Bible trans­la­tion is a de­mand­ing task and needs con­stant prayer sup­port from start to fin­ish. Trans­la­tors have no­ticed, how­ever, that spe­cial dif­fi­cul­ties seem to sur­face when trans­la­tions near com­ple­tion. What fol­lows is a sam­pling of such prob­lems to help you in pray­ing for those in­volved.

The list is not hy­po­thet­i­cal. Every item men­tioned has oc­curred to de­lay com­ple­tion of some translation.

• Pray for the stamina and health of translators, their families and their children.
• Pray that scheduling of furloughs, administrative duties and other urgent tasks will not interfere with progress.
• Pray that responsibilities concerning aging parents, education of children and family duties will not be neglected.
• Pray for peace and guidance for translators having to leave the work due to health or family issues, and for local co-workers having to return to work or school.
• Pray for translations being done in secret. Pray for God to protect the lives of those involved and their families.
• Pray for readers to be available to give community checks on acceptability of the translation.
• Pray for the funding needed to support the translators, pay the expenses, and publish the materials.
• Pray for authorizations and approvals by church authorities and governments where required.
• Pray that local churches will be fully involved and reach consensus on wording, writing and printing.
• Pray that final decisions on use of key biblical terms will be acceptable to all concerned.
• Pray for reconciliation of alphabets and alternate wordings, due to dialect differences.
• Pray for availability of trained consultants so that translation checking and final approvals will not be delayed.
• Pray for literacy workers to promote literacy and so relieve translators to finish the translation. Pray for local enthusiasm for the completion and publication that will urge the translators on.
• Pray against technical failures of computers, storage disks, copiers, printers and service items.
• Pray concerning extreme weather conditions, like hurricanes and earthquakes, and the safety of manuscripts.
• Pray against wars and insurrections that render it impossible to continue the work.
• Pray for accuracy on the part of typesetters, who are often working with a language they do not understand.
• Pray for proofreaders, that they may catch and correct errors that would mar the translation.
• Pray for the mailing and shipping process, that damage or loss in transit, or delays in customs, will not occur.

Here are some more ressources to help you pray.

In the past, we had limited access to information about events that were happening outside of our own community. But with the invention of the internet, social media and mass communication, we’re now able to know what’s happening — anywhere in the world — from our computer, tablet or phone.

Being so connected to events around the world can begin to feel emotionally exhausting. Fear, grief and even anger can quickly fill our hearts as we see stories of violence, hatred and disaster flash across our screens.

As believers, what are we to do when the weight of this sinful world seems to pummel us on all sides? How can we use the news to be a light to the world around us?

Praying through the news is one easy habit that we can all benefit from. It allows us to surrender our worries to God while also intentionally lifting up communities that need to experience his healing and love in tangible ways.

Here are some tips on how to pray through the news:

Pray for the victims.

Whether you’re reading about a hurricane that has ravaged a town, a city that has suffered a mass shooting or a country that is facing high crime levels, stop and pray for those immediately affected by the event.

Pray for the community.

When a significant event happens, the whole local community is impacted as result. Pray that local churches, schools, businesses and more would rally together and support each other, and ask God to make people sensitive to his hand at work in the midst of it all.

Pray for local believers to be Jesus’s hands and feet.

We’re all called to be Jesus’s hands and feet to the world. One way we can do that is by reaching out to our own communities in moments of crisis. Pray that local believers would be equipped and willing to shine God’s light, helping to bring healing and restoration to their community in the days and weeks following an event.

Pray for God to be glorified.

The news is full of stories of hurting, broken people and communities. But we serve a loving God who can redeem any situation and ultimately glorify himself. Pray that God would do just that, and that people would be sensitive to his hand at work — whether they have an intimate relationship with him or learn about him for the very first time.

Pray for God to make us brave.

With access to so much news, we might be tempted to shut out the world’s brokenness and hurt to protect ourselves. But 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). Pray that God would make us brave and would equip us to shine his light to the world around us in the midst of pain and suffering.

Jesus himself said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT). Nothing is outside of God’s control — even the most heart-wrenching, unimaginable events that we encounter in the news. As believers in Christ, we have the assurance that God has already overcome the world. It may feel like he’s not in control, but he is. And as we pray for his will to be done and his glory to be made known, we can live with the knowledge that he is victorious and will ultimately bring complete healing to this world.

(wycliffe.org)

Serve the Bible translation movement with your skills and experience. Find out about job possibilities

• in French (choose the French version of this page),
• in German (choose the German version of this page)
• or for English go to the Wycliffe UK website.

There are many possibilities to get involved from 2 weeks to a year; discover opportunities

• on mission.ch (in German)
• on mission.ch (in French)
• or on the Wycliffe UK website (in English).

Among the 12 000 Wycliffe members worldwide there are 80 Swiss members, who work in 25 countries on all continents.

The members of the home office in Biel are responsible for administration, finances and communication. All of our members’salaries are financed through gifts from friends and churches

Here is a selection of our members.

Do you care about mature Christianity and sustainable development? With a Wycliffe project sponsorship, you can invest in these very goals and support our core purpose: that language communities flourish and overcome life’s challenges because they have access to the Bible and education in their heart language.

There are more and more qualified people in the countries where we are working. With a vision for multiplication, we want to show solidarity with local professionals and organizations and financially support their efforts so that they can reach their full potential and are not hindered by insufficient resources.

Within the framework of a project sponsorship, you have the opportunity to be on the road with a language community on a longer-term and regular basis.

In concrete terms this means:

• You inform yourself about possible projects (for example on the website).
• You choose one that you would like to support regularly.
• You contact us via our website, by e-mail to projects@wycliffe.ch or by phone, 032 342 02 84.
• You determine with which amount and in which intervals you want to support the project.
• Depending on the project, you will receive information about the progress of the project two to four times a year.
• If you wish, you can get in touch directly with the project leaders on site, e.g. by participating in a Zoom talk or as part of a project trip planned by our project office .

Interested?!?

We look forward to hearing from you! (E-Mail) (Form)

There are hundreds of different projects going on in the Wycliffe world. Wycliffe Switzerland supports a dozen of projects, mainly in French-speaking Africa and Indonesia. You will find them on this map, with description in French or German.

In English, you can find a selection of projects on the website of Wycliffe USA or the Seed Company.