FEBRUARY 2026 Translation News

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Feb 2026 Translation News

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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.

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February 2026 Balancing Professionalism and Participation - Phil King Spanish Multimodal Bible Translation CoP Begins - Dr. Fausto Liriano (UBS) Comienza la Comunidad de Práctica Multimodal de Traducción de la Biblia en español Multimodality CoP - Kris Toler OBT Consultant Training Curriculum Planning New Translation Consultants Darma Podengge - AsiaPacific Jonathan McDowell - AsiaPacific Alfred Siango - Africa Benoît Nezoufeï - Africa Interviews with Translation Consultants - Dick Kroneman (SIL Global) Amazing Stories of Bible Translators Samuel Ajayi Crowther - Nigerian pioneer (c. 1807-1891) Memoriam Marlene Schulze (1932-2025) South Asia Babu Thomas (1950-2025) South Asia News A Good Review of Language in the Mission of God - Michael Greed SBL Global Bible Translation Studies Consultation - Nathan Esala Biblical Hebrew Living Language Course - Brittany Löwenstein Biblical Discourse Conference - Paul O'Rear HoneyBee: Bible Translation in Your Pocket! - Robin Rempel Coming Events EMDC (May 2026) Thailand Asia TCDW (June-July 2026) Oral Bible Translation Consultant Workshop (Sep 2026) South Africa Translation Development Event (Nov 2026) EurAsia SBL Global Bible Translation Studies (Nov 2026) Denver

Useful Links SIL Translation Services International Leadership Team Area Translation Coordinators

Balancing Professionalism and Participation - Phil King We long to see a movement where everyone is equipped to contribute well to the shared work of Bible translation. But, what does it look like to be truly inclusive—broadening participation in Bible translation—while also affirming high standards of quality and accountability? Let me share an analogy I found myself thinking about this month. I’ve been leading worship groups in churches for over 30 years (though I still feel I lack the musical talent I see in others!). Over the years, in a variety of contexts, I’ve often tried to form bands where authenticity is more important than performance, and where everyone is welcome to participate, use their gifts and grow as we worship together. But I keep returning to the same question: is it most important to create a space where everyone can contribute what God has given them, or should we leave it to those who have the greatest technical skill and musicianship? I suspect our different traditions and backgrounds shape how we answer that question. My conclusion is that there are two values here that sit in real tension with one another: participation and professionalism. These are not mutually exclusive, but when we emphasise one too strongly, the other can suffer. When groups focus too much on technical skill and polish, ordinary church members can struggle to see how they might ever participate, or feel that their contributions are inferior. On the other hand, when everyone is encouraged simply to contribute “their thing,” a lack of shared skill, structure, or guidance can quickly lead to confusion, and the church can feel lost rather than built up. If, like worship ministry, Bible translation is a ministry of the church, how might translation projects hold these same values together? When inclusive participation and professionalism are held well together, we can imagine an enthusiastic, equipped, and capable workforce engaged in transformative and worship-inspiring Bible translation, impacting themselves and the wider community - people from many backgrounds contributing their gifts competently to the shared mission. Both participation and professionalism find strong support in Scripture. Jesus’ vision is radically inclusive: welcoming children, eating with tax collectors, engaging zealots, and forming a community that included women alongside men. As Peter learns in Acts 10, “God does not show favouritism.” At the same time, the Bible consistently encourages diligence, integrity, and care, especially when handling the word of God. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,” Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:23. One helpful way of thinking about this is through polarity management—a way of working with values that need to be held together rather than solved once and for all. This approach invites us to pay attention to both the benefits and the risks of each value, and to notice early signs that we may be leaning too far in one direction, so that we can respond by strengthening the other. What might signal that we are focusing too much on professionalism? Perhaps when local churches feel they need permission to be involved in Bible translation, or assume it is primarily the work of others with little room for their own contribution. And what might signal the downsides of inclusive participation? Perhaps when people are invited to participate but are not given the training or support they need to know whether they are doing the work well. As you look at your own corner of the Bible translation movement, which of these values do you see most strongly emphasised? Is there a risk of slipping into one of the downsides— and if so, what action might help bring the other value back into balance? For me, reflecting on situations I’ve encountered recently, I keep coming back to capacity building: providing meaningful, accessible opportunities for people whom God is calling into the movement to learn from others and to share their own growing expertise. That’s why I’m excited about the removal of barriers and the opportunities for professional growth in the Spanish Multimodality Community of Practice that started this month, connecting hearing and Deaf translators across South America. I’m excited about The Bridge training beginning in Asia, offering regular, accessible online support for the development of local translation advisors. And I’m encouraged daily by the connections I see on the BT list (FAQ and sign-up instructions here) and MAP, as people ask questions, share expertise, and help one another move forward. This is the kind of movement we long to see: barriers lowered, skills strengthened, and people from every background equipped to contribute well to the shared work of Bible translation.

