How translators are using MAF flights to bring the Bible to isolated communities in their mother tongue.
Serge Razafinjatoniary knows that Bibles translated into local languages will make a huge difference in the lives of people from Madagascar’s most isolated communities.
But the Associate Area Director of SIL Africa understands that translators face a challenge to support the delivery of scriptures across this vast and diverse island in the mother tongue of every community. Producing the Bible for Madagascar’s 23 languages requires great care as each one has its own internal variations.
Work on translating the Bible into 15 of these languages is well under way, with some translations already completed.
SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) supports the work of translators Wycliffe through cross-cultural language learning and other language development activities. Serge says each new translation brings joy to the readers.
The impact of having access to the Scriptures in one’s mother tongue is immeasurable and brings about profound transformation within communities.
Challenges
The process of Bible translation in Madagascar has to overcome hurdles related to community relations, acceptance by the people, and engagement with local churches.
One significant challenge lies in navigating the intricate web of relationships among the people involved in the translation process, and that is where MAF flights are useful in supporting those links. This encompasses interactions during the translation work as well as engagement with the broader community and local churches.
The SIL team have been at the forefront of this monumental effort and despite these challenges Serge says the results make it all worthwhile. SIL's projects focus on the language spoken by 15 million people across diverse landscapes.
The joy derived from Bible translation far outweighs the difficulties encountered along the way.
MAF flights play a key role in enabling the translators and facilitators to do their work in remote communities and Serge values the partnership. From the lush north like Mandritsara, Ambanja and the captivating eastern coast of the Betsimisaraka people, to the south of the Big Island in Ambilobe, Tolagnaro.
I always fly MAF.