Survey Specialists do comprehensive and interactive research on language and culture to identify translation needs and opportunities.
Passions:
- Forging new paths for the gospel
- Adventure and spontaneity
- Roughing it in substandard or improvised living situations
Skills:
- An ear for subtle language distinctions
- Tolerance for ambiguity
- Quick thinking and decision-making in suboptimal conditions
- Attention to detail and an analytical mind
- Clear written communication, especially regarding linguistic data
Language survey is crucial to gathering information about languages and the Bibleless people who speak them. Survey Specialists travel to some of the most remote places on earth to collect information that will enable us to assess ministry needs and formulate strategies for meeting them. Survey work is often the first step to determining future translation projects. It involves compiling large amounts of linguistic data and being able to report on that data in a concise fashion.