What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I love to see the joy they have when the translation makes sense to them. Or, when they have an aha moment. Or better yet when they share a story of how the community gets excited about hearing God's Word in their own language. 

What is your consulting philosophy? I try to be flexible with whatever is needed. Where tutoring may be necessary to grasp a concept, or use a tool, or perform a task in Paratext, I will take the time to do that. I try to be available when and where is most convenient for the team. I see myself coming alongside the work they have done and assist them to make it the best they can. Excellence is always at the fore. 

What translation resources do you really value? The UBS handbooks are single-handedly the most accessible and informative. However, the TNN and TND are very helpful as well as the T4T and a variety of English source texts for the teams I am working with. 

How do you continue to grow as a consultant? Since completing my DMin (Doctor of Ministry) degree, I have not done as much professional development as I probably should. I read the The Bible Translator published by UBS and other resources as they come up in various communications from other consultants.  I have done some restudy of the Biblical languages and continue to seek out classes on EMDC.  I also completed an online consultant training course that I had downloaded during Covid.  It was a good review as well as a way to capture favorite practices of other consultants. LBT holds a mission conference every year which is a great place to connect and share ideas, resources, and practice. I also attend many of the international Bible Translation Conferences held by SIL. 

How do you share your translation discoveries with others? Mostly in my prayer letter. 

Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? I had recommended a certain translation as a way to be very clear on a particular passage. From gleanings from coursework during my DMin and interviewing other translators in other projects in the same country, I learned that what I did probably drew too much attention to a particular aspect of the verse that wasn't even in focus. It also took away naturalness when the common word under question was probably the correct way all along. I went back and talked to the team, and they agreed that changing it back to the commonly used word was good. This incident helped the team see that I was not infallible, that they could push back on what I said, and I learned that I need to be careful, extra careful, as my position gives me authority in the teams' eyes and I must not misuse it to force my view.

What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? Be open to change. Be flexible. Sometimes God leads us around on a path not of our choosing to prepare us for the path He has chosen. 

Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? I'm still learning that the relationship is more important than the task. I get lessons often from mentors, peers,  and mentees concerning this topic.

What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? The church should be a driving force behind a translation. They (if you can tap into all the local denominations) should be involved from the beginning and have a say in the direction, style, and purpose of the translation as they are the ones who will hopefully use it. 

What would you say to young/aspiring translators? How important the work is for the transmission of the Gospel as well as language development. I often remind the teams I work with that they are making history and setting precedent, so they need to take time as they make decisions concerning both the text and the written word.