"I see a generalized pattern of other missionary translators, neglecting the use and distribution of translations done by their colleagues after their colleagues are gone. This appears to call into question that the use and impact of the translations of others important to them, especially when one compares it to what they do pay a lot of attention to..."

The author of the Bible Translator Foibles blog asks searching questions for missionary Bible translators, especially about their desire to see the Scriptures available and put to use.

"I asked the leadership about this New Testament. Was it being used? Was it having an impact? Was it still available and for sale in the part of the country where the language was spoken?

The answer to all of these questions was “We don’t know”. That answer was surprising enough, but I was really shocked that the questions did not seem to evoke any sense that not knowing was a problem. The questions did not create any desire to find out. It appeared to me that it was okay with the missionary translators if the completed New Testament in that language was no longer available to the people for whom it was translated."

For anyone involved in Bible translation in a cross-cultural context, this blog offers plenty of food for thought.