can — a home-cooked meal, lodging or even a few chickens. Some also give their time, reviewing and providing feedback on drafts of translated Scripture. Komo leaders are eager to see people continue to engage with Scripture even after the New Testament is finished. “The work being done in our language,” one official said, “is God’s answer to my prayers.”

by Sharon Tan The South Korean film Parasite made the news recently for winning the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as four Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards in Feb 2020. It was the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture award. Director Bong Joon-ho attributed much of the win to the English subtitles translated by Darcy Parquet, saying that the “subtle and elegant translations” of the Korean dialogue made audiences “laugh, sigh and cry at the right moments”. This was echoed by critics who praised the movie's subtitles for allowing foreign audiences “to laugh in all the right places”. South Korean culture critic Kim Heon-sik commented: "The subtitlers don’t translate literally or simply deliver the words, but they identify the message the director intends and “design the language” so that the foreign viewers can arrive at the core of the message. It’s a complicated job that requires both professional insight in filmmaking and linguistic proficiency." That is an excellent description of the task faced by Bible translators! When the Bible is translated into another language, a literal translation would never be able to convey the meaning well. Especially when there are idioms or concepts that are not easily expressed in the target language, translators often have to “design” expressions in order to transmit the meaning clearly and accurately. It is as much an art as a science. Paquet, an American who lives in Seoul with his Korean wife, said Bong wanted the translated dialogue to sound natural to English-speaking audiences. He comments: "You're often making creative decisions when translating subtitles, because there are so many ways to interpret the same line of dialogue … It was helpful to have a group of us thinking together about the challenging parts of the translation … Then you can get closest to the intended meaning." An example of one of his “creative decisions” is the word ramdon. In the film’s dialogue, the word used is Chapaguri, a combination of two noodle brands which foreigners would be unfamiliar with. He chose to combine two more-familiar words ramyeon and udon instead. Another example is his replacement of SNU (Seoul National University) with Oxford in a humorous exchange, because he felt it was important that international audiences (who would be more familiar with Oxford than SNU) understood the meaning of the humour immediately. Bible translators also face such decisions as they seek the best way to express the meaning of the scriptures in a clear, accurate and natural way, so that their hearers will be able to understand and be transformed by the Word of God. They also work in teams, with drafters, testers and checkers collaborating to ensure a high-quality translation. The same translation principles apply!

When our storying team attended the Storying and EthnoArts Community of Practice, a gathering in Bangkok with representatives from nearly a dozen countries, we were expecting to gain professional knowledge about crafting Bible stories and network with others in this region. What we didn’t expect, however, was to personally encounter the power of God through a story and see it change our lives. It was the first morning of the conference, and the devotion was simple drama telling the story of Job. A woman representing Job held pieces of paper in her hands with pictures of sheep, camels, possessions, and children drawn on each piece of paper. Some people chuckled when a man entered dramatically, doing a slightly comedic impersonation of Satan. But then, faces grew sober as he walked over to Job, inspecting his possessions. One by one, Satan took the pieces of paper from Job’s trembling hands. He held each piece of paper high and slowly tore it, letting it drop to the ground. The sheep...rip. The camels...rip. The possessions… rip. And last of all, the children… The sound of tearing paper broke the silence, and one team member felt real pain and tears began to fall. She and her husband lost their newborn son to illness last year, only nine days after giving birth. We watched the drama, as the person acting for God turned his back to Job, seemingly deaf to Job’s cries and blind to his suffering. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. His friends accused him of many sins. Job pled and called out to a God who, from his point of view, was looking the other way. The drama unfolded, and ended with God turning back to restore to Job more than he had lost. We sat and watched, experiencing the power of God and his sovereign control over all our suffering, knowing he is not blind to our pain or deaf to our cries. Two days later, a dear member of our team lost her unborn child due to a miscarriage. There in the hospital, she said, “You know, before I had to go through this, three times God spoke to me through the Bible about the story of Job. God gives and God takes away. Blessed be his name.” We work to bring these stories to others, but God wants to use them in our lives as well. He is working among us, and giving us strength to bring his life-changing stories to the many ethnic groups of this country.

In 1962, two young American women, Joanne Shetler and Anne Fetzer, felt convicted to go the Balangao, a tribe in northern Philippines, to help them write down their language and translate the Scriptures. They were not deterred by the fact that the Balangaos were animistic head-hunters, or that they lived “two-days’ hike beyond the end of the road”! Joanne worked there for 20 years until the Balangao New Testament was completed. At the Bible dedication, Masa-aw, a Balangao man who had helped with checking the translation, said, Even though we don’t understand other languages, at last a Book as been born that we can understand. "Even though we aren’t worldly wise, even though we haven’t gone to school, even though we just cook our meals over an open fire in our house, we can still understand this Word of God — because it has come out in our language — Balangao. … And though we’ve never gone to school, this is even greater than graduating from college; it is the most magnificent of all. For twenty years we’ve been studying this Word of God with nothing added to it to dilute it. Some people say “Yeah, but when [Joanne] leaves, it’ll be all over.” … That would be true if we were following just people. But if it’s this Book we follow, that won’t happen. It will be our reference point. And now it’s [the Holy] Spirit who is in each of us, ruling over us. He is the one who works in us, making us steadfast in our faith. It’s not a person that we follow. Therefore our faith will not fade away; it’ll stand true." Read Joanne Shetler’s account of her years translating the New Testament for the Balangao people. And the Word Came with Power by Joanne Shetler with Patricia Purvis, Wycliffe Bible Translators, 1992. See more To learn more, you can also attend the upcoming Culture Meets Scripture workshop conducted by Joanne Shetler.

