Bible translation throughout Oceana remains a high strategic priority with underlying challenges.

Art Greenleaf with Wycliffe Associates explains, “We’ve got a great opportunity there in Timor partnering with the national church. This particular area is not as heavily Islamic as more western provinces might be. There are a lot of Christians there, very similar to what you might have in the province of Papua.”

Using national translators streamlines the process of Bible translation in a region that sometimes deals with hostility toward Christians. “Nationals can move and function 100% better than we can as expatriates,” says Greenleaf. He adds, “We are on a property that we’re sharing with the national church. They have actually provided this property to develop the linguistics center. There is harmony in this particular part of Indonesia.”

However, the team’s progress is being hampered by the cramped quarters at the current translation center. A short-term solution came through renting additional workspace. Even then, some translators are carrying out their work in a garage and even outdoors.

That’s why Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that involves people in the acceleration of Bible translation efforts, is planning to build a fully functioning translation center on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. “There’s a need to train national translators right where they are,” he explains, adding that an “indigenous linguistics center with the local church eventually overseeing it, is perfect.” Read more.

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