How did you get interested in Bible translation? When I became a believer, I wanted to become a missionary. I joined missionary trips with our church team to areas where there was no church yet, and I really loved that work. At the same time, I was wondering what I should do with my training as a linguist.

When I heard about Bible translation, I realized this was exactly where I could combine both mission and linguistics. 

At that time, I had just received my dream job as a teacher of English and English literature at the university. Leaving it felt like a real sacrifice. But once I made the decision to join the Bible translation movement, my life changed dramatically.

As you are also a linguist, how has that shaped your translation work? That background has helped me see Bible translation more holistically. Linguistics helps me ask better questions about meaning, discourse, and how ideas are communicated within a language. It also helps me understand why translators make certain choices.

At the same time, since I am not a native speaker of the languages I work with, I still ask many questions about particular translation decisions. That process helps me confirm my technical understanding of the language while also learning from the translators and the community.

What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I get excited about the creation of something that did not exist before. People may not have had a certain book of the Bible in their language, and then after months or years of work, that book finally becomes available.

I also get excited about the possibilities of how people can use it. They may read it individually or in groups, listen to it in audio form, watch a film based on it, or sing songs based on Psalms. Scripture begins to live within the community in many different ways.

I am also excited to learn about each particular book of the Bible. I have not worked on every biblical book, so many of them are still new to me in the context of translation. I enjoy discovering the details of the text and exploring how those ideas can be expressed in a particular language.

What is the most gratifying thing you have done as a translation consultant? One of the most gratifying things for me is seeing local translators grow in confidence and skill over time. At the beginning, many teams feel uncertain and depend heavily on outside help. But gradually they begin making strong translation decisions themselves, understanding the biblical text more deeply, and taking real ownership of the project.

What is your consulting philosophy? What’s your philosophy of mentoring? To be as helpful as possible. I try to adjust to the way each team learns and understands so that the work can move forward smoothly and without unnecessary obstacles.

I do not want consulting to feel intimidating. My goal is to help teams grow in understanding and confidence so they can make good decisions themselves. Mentoring is not only about correcting mistakes. It is about equipping people, encouraging them, and helping them develop long-term skills for serving their communities well.

What translation resources do you really value? I really value Paratext and the many resources available within it. It provides access to biblical texts, commentaries, dictionaries, translation notes, and tools that make collaboration much easier. 

I also value the help of AI, especially when working with Bible stories or oral Scripture materials that are not always presented verse by verse.

How would you tell that you have served the church well? Serving the church is our priority. We need to hear what the church actually needs and wants. We have the goals and processes, but the churches have their own goals and processes that do not always correlate with ours. If we really want to help the churches we need to find a common ground and go from there and be ready to readjust as we walk along the church. That’s why it is important that the church be involved in the project from the initial setup of the project and continuing on throughout the rest of the translation process.

How do you continue to grow as a consultant? I regularly listen to podcasts by biblical scholars and in-depth Bible study programs, which help me deepen my understanding of Scripture and expose me to different perspectives and approaches. At the same time, consulting itself is an important part of my growth. Each project, translation team, and discussion presents new challenges and opportunities to learn, refine my skills, and apply what I have learned in real situations.

Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee. One valuable lesson I learned is the importance of being cheerful, kind, and respectful, even when writing comments in Paratext. I have noticed that translation teams tend to be more receptive to consultant feedback when comments are expressed graciously and positively. While agreement alone is not necessarily the goal and should never replace careful evaluation of the translation itself, a kind and encouraging tone helps build trust and strengthens the relationship with the team.