What translation resources do you really value? I grew up with Paratext all the way back to Paratext 2.0 and it is still one of my favorite software programs. Logos/Translators’ Workplace is of course amazing, and so is still the little gem of BART 5.3.3. To this day I use it. The NET Bible’s many concise notes were very useful at times as well.

How do you continue to grow as a consultant? (What helps you continue to grow as a consultant?) I think it is the hunger for more. A quest, an inquisitive mind that is never fully satisfied. And reading, reading, reading.

How do you share your translation discoveries with others? (blog, BT list, translation conferences, etc) Mostly through individual mentoring, training of CiT’s, workshops in general, but also through writing. I always try to present at BT Conferences and also try to write one academic paper per year or at least one every second year. Many have not been published, but that is not my main concern. It is the exercise of it that is so valuable, to express one’s thoughts.

Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? This is not uncommon to happen, especially lately. The past ten years I have been doing consulting with teams with significantly higher levels of theological training than what I experienced before, and I found myself learning from them and needing to acknowledge that I either accept their better insights or take the time to go and find out more for myself. Also in terms of cultural insights: I need to tread carefully, acknowledging that the consultees are experts in their own cultures and that I as an outsider have many blind spots.

What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? A few: 1) Be in wonder of the glories of the scriptures. It is a bottomless well of spiritual and intellectual riches. Without this mindset, translation work will become tedious. 2) I would strongly recommend learning Greek and Hebrew, or at least one of them, well. Wonderful new multimodal and multimedia courses are out there to take advantage of.

Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? I have had the privilege of many mentors over the years. From Katy Barnwell I have learned, by observation, the value of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills around the consulting table. It is an exceptional gift she had. From Ernst Wendland, amongst many things, I learned the value of having an eye for the PPP’s in a text, the Potential Problem Points. I regularly apply these learnings.

What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? Huge. The Church in its local, regional, and national expressions are missiologically best seen as the “guardians” of the scriptures in their respective areas of influence. The Church therefore needs to play a strong role in the authentication of their own scriptures. This for me does not mean that there is no place for the external consultant, but if the external consultant is not intentionally equipping the Church towards eventually authenticating their own translations, something is not right. A process that could take years, granted, but is nonetheless essential .

What would you say to young/aspiring translators? Be humble. The scriptures are ancient and contain a supernatural message. There is much we do not yet understand. Therefore, an inquisitive and learning posture will go a long way. The same with language. There are many wonderful mysteries to be discovered in all languages. Enjoy the ride.