OCTOBER 2025 Translation News

Google Link to the PDF OCTOBER 2025 Translation Newsletter

Contents

• I Love to Tell the Story - Nick Peterson
• Multimodal Bible Translation CoP - Kris Toler
• Exploring Key Terms in the Receptor Language Culture - Dick Kroneman
• Bible Translation Conference 2025 Update - Phil King
• New Translation Consultants -
  • Andrea Frank (Africa)
  • Diane Lovell (Africa)
• Interviews with Translation Consultants - Angie Foo (Asia)
• Memoriam - David Crozier(1948-2025)
  • Obituary: David Crozier - Andy Warren-Rothlin
  • Everyone Needs A Crozier: A Tribute of Gratitude - Dogara Ishaya Manomi
•  News
  • Asia Translation Consultant Development Workshop - Angie Foo
  • New PhD - Dr. David Gray - Eurasia
  • Scripture Forge Workshop Cameroon 2025 - Drew Maust
  • Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting - George Payton
  • FOBAI Update - Meeting Report & Bible Access List Launch
  • Online Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language - Brittany Löwenstein
• Coming Events
  • Africa Oral Bible Translation Consultation (Oct 2025) Online Consultation
  • Bible Translation Conference 25 (Oct 2025) Thailand
  • FLExTrans Workshop (Nov 2025) Thailand
  • Biblical Discourse Conference (Jan 2026) DIU
  • EMDC (May 2026) Thailand
  • Asia TCDW (June-July 2026)

Extracted text from 10_Oct_2025_TransNews.pdf:

Subject

Oct 2025 Translation News

Preheader

SIL Translation Services (ITS)

SIL Translation Services (STS) works in collaboration with colleagues in SIL and other agencies to creatively steward and advance the translation practices, tools, methods, and training necessary to enable a supportive environment for individuals and communities to flourish and engage with Scripture. We value: Interconnectedness. Capacity Building. Diversity. Innovation.

October 2025 I Love to Tell the Story - Nick Peterson Multimodal Bible Translation CoP - Kris Toler Exploring Key Terms in the Receptor Language Culture - Dick Kroneman Bible Translation Conference 2025 Update - Phil King New Translation Consultants Andrea Frank (Africa) Diane Lovell (Africa) Interviews with Translation Consultants - Angie Foo (Asia) Memoriam - David Crozier (1948-2025) Obituary: David Crozier - Andy Warren-Rothlin Everyone Needs A Crozier: A Tribute of Gratitude - Dogara Ishaya Manomi News Asia Translation Consultant Development Workshop - Angie Foo New PhD - Dr. David Gray - Eurasia Scripture Forge Workshop Cameroon 2025 - Drew Maust Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting - George Payton FOBAI Update - Meeting Report & Bible Access List Launch Online Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language - Brittany Löwenstein Coming Events Africa Oral Bible Translation Consultation (Oct 2025) Online Consultation Bible Translation Conference 25 (Oct 2025) Thailand FLExTrans Workshop (Nov 2025) Thailand Biblical Discourse Conference (Jan 2026) DIU EMDC (May 2026) Thailand Asia TCDW (June-July 2026)

Useful Links SIL Translation Services International Leadership Team Area Translation Coordinators

I Love to Tell the Story

• Nick Peterson For the past few months our newsletter has begun with members of the ITS team sharing what motivates them to be involved in Bible translation. This month we hear from Nick Peterson.

