'I'm finally understanding that translation is about people'

How the Alliance and YWAM discovered common ground

Bryan Harmelink teaches during the LTMG course in Bogotá 2024. Photo: Gwen Davies

While teaching his first group of YWAM students, Bryan Harmelink summed up his lecture: ‘In a sense, Bible translation is really about knowing God and making him known.’

Students sat in silence for a few moments. Then one of them said quietly, ‘Do you realise that you just said the motto of YWAM—“to know God and make him known”?’

That was just one of many God-orchestrated moments of discovery, says Bryan, now Director of Collaboration for the Wycliffe Global Alliance, as he developed the course, Language and Translation in the Mission of God. He later learned that Loren Cunningham, who started YWAM (Youth With A Mission), had a longtime vision for involvement in Bible translation. 

Another student in that first University of the Nations course remarked, ‘I’m finally understanding that translation is about people.’ 

Bryan takes that thought further. Bible translation, he says, seeks ways to use our identities and cultural and linguistic abilities to translate Scripture in the most effective way—‘in very local ways, that will resonate with people who use these different languages.’

‘One of my favourite metaphors recently for thinking about the quality of translation is a tuning fork,’ he says. ‘You play a note on the piano that corresponds to the note of the tuning fork, and the tuning fork vibrates. That’s resonance. … I like to think about Scripture that is translated with such quality of expression … that it so resonates with the users of that language that they say, “This, this is God speaking to me!”’

Loidih Dina Rojas Cusi (AIDIA), Ruth Quispe (ACIEP-AIDIA Peru), and Danilo Zuhul (MOVIDA Colombia) confer during a small group discussion while course staff work in the background. Photo: Gwen Davies

 

Story: Gwen Davies and Jim Killam, Wycliffe Global Alliance

Photos: Gwen Davies

Alliance organisations are welcome to download and use photos from these articles.

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Special Report

A course developed by the Wycliffe Global Alliance, called 'Language and Translation in the Mission of God', is capturing the imagination of church leaders worldwide. A first-hand look at how the course impacted attendees in Bogotá, Colombia  How the Alliance and YWAM discovered common ground: 'I'm finally understanding that translation is about people' In Brazil, a dozen seminaries are using the course. And Deaf communities in that nation have found a deeper connection A funding opportunity for Alliance organisations and partners VIDEO SHORTS 'My theology was transformed' A Broader Perspective Impacting Hearts & Communities 'You have to come hear this!' Leaving a Legacy More Perspectives on the Course's Impact   If you are interested in learning how Language and Translation in the Mission of God might benefit your particular organisation and context, please email us at info@wycliffe.net and we will put you in touch with Bryan Harmelink, the Alliance’s Director for Collaboration. ••• Stories reported by Gwen Davies of the Wycliffe Global Alliance Communication and Prayer teams. Title illustration is AI-derived from a photo showing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Original photo: Marc Ewell. Alliance organisations are welcome to download and use photos from these articles.

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