Spanish Multimodal Bible Translation CoP Begins - Dr. Fausto Liriano (UBS) On January 14th was the first meeting of the Spanish Multimodal Bible Translation Community of Practice (CoP). It was exciting to see over 120 participants from 14 different countries come together to explore the topic of “Orality, Memory and Exegesis”. Dr. Fausto Liriano from the United Bible Societies presented on this fascinating topic. He gave a detailed overview of his experiences working with oral translations around the world and how these three topics can interact to improve the overall quality of our oral translations. There was a great time of interaction during the discussion section of the meeting. There is a YouTube channel where the recording of the session will be available for anyone who was not able to attend the live session or who would like to watch it again. The session was interpreted into Brazilian Sign Language which is also available on the video recording. The next session will be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Luis Garabito from the United Bible Societies will be presenting. An announcement email will be sent when the title and description of the topic are finalized. If you are interested in participating, please feel free to email Kris Toler.

Comienza la Comunidad de Práctica Multimodal de Traducción de la Biblia en español El 14 de enero tuvimos la primera reunión de la Comunidad de Práctica de Traducción Bíblica Multimodal en español. Fue emocionante ver a más de 120 participantes de 14 países diferentes reunidos para explorar el tema de “Oralidad, Memoria y Exégesis”. El Dr. Fausto Liriano de la Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas presentó sobre este fascinante tema. Dio una visión detallada de sus experiencias trabajando con traducciones orales en todo el mundo y cómo estos tres temas pueden interactuar para mejorar la calidad general de nuestras traducciones orales. Hubo un gran tiempo de interacción durante la sección de discusión de la reunión. Tenemos un canal de YouTube donde la grabación de la sesión estará disponible para cualquier persona que no haya podido asistir a la sesión en vivo o que quiera verla de nuevo. La sesión fue interpretada en Lengua de Señas Brasileña, que también está disponible en la grabación de video. La próxima sesión se llevará a cabo el miércoles 11 de marzo de 2026. Luis Garabito de la Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas estará presentando. Enviaremos un correo electrónico de anuncio cuando el título y la descripción del tema estén finalizados. Si estás interesado en participar, no dudes en escribirme - email Kris Toler.

Multimodality CoP - Kris Toler The January session of the Multimodal Bible Translation CoP happened on January 13th. Robin Rempel shared about Honey Bee and the Wildfire method. Her PowerPoint presentation is available on the EMDC Academy site. You can access it at https://emdc.academy/list/1861/pdf/1191. The recording of the session is also available at https://emdc.academy/list/1861/stream/1193. I also wanted to let you know that the next session will be Tuesday, February 10th at 15:00 UTC - 9:00am Dallas, 15:00 UK, 20:30 India, 22:00 Thailand. Jim and Janet Stahl will be sharing about Embodied Performance Analysis (EPA). They will demonstrate the process of using this method to discover and verify attitudes, assumptions and culture that influence the emotions, motivations, reactions of characters in the text, including taking note of the twist or unexpected response or reaction and what that tells us. They will include how this is used in the Stories that Speak approach to Bible storytelling in groups and the use of story weaves to explore deeper. We expect this session to be an engaging and interactive one. Please mark your calendar to make sure you do not miss it. If you have not yet signed up for the EMDC Academy platform you can do so by visiting the following link https://emdc.academy/landing/30 and clicking the "subscribe to this series" button.

OBT Consultant Training Curriculum Planning "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT What a wonderful reminder of how collaborating strengthens us. On 19-24 January 2026 I had the privilege and opportunity to participate in a week of working with five partner organizations (Wycliffe South Africa, Wycliffe Global Alliance, Spoken Worldwide, Jesus Film Project and SIL Global) in developing a curriculum for the upcoming Oral Bible Translation Consultant Training workshop to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa on 1425 September 2026. It has been an encouragement to spend time in fellowship, sharing devotionals, meals and many work hours throughout the week. Through the combined efforts of the work group, we have been able to make good progress, and we pray that it will be a blessing to many who are preparing to serve in the vital role of quality assurance in Oral Bible Translation projects around the world. Please join me in praying for this workshop and those who are working so hard to bring it together.