There are many things, big and small, that shape who we are and the choices that we make. I grew up in a family that went to church, which was something that I may not have had a choice in, but it definitely shaped who I am today and I am thankful for it. It was in the fellowship of believers that I grew to know that the Bible was more than just a story. Who can find a more compelling story?! Yes, the Bible will tell us what it means to live the way God intended us to live, and it gives us a picture into where we came from as a historical account, and it will show us that there is nothing new under the sun and that we are all fighting against the same curse of sin. But there is only one thing that makes the Bible truly great. It's God's story. It's his story of how much he loves his creation. How much he simply is love. How in that love his plan has been before time and creation to be a God of redemption and restoration. What kind of God would create everything knowing that he would have to redeem it all? One who is patient and kind. One that knows that experiencing what is good is worth the hassle and headache of creation going awry. One who knows that only someone who hasn't messed up can help those that have. One who knows that redemption is the greatest form of love. What influenced me to get involved in Bible translation? The understanding that the Bible is God's story and that there are people out there that do not know it yet, or can't understand it, or don't have it on their shelf to be able to dive into whenever they would like to. Growing up, my mother taught me the importance of loving God with all my mind. She has a very analytical mind, often to a fault. She also taught me that the pursuit of knowledge can either lead to deeper intimacy with God or to strife, as idolatry in any form will inevitably bring. Put these all together and she taught me what it means to be a Berean of the Word (Acts 17:11). I remember thinking as a kid, how great it would be to know so many different languages, being able to understand others perhaps without them even knowing it, and you could talk to whom you'd like in secret without your rivals knowing what you're saying. Even at that young age I knew the potential power of language, however misguided. I was very young and naive then, but over time God has shown me that to use language for unity and blessing is far more powerful than exerting some sort of advantage over someone else. And my interest and love for language grew. Through the course of my college career, the Lord led me to study psycholinguistics. I felt that the subject was interesting enough, but I didn't really feel that God was calling me into a career of clinical research, so I was left still wondering what kind of work would fit me right. Some friends of mine knew that I had studied a bit of Hebrew and Greek and that I had really liked it, and they also knew that there was an Explore Wycliffe event that was going to be held on our campus. They encouraged me to go, and I did. That day I knew what I wanted to devote my career to. If you had asked me that day how many languages there were in the world, I would have taken the 20 or so that I knew and added what I would have thought to be a generous 100 or so more. Maybe 200. But in those days it was closer to 6500, and the majority of them didn't have any Scripture. This broke my heart. A.W. Tozer says that "what comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." He affirms that the most important story is God's story, but also adds the beautiful element that our stories, however big or small, are featured within God's story. When we read the Bible from that point of view, we are realizing our identity, purpose and worth, because it allows us to see how we fit into God's story. That is what motivates me to be involved in this great ministry. Everyone should know the thrill of God's love for them and the place that he has for us in his story. And why shouldn't everyone be able to do just that in whatever language they choose?

Multimodal Bible Translation CoP

• Kris Toler This month we had our second session of the Multimodal Bible Translation Community of Practice. Louie Rose from Faith Comes By Hearing shared on the topic of OBT using Render 3 and AI. He shared some exciting developments and the possibilities of incorporating AI into the OBT workflow. The recording of the presentation will be made available shortly on the EMDC online platform. After signing in, you can find the recording in the "From Our Library" section once it is available. Our next session will take place on Tuesday, November 11th at 14:00 UTC - 9:00am Dallas, 15:00 UK, 19:30 India, 21:00 Thailand. Heather Beal from Dallas International University will be sharing. We will send out the title and description once they are confirmed. Be sure to mark your calendars now. You will not want to miss it. Also, feel free to share the link with anyone that you think would benefit from the discussion. You can sign up by registering and clicking the "subscribe to this series" button.

Senior Translation Consultant, Dick Kroneman, shares some perspectives on how translators can explore and translate key terms. This is from a presentation for the Key Terms of the Old Testament working group.

