FAQ

We began providing information technology services in 1976. Through the years, the department providing these services has had several names, but its goal has remained the same: applying cutting-edge information technology and communication solutions to speed Bible translation and language development. Currently, the department is named "Global Information Technology Services."

Nearly 400 volunteers and career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators work in IT-related positions worldwide. Approximately 85 of these personnel work at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C.

We provide a wide range of services to partnering organizations and their staff. Our team offers services such as:

• A secure worldwide email network.
• Developing translation support software.
• Consulting for computer purchases.
• Licensing and distributing software.
• Offering online courses for IT training.
• Deploying solutions for satellite and radio communications.
• Engineering solar- and alternative-power solutions for remote locations.
• Developing enterprise Web applications, including collaboration tools, search engines and content/media management.
• Providing customer service and a technical help desk for translators and support personnel worldwide.

We provide support services worldwide. Currently, a major focus of our department is improving Internet connectivity for many regional translation offices throughout Africa. We are providing technical and logistical support for satellite Internet connections, backup power systems, office computers, network systems and software. To learn more about this project, please click here.

Yes. To further our support of translation and language development work, we maintain partnerships with organizations such as:

• SIL International
• Wycliffe International
• Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

At the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C., we create training materials and host conferences that are designed to equip IT-related personnel throughout the world. In addition, IT-related staff worldwide often train local people, both to address an area's information technology needs and to use our translation support software.

In conjunction with SIL International's software developers, JAARS IT staff have created a variety of translation support software programs. Among these are:

• FieldWorks Translation Editor, a word processing program designed specifically for translators. Unlike other word processing programs, this program can display any Unicode-compatible script and will handle vertical and right-to-left writing systems.
• FieldWorks Topics Editor, a program which helps translators organize facts about a specific language community. Translators can create personalized lists about any subject, such as "weather," "death" or "hairstyles," and reference their notes as they translate related portions of Scripture.
• Phonology Assistant, a program which analyzes the individual sounds in a language and their meanings. With this information, translators and linguists can analyze how words are created and explore how specific sounds impact the meaning of a word.
• Speech Analyzer, a tool which can produce visual graphs of the pronunciation of specific words. Translators and linguists can use these graphs to compare their pronunciation of words with that of a native speaker. This program is especially useful in tonal languages; when translators cannot hear the difference in pronunciation, this tool allows them to see it and correct mistakes.
• International Phonetic Alphabet Help, a reference tool which catalogs every Unicode-compatible phonetic character and its corresponding sound. Translators can use this program to choose appropriate characters for the sounds used in the language community they are working with.

To learn more about these programs, you can read SIL International's information on Fieldworks, browse their software catalog, or view a detailed list of software applications on the IT World of Wycliffe site.

FieldWorks is a suite of programs that JAARS IT and SIL International software developers have designed specifically for linguists and Bible translators. While other translation suites exist, FieldWorks is the most complete set of compatible translation programs available.

For more information about FieldWorks, please click here.

Check-IT-Out is a two-day conference that demonstrates how computers are used to support Bible translation—and the variety of ways IT professionals can get involved. To learn more about this conference, please visit the Check-IT-Out Web site.

We are looking to use the power of new technologies to provide innovative tools for the next generation of Bible translation. Currently, we are asking God for help in many areas:

• Web-based collaboration tools
• Translation support software
• Satellite and cellular Internet connections
• Audio and video conferencing
• High-performance email
• Identity management
• Extranets
• Mobile computing devices
• Distance training
• Information security

If you are interested in serving with us in any of these areas, please submit our online contact form.

Yes. However, due to the team-oriented nature of our projects, we ask that volunteers serve for at least one month at a time. If you are interested in volunteering for short-term projects with us, please submit our online contact form.

Yes. We have many needs for volunteers in the ITS department, and we would welcome your service. Specific opportunities will vary depending on how many hours per week you would like to volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering part-time with us, please submit our online contact form.