How did you get interested in Bible translation? I originally felt called to missions through the life of Jim Elliot in the book “Shadow of the Almighty.” Here was a man who was willing to give what he couldn’t keep to gain what he couldn’t lose in his desire to bring the Good News to the unreached. Then, at Multnomah University, at a missions conference, I interviewed David Cummings, Wycliffe’s International President. I asked him, Why doesn’t Wycliffe do church planting, since that is the cutting edge of missions?  

His response was my next call on the path. “Steve, if you’re going to plant something, what do you need?” “Seed?” I offered. He then explained how the seed of God’s word in the heart language is what is needed to plant a church that can thrive. So obvious, but it was like a light went on. I was hooked! And it didn’t hurt that on the first day of my SIL training in Oregon in 1986, I met a pretty girl in the registration line – who has now been my wife and partner in the ministry for 39 years! 

What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I love training new teams of national translators on how to translate the Bible in their language. And I love consultant checking Scripture so that it can go out and impact the lives of people in their heart language.

What is your consulting philosophy? I want the text to be as clear to today’s audience as it was to the original audience. I credit Katy Barnwell for my translation philosophy (accurate, clear, natural, and acceptable). Katy and I worked closely together in the early years of the Luke Partnership workshops. She also heavily impacted my consulting philosophy. I want to come alongside the team (not over them) and work together to improve the text.

What translation resources do you really value? By far, my favorite exegetical resource is Translator’s Notes. It not only explains the meaning in simple language and gives exegetical recommendations, but it also has great ideas for how teams might consider rendering key terms and difficult passages (and Translators Display is a companion gold mine, which often has helpful ideas regarding implicit information that might need to be made explicit). I value a number of meaning-based versions in English (NLT, GNT, CEV, NIrV, NCV, EASY), which can help give teams ideas on how to make the text clear and natural in their language, for things like figures of speech, unknown ideas, breaking up long sentences, logical relations, etc. Finally, I find it extremely valuable to add related-language back translations to my text collection box in Paratext. Other teams in the same language family who have already wrestled through issues often provide good, natural solutions that aren’t seen in International versions or even LWCs.

What helps you continue to grow as a consultant? Lots of things, but here are a few. Bob Carter (senior OT Translation Consultant) and I are good friends. We often joke with each other, but we also write to each other on serious issues, critically evaluating new ideas, sharing back and forth, iron sharpening iron. And then in my family, my wife Laura is a translation consultant, as well as my daughter Nika and my son-in-law Nick. So whenever we sit down for a meal, guess what topic often comes up?! And then I learn from myself as well, as funny as that may sound. When I check Scripture with a team, for every verse, I always look at my notes from past checks with other teams. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but at times this helps me see an issue I might have skipped, as well as a potential solution. 

How do you share your translation discoveries with others? My wife and I regularly send out updates to our supporters and churches, and we often include interesting translation examples we run across while checking with teams. I’ve been on staff at TCDW for a number of years and have been able to share a lot of what I’ve learned with the next generation of consultants. And then I’ve done a few papers at the BT Conferences.

What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? Always maintain the attitude of a learner. No matter how far you go down the path, there will always be more to learn. We can always sharpen our skills.

Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? Last month I was mentoring a CiT, and when I suggested to the team the possibility of adding an explanatory footnote to explain the original cultural setting, the CiT commented that since the primary product the team was wanting to produce was an audio Bible, it would be good to see if there was a concise way we could include the essential meaning in the text itself. It took a bit, but we did come up with a way. I thought, “Wow, I really need to incorporate that idea more often!” (for issues that might initially appear too complicated).

What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? In the vast majority of cases, the national translators are believers. They are members of the body of Christ – the Church. So the translation is being done by the church for the church, which is wonderful! However, I believe that translation consultants still have an important task with regard to Quality Assurance. Consultant checking of Scripture is technical work, and the Consultants-in-Training we mentor (both national and expat) usually go through several years of training and mentored checking to gain the experience necessary to ensure good-quality translations. We need to be realistic about the work needed to see “the church” equipped to achieve that same degree of competency and to really grasp the principles of meaning-based translation. Adequate training takes considerably more than a couple of weeks, and I’m concerned that the investment needed is being underestimated in certain contexts.

What would you say to young/aspiring translators? I know of no greater calling. We stand among historical giants who were willing to die to translate God’s Word into the vernacular so that their people could understand the Great News of what God has done for us through Jesus the Messiah. In Acts 2:11, the Church was given a blueprint for how to accomplish the Great Commission: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” I can think of nothing as fulfilling as joining God in what has been on his heart since the beginning – seeing Abraham’s blessing reach all nations.

Any other comments? After 39 years in Wycliffe (and 23 with Seed Company), many of my closest relationships are with others involved in translation and consulting, both nationals and expats. I very much appreciate my colleagues – what I learn from them, how they inspire me, and their friendship.