Exploring Key Terms in the Receptor Language Culture - Dick Kroneman Translating is much more than just replacing labels from one language into another. Words are embedded in, and shaped and colored by, the cultural contexts of their language. This applies not only to Biblical key terms of the Old and/or New Testament. It also applies to words and their underlying concepts in the receptor languages into which the Bible is translated. Translators need to explore and understand the basic terminology and their related concepts in the vernacular language they are working in. They should not just rely on their own individual knowledge and intuition, but rather proactively explore their own culture while paying close attention to the knowledge and perspectives of the older generation as well as the younger generation. The following cultural domains are important to explore in translator training and/or during special topic-centered sessions in which translators, community members, and translation advisors can participate: Kinship, worldview, basic values (including honor and shame), terms for deities and other spiritual beings, space and time, and oral and written communication genres (including folklore and songs). In some cases, it may be good to do this kind of exploration in preparation for translation work. In other cases, it may be good to take some time out during the translation process, to dig a bit deeper into one of those topics, especially when it is relevant to the rendering of a certain key term in the passage the translators are working on. This kind of exploration can be guided by specific questions that are provided in anthropological handbooks and guidelines for translators. The main challenge is to not overload the translation team with too many questions at once, but rather choose two or three important questions and deal with those in a systematic way. For example, when a translation team is working on the book of Ruth, it makes sense to explore kinship terminology, both in terms of reference and in terms of address. And one of the questions that may come up is: Is it natural in your language if a person like Boaz who meets a foreign woman (who will end up being his bride) addresses her as "my daughter" (Ruth 2:8)? Or, would that be inappropriate, and would another term be more appropriate in this kind of scenario? Some of the key terms in the receptor language may be more sensitive than others. For example, using the name of a pre-Christian deity as a rendering of "God" may be problematic for some speakers of the language, while it may not be problematic for other speakers. One of the key questions to ask is: Does this pre-Christian deity have similar character traits as the God of the Bible (Creator, Judge, almighty, gracious, loving, loyal)? Or does he have character traits that are incompatible with the God of the Bible? Another important question to ask is: What words or names do local speakers use to refer to the God of the Bible? And: which term would be most appropriate and not lead to unnecessary division among the local community? Exploring key terms in the local language is a bifocal process. On the one hand, translators need to understand their own cultural key terms and the concepts and positive and negative connotations related to those terms. On the other hand, they also need to understand the meanings of the Biblical key terms and the concepts and positive and negative connotations related to those terms. Semantic domain maps may help to map Biblical key terms in the same semantic domain as they relate to other words and concepts (in terms of synonymy, antonymy, hypernymy, and hyponymy, etc.). Semantic domain maps also help to map vernacular key terms in the same semantic domain as they relate to one another. Comparing those maps is an important step in contrastive language and culture analysis. It may help translators to find vernacular terms that are very useful in translation, but that had not been considered before. Translating Biblical key terms into a receptor language can be a challenge, especially when the receptor language has many lexical gaps compared to the source language terms, due to lexical underspecialization in certain domains of the receptor language. In many cases, the use of a descriptive phrase is the best solution to solve this kind of problem. In other cases, a loan word from the language of wider communication can be used. In some cases, it may also be possible to use a more generic word in the receptor language. The renderings of Biblical key terms also need to be carefully checked during comprehension checks with the community. One of the important questions to ask is: In what kind of situation in your daily lives would you use this particular word or expression? And, does this word point to something that is good (positive) or bad (negative)? Biblical key terms and their renderings in the receptor language can also be studied in Scripture engagement activities. For example, by doing a topical Bible study, focused on two or three Biblical contexts where the word "covenant" (or "redeemer", or "righteous", etc.) occurs. This kind of approach helps people to build their understanding of the meaning of specific key terms.

Bible Translation Conference 2025 Update

• Phil King The Bible Translation conference will be taking place at the end of this month, 28-31 October in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Whilst the hotel is now booked out, you can still register via the website for online participation - we would love to have you join us! I'm looking forward to both hearing some fascinating presentations and to discussions with others from across the Bible translation movement. I'm hoping to have my thinking expanded on the ethical questions raised by Bible translation as we listen and discuss together, and preparing myself for those challenging moments where my own favourite strategies, practices or methods are critiqued. I recognise it is even possible that some of my most strongly-held beliefs will be ethically questioned by others, but I'm grateful for the privilege of exploring these questions within a community that is deeply committed to living out the love and grace of Jesus! I expect this will be a conference where we sharpen and refine one another like 'iron sharpens iron', as Proverbs describes it. The full list of submitted abstracts is available on the website, but I've picked out just a few that piqued my interest - what would you most want to hear about? Addressing Ethical Issues in Bible Translation and Technology from a Nigerian Perspective The Paraphrase: Where Ethics Meets Form, Theory, and Audience A Framework for Understanding and Implementing AI Ethically in Bible Translation Translating From a Translation? Practical and Ethical Considerations Ethics, the Apostles and the Old Testament Who is the Dumb Consultant Who Approved This? (Oh, It Was Me!) How Ethical is Parachute Consulting? The Ethics of Understanding Biblical Geography for Accurate Translation into Indian Sign Language Theological Bias in AI-Generated and AI-Checked Translations: Ethical Implications Black, White or In Between? On the Ethics of Jesus Images in Bibles and Other Media Community Participation and Community Ownership or Church-Centric: A Contested Space? Towards a Professional Code of Ethics in Bible Translation The Ethics of Metrics: Responsible Data Collection in Bible Translation Technology "This Bible belongs to us!" Ethical Issues Surrounding a Bible Translation's Name Widening the Table: An Ethics of Accessible Exegesis and Interpretation Translation Progress Tracking and the Ethics of Efficiency

New Translation Consultants Andrea Frank (Africa) & Diane Lovell (Africa)

