Think of 7,000 brides on their way to Macy’s. Each bride will need the registry inventory list so that her friends don’t give her five toasters at her bridal shower. The “friends” in this analogy are the people who want to get involved in Bible translation. The registry prevents duplication and keeps anyone from re-inventing the wheel. The “Macy’s” might be ProgressBible, the registry Bible agencies consult to see who is translating what.
Imagine Macy’s keeps an exhaustive list of everything newlyweds need to set up shop: towels, sheets, a toaster, a vacuum cleaner. If you were a novice English speaker, you might need each item defined for you:
Now imagine you are a native speaker from a rainforest people in Ecuador. The “household appliances” of Bible translation would need the same kind of definitions. Here is the complete registry of tools, experts, and services for setting up shop to translate the Scriptures into Waorani.
One great gift has already been given
Rachel Saint and Dayuma began with Mark and Acts in the late 1950s. Catherine Peeke and Rosi Jung, with more than a dozen Waorani co-translators, completed the New Testament, Wængonguï nänö Apæ̈negaïnö, dedicated in Ecuador in June 1992. The Old Testament, revision, audio, and literacy work remain on the registry.
The Two Essentials
Before any gift is bought
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1
Still needed
Orthography
The standard set of rules and conventions that govern how a language is written and spelled.
The SIL orthography used in the 1992 New Testament marks vowels heavily (æ, ä, ë, ï, ö, æ̈). Alternate names such as Wao Tededö, Wao Terero, and Wao Tiriro signal competing spelling conventions, likely including Ecuador’s bilingual-education system. Settle this first: it is where two toasters happen.
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2
On the shelf
Ethnologue
A reference publication on the world’s languages, where their speakers live, and how many there are.
ethnologue.com/language/auc. Waorani is a language isolate, related to no other known language, with roughly 2,000–2,400 speakers in the Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza provinces.
The Registry Desk
Finding out what the bride already has
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3
On the shelf
ProgressBible
The registry of who is translating what, in which language, and how far along each project is.
progress.bible. Partner login required; available to Bible agencies.
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4
On the shelf
Glottolog
A free academic catalog of languages, with a bibliography of everything linguists have written about each one.
glottolog.org. Search “Waorani.”
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5
On the shelf
ScriptureEarth
An index of Scripture text, audio, video, and apps available in each language.
scriptureearth.org, Waorani page. Lists the New Testament with audio and video, an Android app, and the story of Joseph.
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6
Gift received
eBible.org
A library of free Bible texts in downloadable formats, including USFM, the standard markup that translation software reads.
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7
On the shelf
Digital Bible Library
The master vault of licensed Scripture texts and audio, used by Bible apps and publishers.
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8
Gift received
Global Recordings Network
Audio gospel messages and Bible stories for people who learn by listening rather than reading.
globalrecordings.net, Wao page. Recordings already exist in Wao.
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9
On the shelf
Joshua Project
Data on people groups: population, religion, and how much gospel access they have.
Linens & Foundations
The language itself, described and written down
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10
On the shelf
ScriptSource
A catalog of writing systems: which letters, fonts, and keyboards each language uses.
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11
On the shelf
Unicode and fonts
The worldwide code that lets every special letter display the same on every phone and computer, and a typeface that can draw them.
Charis SIL handles stacked vowel marks like æ̈. Test every letter before publishing.
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12
Still needed
Keyman
Free keyboard software for typing special characters on phones and computers.
keyman.com. Search for a Waorani keyboard, or build one.
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13
On the shelf
Phonology
A description of the language’s sound system: which sounds it has and how they combine.
SIL Language & Culture Archives. Search for Catherine Peeke’s Waorani work.
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14
On the shelf
Morphology and grammar
How words are built from smaller parts, and how sentences are put together.
Peeke’s Indiana University doctoral research on Wao Tededö, findable through Glottolog or the SIL archives.
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15
Still needed
Dictionary or lexicon
A list of the language’s words with their meanings.
webonary.org and the SIL archives.
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16
Still needed
Sociolinguistic survey
A study of who speaks the language, who reads it, and how much Spanish is used alongside it.
Arranged through Wycliffe/SIL Ecuador. Needed before planning Old Testament work.
Kitchen Appliances
The software that does the daily work
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17
On the shelf
Paratext
The standard program for translating the Bible, with built-in spelling checks, key-term lists, and notes for consultants.
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18
On the shelf
FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx)
A program for building a dictionary and breaking words into their parts. It links to Paratext.
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19
On the shelf
AI drafting in Paratext
A machine that learns from existing translated text and proposes a rough first draft for humans to correct.
Built into Paratext. The Waorani New Testament gives it material to learn from.
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20
On the shelf
Translator’s Workplace and UBS Handbooks
Commentaries written specifically to explain each verse to translators.
Available as resources inside Paratext.
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21
On the shelf
Scripture App Builder
A tool that turns a translation into a phone app, with text and audio playing together.
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22
On the shelf
PTXprint
A typesetting program that lays out a translation as a print-ready Bible.
The Wedding Party
The people every translation needs
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23
Still needed
Mother-tongue translators
Native Waorani speakers who write the translation in their own language.
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24
Still needed
Exegete
A Hebrew and Greek expert who explains what the original text means.
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25
Still needed
Translation consultant
An accredited checker who confirms the translation is accurate before it is published.
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26
Still needed
Linguist
A specialist in the language’s sounds, spelling, and grammar.
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27
Still needed
Back-translator
Someone who turns the draft word for word into Spanish or English so the consultant can check it.
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28
Still needed
Community reviewers
Ordinary readers who test whether the translation sounds natural and is easy to understand.
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29
Still needed
Literacy specialist
A teacher who helps people learn to read, so the Bible actually gets read.
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30
Gift received
Audio producer
Someone who records the Scriptures read aloud or dramatized.
For example, Faith Comes By Hearing, whose Waorani New Testament is on Bible.is.
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31
Still needed
Scripture engagement specialist
Someone who helps the church read, hear, and live by the translation.
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32
Still needed
Project manager and fundraiser
The person who keeps the team, schedule, and budget moving toward the finish line.
Thank-You Notes
Permissions and partners
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33
On the shelf
Copyright holder
The owner who grants permission to reuse or change a published text.
Wycliffe Bible Translators holds the Waorani New Testament under a Creative Commons no-derivatives license. Any revision or combined edition needs Wycliffe’s permission.
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34
On the shelf
Wycliffe / SIL Ecuador
The agency that carried the Waorani translation for decades.
Contact them about Old Testament status before starting. wycliffe.org.
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35
Still needed
The Waorani nationality and local churches
The community’s own leaders, whose consent and ownership make a translation theirs.
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36
On the shelf
illumiNations and Every Tribe Every Nation
The alliance that coordinates funding and assignments toward the 2033 All Access Goals.
Before you buy a gift
Ask ProgressBible or Wycliffe/SIL Ecuador whether anyone already holds the Waorani Old Testament project. Their answer tells you whether to join an existing team or assemble your own.
Every “Still needed” stamp on this registry is an open invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-9).