About Us

STATEMENT OF FAITH

CURRENT PROJECTS (click here to download a summary)

TRAINING

HOLISTIC FIELD BASED TRAINING

TRANSLATION APPROACH

VISION
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God's Word for every person in his/her heart language.

MISSION
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The mission of The Word For The World is to empower nationals to translate the entire Bible for their own people.

Download our Vision and Mission statements in their entirety here.

FOCUS
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1.    Pioneer Bible translation, i.e. translating the Bible into languages in which the Bible has not yet
       been translated.
2.    Empowering Nationals through training and assistance to translate the Bible for their own people.

CORE VALUES
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The Word of God – God desires to speak to people through the entire Bible. Therefore, our goal for every language in which we work is to translate the entire Bible.

First-time Bible translations – We are passionate about giving priority to first-time Bible translations because that is where Bible translation is most needed.

Respect for all cultures – Each people group is a blessing from God and has the right to hear God speaking to them in their own language.

Interaction with our partners – We see ourselves as co-servants with other ministries, and with our intercessors, volunteers and financial supporters.

Excellence in serving the Lord – We dedicate our efforts to pleasing God above all. Our excellence is evidenced through the:

     - Integrity of our conduct
     - Innovation of our methods
     - Discipline of our stewardship
     - Combining of sound academic principles and practical skills in our empowering of nationals for
       Bible translation

OUR MISSION
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The mission of The Word for the World Bible Translators is to empower nationals to translate the entire Bible for their own people and to ensure its availability and accessibility.

The Word for the World trains nationals in the required skills and provides them with the support they need to accurately translate God’s Word into their primary language. The Word for the World partners with others to print and distribute the newly translated Scripture, and promote literacy and Scripture engagement where needed.

The Word for the World has 28 years of experience in Bible translation, and its unique, mobile training program results in Bibles that are among the most accurate, readily accepted, cost effective and timely (about 9% translated per year) Bible translations in the world.

ADVANTAGES TO HAVING PEOPLE TRANSLATE THE BIBLE INTO THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
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• Time is saved - mother-tongue speakers do not have to learn to speak the language into which they
are translating.
• Money is saved - the livelihood of nationals is much less expensive than that of expatriate
missionaries.
• The translation is much more readily accepted by the people for whom it is done when they know it
has been done by their own people.

OUR METHOD
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• Research to reveal where the need is the greatest.
• Consulting with other organizations doing the same kind of work.
• Networking
- With leaders on the ground to recruit prospective Bible translators.
- With local churches to ensure effective utilization of translated scripture.
• Literacy Programs where necessary to cultivate readership.
• Training nationals where they live.
• Informal training without compromising on quality.
• Following up with ongoing training and consultant services.

STATEMENT OF FAITH
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The Word For The World is an interdenominational Bible translation ministry. Our personnel come from a wide variety of Christian circles. We want to serve the Church in its broadest sense to make God's Word available to all the nations of the world.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is infallible and authoritative in the original writings.

We believe in one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his vicarious death and atonement through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Spirit are essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by Whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.

We believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life eternal.

We believe in the spiritual unity of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, composed of all who are regenerated through faith in the Lord Jesus.

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TRAINING
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The Word for the World (WW) affords those who feel themselves called to Bible translation the opportunity of obtaining practice-oriented training. The programme provides training for all the different participants involved in the translation process, viz. prospective Bible translators (including mother tongue translators), testers, stylists and church leaders.

The training programme is designed in such a way that it not only provides for early involvement in the translation process, but its modular character affords the opportunity for sharpening translation skills as actual translation experience is increased.

The method of training is a combination of formal lectures, self-study under the guidance of a lecturer, and on–the-job training.

WW awards the Diploma in Bible Translation (DBT) when the requirements it has set have been met. This is seen as more than an academic qualification. It serves as a recommendation for the particular candidate for the task of Bible translation.

WW maintains high academic standards in its training through a process of moderation and by equipping formally appointed assessors.

For a complete summary of the Diploma in Bible Translation program click here.

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