by Eighty percent of the world’s population are oral learners – people who learn by listening rather than reading. To make the Bible accessible to everyone, Bible translation must occur in every language in written and oral forms. Most Bible-less people groups are oral learners, yet audio Bibles are only available in fewer than 130 languages. T o reach the needs of the Global Church, translators need to convert 6,400 languages into written and oral forms.
These tasks of translating, adapting and sharing the Bible now converge in Israel. The 4.2.20 Foundation is committed to advancing access and engagement with the whole Word of God for every language, culture and people. 4.2.20 is the numeric representation of the letters of the Hebrew word Davar, which means the ‘Word’. 4.220 also symbolizes the remaining task, with over 4,000 languages still requiring a translation of the Old Testament.
The goal of the 4.2.20 Foundation’s Institute for Biblical Languages and Translation (IBLT) is to have ongoing translation of the Hebrew Old Testament in every language by 2033. Their unique strategy is to train mother-tongue consultants, teachers and translators. Traditional translation work has required translators to learn both a biblical language and a target language. IBLT provides biblical Hebrew training to nationals who already know the language and culture of the target translation.
Capitalizing on the surroundings in modern Israel, IBLT offers a unique approach to biblical language learning by combining three strands: biblical Hebrew immersion, biblical land and culture, and a live-learn environment. This one-of-a-kind program immerses translators in biblical Hebrew. They will be better prepared to make independent and informed decisions in their Old Testament translation projects.
This kind of innovative Kingdom-building thinking is exactly the kind of thinking Corban is doing as we seek to make a difference in the world for Christ. We are excited to partner with IBLT. The Corban University-IBLT partnership will offer a 48-credit graduate certificate in biblical Hebrew translation. The eight-month graduate certificate will equip beginner-level participants with the skills necessary to translate the Old Testament directly into their native languages. Students may also choose to earn a Master of Arts in Classical Hebrew from Corban.
Will you work with us to make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ through Old Testament Bible translation at IBLT? Let’s start a conversation . . .
See “Corban University partners with institute in Israel to offer MA in Hebrew”, 22 September 2017.
