Wycliffe Associates Will Use Starlink to Give Isolated National Bible Translators Faster, More Consistent Internet Connectivity

(Orlando, Florida, USA)—Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, will be using Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by SpaceX, to help national Bible translators in remote regions access to the World Wide Web.

Starlink gives users in isolated areas internet speeds comparable to in-ground services. This benefits national Bible translation teams, whose members typically live and work in some of the world’s most hard-to-reach places. In addition to having no internet access, they’re often without electricity and must rely on solar energy to power their equipment.

But due to advancements in technology in recent years, Wycliffe Associates has gained more economical access to satellite internet systems.

“We have thoroughly tested the technology over the past year, and we recently launched Starlink with a few Bible translation teams in very remote areas in Southeast Asia. We hope to expand to many different countries around the world in the near future,” said Mark Stedman, Vice President of Technology.

The connections also will make video calls possible, which haven’t been available to national Bible translators in the past.

“This is going to make a tremendous impact in terms of encouraging the translators, helping them with theological questions, and having that consistent connection where you can actually speak on the telephone as opposed to having to rely on a text message or an email,” said a Wycliffe Associates staff member. “Starlink’s going to improve our ability to stand alongside our translators.”

And in places where persecution of Christians is intense, a secure and fast internet connection ensures that national Bible translators can securely upload their work to protect it from being lost or destroyed.

Internet connections in remote areas are part of Wycliffe Associates’ strategy of equipping and empowering local believers and churches around the world to translate the Scriptures for themselves. Included in the technology that Wycliffe Associates provides are laptops loaded with custom Bible translation software and access to a library of translation resources.

About Wycliffe Associates

One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.

Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers are currently accelerating Bible translations throughout the world. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.

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