by Josh Oldfield To experience first hand what church is like for Christians around the world who don't yet have the Bible in their own language, and gain a deeper passion for God’s word in the process, why not hold a NoBibleSunday? How good is your Latin? Despite all the stereotypes of growing up in Cambridge, I don’t speak Latin. In fact, even though I have an undergraduate degree in History and Theology, I cannot read Greek or Hebrew either. Language modules weren’t compulsory for my degree – so I simply chose lectures that interested me more. I have rarely felt I have been missing out by only speaking my first language. But for many people throughout the centuries, this hasn’t been the case. Far too often, language has been an impassable barrier, keeping Christians from growing in maturity and unbelievers from knowing God at all. Martin Luther was responsible for one of the most influential Bible translations of all time. His Bible translation into the German language was copied 100,000 times during his lifetime and changed the face of Europe forever. He said this about access to the Scriptures: ‘Let us then consider it certain and conclusively established that the soul can do without all things except the word of God, and that where this is not, there is no help for the soul in anything else whatever. But if it has the word it is rich and lacks nothing.’ Without the word – translated, comprehended and believed – Luther argued that there is no help for the soul. I owe my soul firstly to God. But if Luther is right, then in a way, I owe my soul secondly to John Wycliffe. Wycliffe was the man responsible for the first Bible translation into Middle English, an earlier version of the English we speak today. Wycliffe realised that the Latin Vulgate was not sufficient, because ordinary people could not read it; it would not change them, and it would not change society. If English is your first language, then you probably owe your Christian faith partly to Wycliffe’s vision of Bible translation. Translation matters because it changes this: Sic enim dilexit Deus mundum ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam. (Latin Vulgate) To this: For God louede so the world, that he ȝaf his `oon bigetun sone, that ech man that bileueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. (Wycliffe’s Middle English translation) To this: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (New International Version – NIV) But there is another reason that translation matters: God initiated it. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ (Acts 2:7–11) When God first preached the gospel at Pentecost, he chose to translate. It is highly likely that, despite travelling from different lands, the Jewish audience of Acts 2 would have spoken Aramaic, the language of their religion, spoken in Israel, and Greek, the dominant trade language. Which means that God could have presented the good news about his Son pretty well in one language. But he didn’t. He wanted everyone to hear it in the language they understand best. The way we communicate the message of Jesus shows people something of the God we worship. It is not that it is impossible to preach the gospel and see people saved in their second language. It is that translation truly demonstrates our incarnational God, who does not stand at a distance commanding everyone learns one language. Neither does he speak in a way which leaves his hearers unmoved and unchanged. Instead, just as he sent the Word in human flesh, so now he sends the word in human speech. Translation of the Bible is still a great need in our world. There are more than 7000 languages spoken on our planet. The whole Bible has been translated into just under 700 of those. That leaves around 1.5 billion people who do not have access to the whole Bible in their language. In fact, there are more people alive today without the Bible in their language than people alive on the planet during Luther’s lifetime. None of this is to say that translation is the only way to share the gospel. Or that people cannot become Christians by hearing the message in their second language. And it is certainly not to discourage you from studying Greek and Hebrew! It is simply to ask the questions of all of us – how much do our souls depend on translation? What would our devotional lives look like without an English Bible? What about our evangelism? Or our local churches’ discipleship? How good is your Latin?

For many of us, a new year is a time to set big goals for ourselves and hope to see exciting changes in our lives. But it can be hard to stick to the goals as the days, weeks and months go by. That’s why it’s often easier to set small goals for ourselves — they’re easier to stick to for longer amounts of time! This year, make the goal as a family to pray for the world. It’s a huge task, we know! But Kate and Mack are here to help by providing simple ways to pray for people and languages around the world. For the first six months of the year (January through June), pray for the people and languages that don’t have the Bible yet. Then for the last six months of the year (August through December), pray for the people who do have the Bible, that they’d read it and understand how much God loves them! All you have to do is print out the calendar and place it somewhere you’ll see it regularly as a family (a fridge, bathroom mirror, Bible, etc.)! Do whatever works best for you, and remember that God loves when we pray. PRAY FOR THE WORLD Reproduced with permission from Wycliffe US