The Bible Translation Consulting Community: how can we more effectively welcome colleagues from different backgrounds?

As we welcome more colleagues from very different global backgrounds into the ranks of approved Bible translation consultants, one of the important issues to be faced is the need for us to improve our critical thinking skills. For many colleagues, critical thinking is not a part of the national education system, and frequently the extended family structure also restricts the opportunities for development of these skills. This paper thus begins by asking ‘What is critical thinking and why do translation consultants need to be proficient in it?’
The paper then looks at current Growth Plans for consultants-in-training, and notes that in many cases critical thinking abilities are assumed rather than explicitly required as part of training programs. The paper concludes by sharing some experiences where attempts were made to improve the critical thinking skills of a cohort of exegetical specialists (with translation experience in their own mother tongues), preparing to help other translators improve the quality of translations produced in languages unknown to the specialists. The tentative conclusion is that we still have much to learn about how to ensure all translation consultants are proficient in using critical thinking skills.