Andrea Frank - Africa

Congratulations to Andrea Frank working with SIL Tanzania on completing all the requirements for certification as a Translation Consultant. Drew Maust (Chairman) announced that the SIL Africa Area Accreditation Committee for translation consultants has examined her dossier and the committee has formally recognized her as a Translation Consultant. Andrea's extensive experience and competence will be a great asset to the Bible translation community for years to come. Her primary mentor was André Kamphuis. Andrea's journey towards Bible translation started in Bible College. When she studied NT Greek, she realized that she wanted to do something that revolved directly around languages and the Bible. She applied at Wycliffe Germany while still finishing up her studies and was sent to Tanzania in 2008. After learning Swahili, she was able to spend about half a year on linguistic research in Safwa, the language community where she assisted as a Translation Advisor. She completed a Masters in Theology (MTh) from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 2008. Her major was New Testament with a thesis titled: The Importance of Exegesis and Culture for Bible Translation: An examination based on nine different concepts of the New Testament. She speaks German, English, and Swahili. In 2009 she began translation work at an ICTP course, supporting Safwa translators. Translation started in 2010 and they were blessed to complete the NT in 2022. From the beginning, Andrea was part of a cluster project with 9-10 translation teams all working in the same office. Her main focus was the Safwa translation team, but she helped with training and Translation Advisor checks with some of the other languages. It was also a great experience helping facilitate the translation of the Jesus Film into most of these languages and checking the Safwa script. Andrea's consultant training consisted of a theoretical framework, where she completed reading tasks given by her primary mentor and then they discussed them. She also talked through various topics with other translation colleagues. For the practical application, she was able to work with nine different translation teams throughout Tanzania (and one remote check even for a Ugandan non-Bantu language), being supervised by seven different consultants during those checks. Despite sometimes being quite challenging, overall it was a huge blessing to be exposed to such a variety of people, languages, and cultures, and to benefit from the mix of experience from all the consultants that supervised her.

Diane Lovell - Africa

Congratulations to Diane Lovell with SIL Southern Africa (SIL SOA), on completing all the requirements for certification as a Translation Consultant. Drew Maust (Chairman) announced that the SIL Africa Area Accreditation Committee for translation consultants has examined her dossier and the committee has formally recognized her as a Translation Consultant. Diane's outstanding expertise, proven leadership in translation, and many years of dedicated service make her exceptionally well prepared for this role. We are confident that her wisdom and competence will be a lasting blessing to the Bible translation community for years to come. Her primary mentors were Jim Clarke (Wycliffe USA) and Mikael Bister (SIL SOA). She is a Church Missionary Society of Australia missionary seconded to SIL SOA in 2022. She has a BA in Languages and Applied Linguistics (Hons) from Griffith University, Brisbane, a Bachelor of Divinity from Moore Theological College, Sydney, and an MA in Bible Translation from University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. She speaks English and is currently studying Portuguese for options to serve in Angola and Mozambique. She successfully completed AFTRACT 2024 training in Nairobi, Kenya. Diane is a Filipino-Australian who was first introduced to the world of Bible translation in 2001 through a week-long course with Wycliffe Australia, while studying linguistics at Griffith University. She trained and worked as an English teacher before completing a Bachelor of Divinity at Moore Theological College. In 2011, Diane and her husband, Dr Nathan Lovell, joined the Church Missionary Society and were sent to Cape Town, South Africa where they serve in theological education at George Whitefield College (GWC). Diane joined the Seed Company Mongu Cluster project in Zambia, working with the Fwe team in orthography development and the beginning of their New Testament translation. Diane also briefly worked with the South African Sign Language Chronological Bible Translation project in Cape Town. From 2018 until 2021 Diane focused on her ministry as the Dean of Women at GWC before undertaking an MA in Bible Translation at the University of the Free State under Dr Cynthia Miller-Naudé, specialising in Biblical performance criticism. Diane joined SIL Southern Africa (SOA) in 2022 as a part-time Consultant-in-Training, gaining experience in checking workshops with the Bible Society of Australia, the Bible Society of South Africa, Wycliffe South Africa (Wycliffe SA), the Seed Company (SC), and SIL SOA. Diane also gained invaluable support and guidance from Dr June Dickie (Wycliffe SA), Dr Sebastian Floor (SC), Heather Saunders (SC), Dr Cathy Bow (Charles Darwin University), Dr Gloria Gravelle (SC), The Rev Dr Sam Freney (Bible Society Australia), and The Rev Dr Andrew Shead (Moore Theological College). The members of the Fwe translation team are also very highly esteemed colleagues: Mr Innocent Yapashi, Nduna Cosmas Pilaelo, Pastor David Mabuku and Mrs Roda Mayumbelo. Diane continues to work closely with the Fwe project in Zambia which is now nearing publication of the NT. As a member of the Psalms that Sing project, Diane writes translation guides and has facilitated the development of poetic translations and performances in Mozambique (Koti), Cameroon (Kom) and South Africa (Kaaps).

