Wycliffe Bible Translators

Our History

In 1917 a missionary named William Cameron Townsend went to Guatemala to sell Spanish Bibles. But he was shocked when many people couldn’t understand the books. They spoke Cakchiquel, a language without a Bible.

Cam believed everyone should understand the Bible, so he started a small linguistics school that trained people to do Bible translation. The work continued to grow, and in 1942 Cam officially founded Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Our Mission

Wycliffe’s vision is to see God’s Word accessible to all people in the language of their hearts, and our mission is to see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025.

Our Values

Our motive for Bible translation is to help all people on earth have the opportunity to pursue God and his glory. His Word transforms people’s lives when it is translated into a language that speaks to their hearts. We depend on God for everything to complete the task of worldwide Bible translation and we reflect the character of God when we work in community, in partnerships and with humility.

Wycliffe Bible Translators - What We Do

For more than 70 years, Wycliffe has helped people around the world translate the Bible into their own languages. We also help with language development, literacy and other spiritual and physical needs.

To learn more, visit wycliffe.org!