SCHUMACHER, Rebekah

Rebekah grew up in Langley, B.C. and completed her degree in Applied Linguistics at Trinity Western University. After an exploratory trip with Wycliffe to Cameroon in 2014, she was encouraged that God could use her in the field of linguistics and translation. Rebekah was struck by the need for Bible translation into the signed languages of the world. The Deaf remain one of the largest unreached people groups due to marginalization and a lack of accessibility to the gospel in their heart languages. With just one complete Bible translation in only one of more than 350 sign languages globally, the remaining task is great. But with the technological advances of today and the commitment of local Deaf communities, momentum is building to advance this work. This knowledge inspired Rebekah to fulfil her dream of studying American Sign Language and then to complete her Diploma in Sign Language Interpretation from Douglas College in 2019, hoping to gain skills to support sign language Bible translation globally. 

Rebekah became a member of Wycliffe Canada in 2020 and joined SIL’s Global Sign Languages Team (GSLT) in 2021. She is currently based in Romania, serving the GSLT in the areas of Communications and Sign Language Interpretation, while being mentored towards becoming a Sign Language Linguistics Consultant. She is eager to grow in her understanding of Deaf communities around the world and see more and more Deaf people encounter God’s love!