Interviews with Translation Consultants We asked experienced Translation Consultant, Angie Foo (SIL Senior Translation Consultant), to share her thoughts concerning her work and philosophy of ministry. Experienced consultants have been a key organizational resource over the years, equipping and encouraging others to academic and professional excellence, while providing much needed leadership and service to many Bible translation organizations.

Angie Foo - Asia How did you get interested in Bible translation? I would say that it was a convergence of four events for my husband, Peter, and me. The wife of a good family friend of ours with SIL passed away in Mali while pregnant with their third child. This made us re-evaluate our lives and ask, "With the one life we have to live for God, how can we make it count?" We felt we should invest in something that was eternal - that would be the Word of God (Isa. 40:8), and that's how God pointed us to the work of Bible translation. We left our full-time work with the church - Peter (children's ministry) and me (youth work) to join Wycliffe Bible Translators. Peter was challenged by God every year to get personally involved in missions, especially when it was Missions Sunday in church, and he would teach the children in Sunday School about missions. God's still small voice kept asking him, "What about you?" Soon, it was a question he could no longer ignore. With our friend's death in the mission field, I was reminded that when I was a teenager, I had read "Peace Child" by Don Richardson and told God that I was willing to go wherever He wanted me to go so that I could share the Good News with people who did not yet know. The Lord reminded me of that promise in due time. We read the book by John Piper, "Let the Nations be Glad", and his quote: "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man," which resonated deeply with us. Our passion for worship drew us naturally to missions because we are driven by the desire to see everyone everywhere know God and worship Him. And so, in 2000, we began our faith adventure with the Lord in missions. It eventually led us to Papua in 2004 - coming to a full circle with "Peace Child". What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I especially enjoy the times with teams and/or the community, when the light comes on and a scriptural truth suddenly makes sense or becomes reality, that magical moment when they savor the Word. One time I was privileged to witness an unbeliever UNS (Uninitiated Native Speaker) come to Christ during comprehension checking. What an honor to be present and be a part of such a life-changing moment. In short, I get excited when I see others excited about the Bible! What is your consulting philosophy? Like my consultant colleague AJ, I believe that the contribution I bring to the consulting table is "a fresh set of eyes to look through their work". My goal is to support and encourage the teams, the MLQAs (Mid-Level Quality Assurance), the people doing the everyday work. If they are stuck, I want to help them find solutions; if they are discouraged, I want to encourage them; if they are going a little off-course, I want to help them get back on track. The consultant is there to help teams get to the finish line so that people can have access to the Good News. What translation resources do you really value? I appreciate and use many of the exegetical resources and commentaries in Paratext and Logos, but in a crunch, it's going to be Exegetical Summaries and Translator's Notes. How do you continue to grow as a consultant? I echo the sentiments of my colleague, Steve Doty, that being part of the staff of TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop) keeps me growing and current in my work. I learn from both the trainers and the Consultants-in-Training, because everyone comes from different contexts and brings different experiences to the discussions. Beyond that, I learn from my fellow consultants all the time - through casual conversations, work interactions, and intentional information seeking. There are lots of specialists and more experienced consultants that I can turn to, to seek advice and learn from. Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? I received a lot of grace and patience from my mentor. I have made a lot of silly mistakes and have failed in a myriad of ways. But my mentor was always gracious and kind – overlooking my failures, helping me correct my mistakes, and patiently guiding me and teaching me to look at things from different perspectives. As such, I try to extend that same grace and patience with the people I work with. What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? Unquestionably, the church has an important role to play in Bible translation whenever and wherever possible. While this is true, the level of the church's involvement can be more complex than it might initially seem. There are many reasons and factors that can shape how this looks in different situations, so each new project needs to be approached with care, wisdom and lots of conversations. Ideally, the church and translation teams would work closely together. But since we live in an imperfect world, there are certain places or situations where our job is to simply do our best to involve the church as much as we can, and work on building a strong, respectful partnership over time. And in some cases, this may not even be possible, but we can always pray, trusting that God is at work and will guide the process in His time. What would you say to young/aspiring translators? Be a lifelong learner, stay humble and listen well. You'll make mistakes, and that's okay. Learn from them and keep going. Surround yourself with people who can encourage and challenge you. You're not in this alone. Keep going because helping people receive the Bible in their own language is a joy and privilege.

