Translation Editor Team  

I lead a great team of software developers in developing FieldWorks Translation Editor (TE), which is part of SIL Field Works, an integrated software program for Bible translators. Currently, the team is working hard to prepare for another corporate release, scheduled to be available for use by field personnel who attend the Computer Technical Conference this fall.

A visit to our software development lair at JAARS in Waxhaw, North Carolina reveals a close team of "geeks" who are very excited to be using our computer skills for the Kingdom of God. We're developing translation software to speed Bible translation for the more than 300 million people in the world who don't yet have a single verse of Scripture in their language.

TE is a highly specialized word processor, with integrated tools that allow translators and literacy workers to do their job better and quicker. It doesn't help them learn the language, but it does make it easier for them to get the Bible translated once they learned it. One important aspect of all the software in the FieldWorks suite is that it can handle complex scripts—virtually every script in the world except for vertical scripts—and we hope to handle them soon.

In addition, FieldWorks brings together all the different kinds of data the translator works with. For example, a translator can select a word in TE and look up that word in the lexicon.

One exciting part of working with the Translation Editor team is that we occasionally send out groups to the field to demonstrate our progress, train people to use our software, and get valuable feedback about what to do next. Because of the special needs in Asia, we have developed some close relationships with key people in several countries there. It's true that you don't necessarily have to go overseas to be a missionary, but it sure helps every now and then in order to keep a global perspective and get a first-hand glimpse of what God is doing in the world.

In the past, Translators with Wycliffe Bible Translators and other missions did not have all the advantages of sophisticated software and computers. Neal Brinneman is a Wycliffe translator who now serves at JAARS training Bible translators in the use of translation-related software.

Brinneman says, “I worked in Togo, West Africa from 1971 until 1993 and didn't get my first computer until 1981. Using a computer I then could type and easily edit the New Testament text and a dictionary. I was able to use DOS programs which allowed me to do text analysis, create word lists, and concordances and much more. However, when it came to creating some of the special characters I needed for the language I worked in, I was on my own.”

Brinneman points out that the development of Translation Editor utilizes an encoding system called “Unicode,” as does other recently developed software. He says, “With this type of encoding system the program can write in any language and the software can interact better with other software than our present software can.”

The TE team is currently in need of more people. Please pray for the Shaneyfelt family as they raise support to come on board. If you have computer programming skills and would love to see how the Lord might lead you to use them for His greatest glory, please contact us.