became focused on assembling informa-
tion on the Ebola virus in languages en-
demic to the region in order to empower
the people. Wycliffe has engaged in similar
projects in Papua New Guinea and Africa
about HIV and AIDS as well.
THE MECHANICS BEHIND
BIBLE TRANSLATION
Bible translation is no easy undertaking.
A decade ago, it would have taken 20 to
25 years to translate only the New Testa-
ment. With the advancements of today,
the average length has dropped by more
than half. This is dependent upon many
things, like demographics, geography, and
political and health issues. Furthermore,
learning a language takes years of com-
mitment. Technology, however, can speed
up the process.
“We built our own software because you
can’t just buy this stuff off the shelf. Most
of what you find on the shelf comes from
our work,” Eyre said.
A good number of Canadians revert to
Google Translate should a foreign word
suddenly materialize. Although Eyre ad-
mits that software like Google Translate
can eventually be helpful, a lot of work
must be done first. This might include any-
MARCH 2016
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