Dadak Linguistics Consultant
Cameroon is one of the countries with many Bibleless languages. Cameroon has over 280 languages with a population of more than 30 million. The North of Cameroon has 55 Chadic languages with great needs in language development and in Bible translation. Due to a rise in insecurity in the area in recent years, expatriate missionaries can no longer live in these areas. Dadak has the same level of training as the other western missionaries, but can live in this area in security. Language projects have therefore not been receiving technical assistance and training they need, and many projects have made little progress in recent years due to the ongoing crisis.
Dr. Ndokobai Dadak is a Cameroonian linguist who is married to Clara. Together they have 4 children. Ndokobai has a PhD in linguistics obtained from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. He was certified as a linguistics consultant in December 2015. He has been involved in doing linguistics for Bible translation and literacy since 2004. Ndokobai has a vision of true transformation of many communities through the power of translated scriptures in the language of the heart of the people. He has uniquely experienced this when he gave his life to Christ after the reading of the Bible in his Mafa native language, one of the early translated Bible in the North of Cameroon.
In the last four years, SIL, Wycliffe’s major partner in Bible translation work in Cameroon, has launched a comprehensive program to help advance Bible translation in thirteen languages in Northern Cameroon. Ndokobai, as a native of the area and an experienced linguist and consultant, plays a key role in providing training and support to language communities particularly in the application of linguistic knowledge to translation, literacy and language development. He is currently involved in the facilitation of participatory style linguistics workshops. These workshops are designed to help local translators and language workers discover for themselves the linguistic structures of their language with a view to improving orthographies (spelling systems) and the quality of translations and other language materials being produced.
As a linguistics consultant, he is also involved in supervision and mentoring of less experienced linguists working with SIL Cameroon.
This project gives the opportunity to churches and individuals to partner financially with Ndokobai in order to support the work of Bible translation and the training of the next generation of Bible translation and language development leaders in Francophone Africa. Through this project you can support the Dadak national missionary family.
Thank you for considering partnering in Bible translation with Ndokobai Dadak through your financial and prayer partnership in his ministry with Wycliffe.