Oasis Network Empowers Deaf Communities to Translate the Bible
For the first time in our lives, we are translating the Bible into our own language and training people in other countries to do it too, said Maria, a Deaf trainer from Liberia.
The global church is accelerating Bible translation efforts, shifting the driving force behind the movement from Western missionaries to local communities and minority language groups.
Decades ago, Bible translation operated primarily as a Western missionary-led effort. Translation experts worked to make Scripture available in minority languages, achieving major progress in making texts accessible worldwide.
In recent years, the number of language communities waiting for God’s Word has dropped from thousands to hundreds. These remaining hundreds represent the hardest-to-reach populations on Earth, frequently constrained by government restrictions or regional unrest.
A translation team member risked 15 years of prison time by traveling to a neighboring country to attend a training workshop, illustrating the high stakes involved in current operations. Despite such obstacles, momentum continues through the active participation of the global Church, particularly in the global East and South.
During the spring season last year, the Deaf in Africa participated in workshops organized by the Oasis Network for Community Transformation in Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic. Participants began training to translate the Bible into their respective sign languages.
Each two-week workshop gathered 100 participants supported by regional churches. Attendees experienced the Scriptures presented directly in their native sign languages.
Some participants encountered the gospel clearly in sign language for the first time during these sessions. Several attendees gave their lives to Christ and requested baptism.
Deaf trainees waved the flags of the nations represented at the Central African Republic gathering, documented by Oasis Network for Community Transformation Inc.
Local communities now initiate and center much of the translation work. Indigenous teams provide expertise in their native languages and cultures before sharing translated texts with neighbors.
Bible translation agencies have adapted their participation to support this grassroots momentum. Organizations now provide essential resources, including training, consultation, technology, finances, and personnel, to equip local church communities.
The translation process itself actively transforms the individuals and communities involved. Projects succeed over the long term when local populations embrace the text as their own rather than an external product.
In the Philippines, Tau’t Batu leaders championed ongoing translation work. Their active participation ignited a community-wide passion for Scripture and increased the likelihood of long-term integration into daily life and church practices.
The global Church now includes every country, culture, community, and color in the translation movement. Meg Hunt, Vice President of Global Partnerships Engagement at Wycliffe Bible Translators, notes that the Church in the United States is positioned to walk alongside international brothers and sisters.
Supporters can engage through prayer, financial giving, or service. Prayer addresses circumstances beyond human control in hard-to-reach language communities.
Giving opportunities range from partnering with specific language projects or missionaries to adopting a specific book of the Bible as a church congregation. Giving circles allow small groups to pool prayers and financial resources.
Service opportunities span volunteer work, short-term assignments, and long-term roles both on and off the field. God is already moving to advance His purposes, and believers are invited to participate where they are led.