Memoriam - David Crozier (1948-2025) Obituary: David Crozier

• by Andy Warren-Rothlin British linguist David Crozier fell asleep, for now, on 15 August 2025, having profoundly shaped the modern Nigerian Bible translation movement. Click here to read the full obituary on MAP.

MAP is an online discussion forum for all things related to Bible Translation. You will need to set up an account, if you want to explore the wealth of articles and discussion topics it houses.

Everyone Needs A Crozier: A Tribute of Gratitude

• Dogara Ishaya Manomi When I applied for a masters programme in TCNN in 2011, I initially wanted to do Master of Arts in Linguistics and (Bible) Translation, with specialisation in New Testament (NT).

But coming from a theology background with absolutely no linguistic nor Bible translation background at all, I wasn't qualified for it.... so they sent me to talk to Dr. David Crozier, the pioneer and then HoD of the Linguistics and Bible Translation department. Click here to read Dogara's full tribute (no Facebook account needed).

News Asia Translation Consultant Development Workshop

• Angie Foo The Asia TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop) Hybrid will take place next year from 15 June to 24 July 2026. To request an application or for more information, email Angie Foo, with Subject line: [2026 TCDW]. The application deadline is 31 January

2026. Space is limited so preference will be given to the best qualified applicants who apply before the deadline. You will need to complete three forms: (1) Application, (2) a Translation CiT Readiness Worksheet, and (3) a recommendation letter from your mentoring consultant. The program consists of: Weeks 1-2: Online classroom training in translation checking techniques and other consultant skills. Week 3: Online practice in writing consultant notes. Week 4: Consultants-in-Training (CiTs) travel to onsite location to prepare for supervised checking. Weeks 5-6: Onsite checking of translations under the supervision of experienced Translation Consultants.

New PhD - Dr. David Gray - EurAsia Congratulations to David Gray (EurAsia), on the August 2025 successful completion of his PhD at The University of Gloucestershire under the supervision of Professor Philip F. Esler. The thesis is entitled Ancestor Veneration in Ancient Israel and in the Hebrew Bible: a Social-Scientific Approach. For a 15 minute summary of his PhD, you can listen to his podcast.

Scripture Forge Workshop Cameroon 2025

• Drew Maust At the invitation of Seed Company and SIL Cameroon, Drew Maust (SIL Africa Translation Consultant) led a three-day (8-10 September 2025) workshop in French in Cameroon to provide an introduction to the online platform Scripture Forge (SF) and hands-on practice with AI drafting. The full report is available in English. All the participants were highly impressed by the technology and pleased with the results. More than 30+ drafts of Old Testament books were generated in five different languages during the one-week workshop, work which otherwise would normally take a human translator more than 5+ years! Email Michael Martin and Bethany Moore for more information about Scripture Forge in general. Participants included teams of three translators each from three language communities as well as SIL Cameroon translation consultants Emmanuel Bonzi and Jean-Claude Gnintedem, consultants in training Nouhou Paul and Hamadou Nadji, language technology consultant Louis Pascal Ngono, and project facilitators Mbuta Sem and Yaya Wandjore Alexandre. On September 13, translators from two other language communities visited the SIL center for a one-day condensed training and draft generation.

Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting - George Payton Dallas International University is now accepting applications for the 2026 cohort of the Graduate Certificate in Translation Consulting (GCTC) program. This three-year program is taken online to accommodate students from around the globe. The GCTC is a combination of classroom-learning together with on-the-job mentoring. It trains translation Consultants-in-Training (CiT) in:

