Signs of Life Albert Bickford Having the Bible available to us in English is a precious privilege. How many of us would know anything about God’s love if we only had the Bible in Hebrew and Greek? Even if we understood those languages, it wouldn’t be the same as having the Scriptures in our own language. Although I know Spanish well, when I read the Spanish Bible the message reaches my mind but it doesn’t soak down easily to my heart. God’s Word only changes me when I receive it in my first language. That’s why Christians translate the Bible, that’s why Wycliffe Bible Translators exists—and that’s why St. Andrew’s supports Bible translation through Wycliffe. Finding all the languages that need the Bible is a challenge. Until about 1980, one large class of languages (probably 500-1000 of them) completely escaped the notice of the modern Bible translation movement. How could so many languages be missed? Simple: people didn’t realize they were languages at all. These are the signed languages of the world. Deaf people create them so that they can communicate with the same freedom and naturalness that hearing people enjoy with spoken languages. (Speech and lip-reading are laborious and inaccurate at best when a person doesn’t hear, and effectively impossible for most deaf people.) Signed languages have their own grammatical structure, vocabulary, folklore, history, and cultural values. They are just as rich, complex, and capable of expressing a full range of thought as spoken languages are. But, they aren’t clones of spoken languages either—in fact, their grammars are strikingly different. Signed languages are a marvelous expression of the capacity for language that God has placed in each one of us. He designed us humans so that when sound is unavailable, we can create a language based on sight. Deaf people need the Gospel just as much as hearing people. But, the worldwide Deaf community, with its many signed languages, is the largest unreached people group in the world—several million people. In the U.S., it is estimated that only 2% of the Deaf community is involved with churches; in other countries the percentage is certainly even lower. The New Testament is available in only one signed language; the whole Bible in none. Translation work has started in 20-30 other signed languages, but in most cases just barely. Many people ask: “Deaf people aren’t blind. They can see, why can’t they read the Bible in English (or Spanish or whatever)?” It’s a good question, but it also reveals what little opportunity hearing people have had to learn about the real Deaf community (which is quite unlike what we usually see presented in the media). Worldwide, the literacy rate for Deaf people is very low because of lack of effective Deaf education in most places. Most Deaf people cannot read the national language enough to understand the Scriptures. Even when they can, it isn’t their heart language, so it’s a lot like me reading Spanish. The message doesn’t touch the heart. People who communicate through signs need and deserve God’s word in their language just as much as those of us who speak English. The challenges of translating the Bible in signed languages are enormous. There’s no easy way to write the translation down, so most projects depend on memorizing each draft and video recording. A few have tried publishing in line drawings or experimental writing systems. Everything people have tried is clumsy and expensive compared to translating a spoken language. When Deaf people see God’s Word in their own signed languages, they respond. One Deaf man in Africa said: “I just knew in my heart that I needed Jesus. I accepted Jesus, but I really did not know what that meant. I also knew we needed to have a church, so I invited about 8 of my friends to join me, but none of us knew anything. They even made me a leader! I tried to read a Bible, but it was too hard to understand. Every week we would get together to fellowship and pray – we didn’t know what else to do. Then I heard about DOOR! [Deaf Opportunity Outreach is one of several organizations translating the Bible into signed languages.] God answered my prayers! I have learned SO much!! And because it was all Deaf hands and Deaf way, I understood everything clearly, for the first time.” Deaf people around the world are starting to find life through God’s word in sign languages. DOOR is a special organization, because it is run by and for Deaf people. SIL International (the field arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators) is partnering with DOOR and with other Deaf people in various countries, helping them in various ways as they translate. We’re also working hard to identify signed languages that need Bible translation, to train linguists and translators (both Deaf and hearing) to work with those languages, and to develop tools that will make the task easier. St. Andrew’s is involved in this ministry too, through its support of Wycliffe. Part of your missionary giving goes to support these efforts to make the Bible available to Deaf people worldwide in their own languages. Thank you for your contributions and for your prayers! For further information about signed languages and Bible translation, check out these websites: • Wycliffe’s involvement with signed languages:
http://www.wycliffe.org/pray/htpsignlang.htm • Deaf Opportunity Outreach (DOOR): http://www.doorinternational.org • List of currently-known sign languages: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90008 • Training available at SIL-UND (where Albert and Anita Bickford teach every summer): http://www.wycliffe.org/training/signlang.htm http://www.und.sil.org/courses.htm#SL Or, just contact Albert Bickford: 825-1229 or bickford@vei.net Return to home page |