I am a Vernacular Media Specialist. I am currently serving on the staff of the VMS training course at Wycliffe's technical support center. 

What is a Vernacular Media Specialist?

First, vernacular simply means the “mother tongue”. So when we speak of vernacular media, we are referring to media tools that are prepared for the people in the language groups in which we serve. The type of media used will depend on the key factors within that particular people group. This leads us to ask questions like: What media is already available?  What is the exposure level to a specific type of media? Will the technology overpower the message? What is the attitude toward that media? If radio is being considered, do they trust what they here on the radio? What are the goals of the language program – this will have an impact on the type of media used because each type has strengths and weaknesses.  A vernacular media specialist is trained to be aware of these factors and to assist the language teams as they evaluate how media tools might be useful in meeting the overall language program goals.   

My field experience:

My fieldwork experience has been primarily in Cameroon, Africa. I have also done a special recording in Europe and one in Bolivia, South America.

My current assignment:

I am currently assigned to Wycliffe’s technical support center called JAARS; located some 30 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina.  As a trainer, I draw on my experiences as a vernacular media specialist on the field to help prepare others for the same role in various locations around the world. 

I enjoy meeting people of various nationalities as they come through the 14-week course. Some of the participants in the course are seasoned members of Wycliffe while others are entirely new to missions work. We have also trained members of other mission agencies as we seek to partner with other organizations. After completing the course, they are assigned to do vernacular media work in locations around the world.

Read about the work some of our former trainees are doing! 

The course is typically offered in the spring and the fall of each year.  However, as needed, the schedule varies in order to meet the needs of the overseas entities we serve.  Of the 14 weeks course, one third of the time is used to cover the strategies employed in using vernacular media.  The remaining time is used to develop needed skills to do the job.

For more information on the vernacular media training course, you can email the training director at vms_tech_train_jaars@sil.org.