Interpersonal Skills Cross-cultural communication Translation consulting in narrative and non-narrative OT or NT texts Mentored practicum for the CIT's work-assigned consulting appointments Translating key biblical terms Training and mentoring Our courses are taught by experienced translation consultants paired with Greek and Hebrew scholars. The faculty includes: Paul Lawrence, Ernst Wendland, Murray Salisbury, Freddy Boswell, Joshua Harper, Jim Clarke, Sarah Dixon, Judi Merrifield, and George Payton. Most of the courses are taught in 12-month terms (June-May) to allow CITs to continue with their consulting work while they take the courses. The courses cover a semester's amount of teaching content spread over the year term. Three of the courses are semester-length courses. If your organization has identified translation CITs and would like to outsource their training, DIU is prepared to help. For more information, email George Payton or also email him here. Visit our website to read more about the program. If you are attending the 2025 Bible Translation Conference in Thailand, you are also welcome to talk to us at our table there. Applications are accepted until February 28, 2026. The next cohort begins June, 2026. Click here to apply..

FOBAI Update The annual meeting of FOBAI took place in Malaysia in April this year. FOBAI 2025 Meeting Report - Overviews from the plenary sessions and arising themes observed through the discussions are summarised in the 2025 Annual Meeting Report which you can download here. Feel free to share this with colleagues or others in your organisations. Please note that it is an interpretation and reflection of what was observed during the meeting and not a foundational or research paper. Bible Access List Launch - During the first FOBAI plenary session, the Bible Access List was presented in its draft format by Frontlines International. The Bible Access List is to be formally launched on Thursday October 2, by Frontlines International along with Forum members Digital Bible Society and Bible League International.

The Bible Access Initiative announces its official launch on Thursday, October 2, 2025, with the inaugural presentation of results from its 88-country research effort. The Bible Access List is a 2025 assessment of 88 countries, identifying where Bible access is most difficult and shortages among Christians are greatest. Updated annually, it draws on field surveys, expert interviews, and trusted data sources, producing two ranked lists and detailed Country Profiles that are reviewed and validated by in-country experts. It's a global call to serve those still waiting for God's Word. Join us in celebrating this launch, either in person or online, as we eagerly and prayerfully anticipate how the Lord will use this initiative to transform hearts across the world. Live Presentation: 10:00am (CT) at Bible League International, Crete, Illinois. Online Presentation: 2:00pm (CT). Use this link to register.

Online Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language- Brittany Löwenstein Brittany Löwenstein (Hebrew for the Nations Communications) - this month Jerusalem Seminary's online semester Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language courses are starting on 18 October. This semester they are offering levels 1, 2, and 3 with Hebrew for the Nations certified Israeli teachers who love Yeshua and have a heart for Bible Translation. Click here for more information and to enroll. Learn to read the Bible in the original language while experiencing the joys of speaking, singing and praying in Biblical Hebrew with live online instruction in a group community setting. Placement tests are available for those who already have a Hebrew background, but want to retain the language and read the Bible in Hebrew more naturally.

Coming Events 2025 - 14-16 October. Africa Oral Bible Translation Consultation. Online Consultation. Click here to register 2025 - 28-31 October. Bible Translation Conference 2025. Chiangmai, Thailand. Click here to register 2025 - 03-06 November. FLExTrans Workshop. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2026 - 10 January. Biblical Discourse Conference. DIU 2026 - 18-21 May. EMDC. Chiangmai, Thailand. 2026 - 15 Jun-24 July. Asia TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop). Email Angie Foo for application.

Useful Links Bible Translation Consultant Competencies / YouTube channel for BT Competencies Linguistic Standards and Deliverables for Bible Translation website SIL Senior Translation Consultants / BT Communities of Practice Email the SIL International Translation Office / International Translation Services ILS page Join/visit the SIL Translation Resources Google Group Visit the public SIL.org/Translation site Find Translation Resources (both free download and for purchase) SIL.org/Resources/Publications Journal of Translation Mentoring Matters website - Mentor Training Courses Consultant Development and Management Team Progress.Bible Information Memoriam website

SIL Translation Services International Leadership Team Phil King - ITS Director & Coordinator for Translation Training and Development Angeline Foo - SIL Coordinator for Translation Research and Practice Nick Peterson - SIL Coordinator for Translation Resources Kris Toler - SIL Coordinator for Oral Translation Services Viji Mathew - Director, Global Consultant Pool Brian Migliazza - ITS Operations and Project Management

Area Translation Coordinators AsiaPacific - Angeline Foo & Greg Carlson EurAsia - (To Be Confirmed) Africa - Drew Maust & Jonathan van den Broek Americas - Rick Floyd & Dwight Shaver & Dany Tasama GSLT - Bernadet van der Louw

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