 | |
| Named after | John Wycliffe |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1953 |
| Type | Christian charity |
| Purpose | Bible translation |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | wycliffe.org.uk |
Wycliffe Bible Translators is a Christian mission agency with a primary focus on Bible translation for people worldwide. It is the UK's largest Bible translation organisation. [1] It is part of the Wycliffe Global Alliance. [2]
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2020) |
Wycliffe Bible Translators was founded by other British mission agencies, who were initially seeking improved linguistic training for their own missionaries. They formed a sponsoring committee and invited the Summer Institute of Linguistics to hold an 11-week training course in the UK in 1953. Fourteen people attended the first Wycliffe Language Course that summer, held at London Bible College. [3]
Following the course, it was agreed that Wycliffe Bible Translators should be created as a specialist mission agency, following the model set by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA which had been founded 11 years earlier. Pam Moxham (later Bendor-Samuel) was the first to join, in 1953. [4] The first secretary was John Bendor-Samuel, whose "attic bedroom became the central office of Wycliffe in England, complete with a ream of headed notepaper, a box of envelopes, a cash book, an old filing cabinet donated by a friend, and not much else." [5] Initially those joining Wycliffe became members of Wycliffe USA, but in 1957 it was agreed that Wycliffe should be responsible for the work in the UK and Ireland. [6]
The focus of the early members was in Latin America. Working with unwritten languages at a time when descriptive linguistics was still relatively new, they made substantial contributions to the developing field of linguistics. [7]
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2020) |
Approximately 90% of Wycliffe's members are assigned to work with international partners. Some of these are working in Bible translation, others in literacy, training, Scripture use, language development or in providing services that support translation and Scripture access. Others are involved in leadership, advocacy and supporting the activities of Wycliffe, both globally and at a local level. [8]
Wycliffe is a member of Evangelical Alliance, [9] Global Connections, [10] Wycliffe Global Alliance, [11] and the Forum of Bible Agencies International. [12]
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete New World Translation of the Bible released in 1961.
SIL International is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages, and aid minority language development.
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is an interdenominational nonprofit organization with a goal "for people from every language to understand the Bible and be transformed."
William Cameron Townsend was an American Christian missionary-linguist and the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics
Wycliffe College is an evangelical graduate school of theology at the University of Toronto. Founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition, Wycliffe College today attracts students from many Christian denominations from around the world. As a founding member of the Toronto School of Theology, students can avail themselves of the wide range of courses from Canada's largest ecumenical consortium. Wycliffe College trains those pursuing ministry in the church and in the world, as well as those preparing for academic careers of scholarship and teaching.
The Bible Institute of South Africa is an evangelical Bible college located on the False Bay coastline in Kalk Bay, Cape Town in South Africa. The college has students from across Africa, as well as from Europe, Asia and North America.
Chester Allen "Chet" Bitterman III was an American linguist and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and killed by revolutionaries of the 19th of April Movement (M-19) in Colombia in 1981.
The Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 by the Bosnian-Croatian poet Borislav Arapović, its main task being to publish Bibles for "non-Slavic peoples in Slavic countries," not just Bible translations into the languages of Russia but also Central Asian languages.
Redcliffe College was a mission training centre and theological college based in Gloucester, England, specialising in training men, women and families working in Christian mission and ministry anywhere in the world. In July 2020 it was announced that Redcliffe would be merging with All Nations Christian College, a similarly positioned mission training college based in Ware, Hertfordshire, north of London. Redcliffe was international and interdenominational, and is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and Global Connections. Redcliffe College had completed its merger with All Nations by September 2020.
The Common English Bible (CEB) is an English translation of the Bible whose language is intended to be at a comfortable reading level for the majority of English readers. The translation, sponsored by an alliance of American mainline Protestant denomination publishers, was begun in late 2008 and was finished in 2011. It uses gender-inclusive language and some editions sold include the books of the Apocrypha which are used by the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, and in some Anglican congregations.
The Alliance Graduate School (AGS) is an inter-denominational Evangelical Christian graduate school of theology in Quezon City, Philippines, housed together with Philippine Alliance College of Theology (PACT). It was established in 1977. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines.
The Good Book Company (TGBC) is an evangelical Christian publisher, located in Epsom, Surrey, England. They are structured as a large unquoted, private company, limited by share capital. Their practices include publishing, mission outreach and training. The Publisher was declared runner up in the Christian Publisher of the Year Award by the Trade Body for Christian Publishing and Retailing in the UK.
John Theodore Bendor-Samuel was an evangelical Christian missionary and linguist who furthered Bible translation work into African languages, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS.
Wycliffe Global Alliance is an alliance of organizations that have objective of translating the Bible into every language. The organisation is named after John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first complete English translation of the whole Bible into Middle English.
Faith Comes By Hearing is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that records and freely provides the Bible in the languages of the world. It provides audio Bibles in 1,996 languages. The organization is a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International and the Wycliffe Global Alliance. The chairman of the board for the organization is Jeff Solscheid, and its president is founder Gerald (Jerry) Jackson.
Biblical translations into the indigenous languages of North and South America have been produced since the 16th century.
Uto-Aztecan languages are divided into two groups, Northern and Southern Uto-Aztecan languages. They are spoken in the southwestern United States, north and central Mexico, and in Central America.
Kartidaya is an Indonesian non-profit organization which is focused on promoting and supporting the work of Bible translation throughout Indonesia. They are an independent organization affiliated with Wycliffe Global Alliance, and have working agreements with numerous denominations throughout Indonesia. Each Kartidaya member has to find donors to cover their ministry and living expenses since Kartidaya does not give salaries to its members.
The Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT) is an organisation involved in literacy, education and development projects in minority language communities in Ghana, as well as Bible translation work.
The Forum of Bible Agencies International is an alliance of more than 25 international Bible Agencies and other missions organizations which provides access to the Bible and encourages its use worldwide.