"Because of the intense drudgery involved in learning language, nothing short of whole-hearted, sacrificial support for language learning—making concrete plans and expecting intense commitment until high-level mastery of the language is achieved—will enable new missionaries to master their...
Language
"Translating the Bible into the common language of common people is an uncommon challenge that produces an uncommon reward."—William Barrick
Every fall, Wycliffe Global Alliance publishes updated statistics about Bible translation around the world. You can see the latest here, and some interesting infographics...
"Bible translation matters because people value their languages and culture. But even more importantly, God values people along with their languages and culture.” —Eddie Arthur
"No one language can capture the glory of God" —Larry Hayashi
"What translators rather dryly refer to as looking for key terms is in fact an exciting theological reflection on God’s revelation to us. Things which are unclear or opaque in one language or culture become crystal clear when expressed in another." —Eddie Arthur
Anyone planning to move to a place where the language is different from what they are used to has some decisions to make. How is this language barrier going to be handled? Do I need to learn the language, and, if so, how well? How would I go about learning this new language? Is there a school...
"Christianity lives – one might say it survives – by crossing the boundaries of ethnicity, language and culture. Without that process, it can wither and die." —Andrew Walls
"Language is more than just a string of words; it is a cumulative articulated coordinate of ideas. With nothing behind it or before it, language evaporates." —Lamin Sanneh
"One of the abiding values of language acquisition is developing the capacity to listen well. Most missionary training programs focus almost entirely on teaching missionaries what to say with very little emphasis on learning to listen well. However, as anyone who has been a missionary knows,...