New Translation Consultants Darma Podengge, Jonathan McDowell, Alfred Siango, Benoît Nezoufeï

Darma Podengge- AsiaPacific

Congratulations to Darmaputra Podengge (Southeast Asia) working with Kartidaya, on completing all requirements for certification as a Translation Consultant. His primary mentor was Roger Hanna and he was also mentored by Bryan Hinton, Yunita Susanto, Janel Hanna, and Evelyn Gan. His supervisors (Ristianti Puspitasari and Isma Rujati) have endorsed him and the Asia Bible Translation Coordination Team has verified that he is a qualified Translation Consultant, able to work independently with teams. He successfully completed the LPKP (consultant training program) in 2023. Darma completed a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and was ordained as a pastor in the Gereja Kristen Sulawesi Tengah (GKST). He is fluent in Indonesian and English. After being ordained as a pastor, his church (GKST) commissioned him for service with Kartidaya Sahabat Indonesia. Then in 2018, he participated in Bible Translation and Cross-Cultural Ministry training organized by Kartidaya. Following this training he served as a translation facilitator with the DK people. During this time he became increasingly aware of the great need for Bible translation so that local communities may come to know Christ more deeply. In 2023, he received a recommendation from Kartidaya to participate in the LPKP program. In this program he gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Bible translation process of producing translations that are accurate, clear, and natural. After completing LPKP, he was given opportunities to learn from senior mentors in several language projects in Indonesia until 2025. While serving as a facilitator with the K translation team, Darma met a local pastor who had been praying for 12 years for a Bible translation in the that language. After those 12 years of prayer, they were able to bring him the translated Scriptures that had recently been completed. The community had been waiting for this for a very long time. Darma is deeply grateful to God for entrusting him with this Bible translation ministry and for allowing him to have a part of His work in answering the prayers of those who long for Scripture in their own language.

Jonathan McDowell - AsiaPacific

Congratulations to Jonathan McDowell (Southeast Asia) working with SIL AsiaPacific, on completing all requirements for certification as a Translation Consultant. His primary mentor was Fletcher Hardison, Translation Coordinator SIL CSG (Coastal Service Group). The Asia Bible Translation Coordination Team has verified that he is a qualified Translation Consultant, able to work independently with teams. He successfully completed the TCDW in 2024. Jonathan saw the great need for consultants as the project he served with often had delays due to lack of consultants to come and check their translated Scriptures. Jonathan joined Wycliffe USA in 2003, completed an MA in Applied Linguistics (2005) at GIAL (now DIU) and began work in Asia in 2006. After four years of conducting language surveys he began serving in translation. His first project was a 42-story OneStory project that began in 2010. Then in 2015 the team started on a written translation. His translation CiT training included learning from many translation consultants - in-person checking sessions with Minie Matthew and Ron Whisler, and Zoom checking sessions with Steve Doty, Fletcher Hardison, and David Andersen. The material that was checked included four regular translations and one OBT translation. The translation audiences were three majority religion groups and two animist groups - these were spread over four countries.

Alfred Siango & Benoît Nezoufeï - Africa Congratulations to Alfred Siango and Benoît Nezoufeï, both working with ACATBA (Association Centrafricaine pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation) in the Central African Republic (CAR). Drew Maust (Chairman) announced that the SIL Africa Area Accreditation Committee for translation consultants has examined their dossiers and the committee has formally recognized them as Translation Consultants. Alfred and Benoît's extensive experience and competence will be a great asset to the Bible translation community for years to come. Their primary mentors were Beth Knapp and Will Sawers, and they were also mentored by Christoph Mueller and Adam Huntley.

Alfred began working with the Central African Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (ACATBA) as a Bible translator in Banda-Linda in 2008, after completing his three years of Biblical translation training at FATEB (Faculté de Théologie Evangélique de Bangui) known in English as BEST (Bangui Evangelical School of Theology). He speaks BandaLinda (mother-tongue), Sango (national language), French, and English. After serving as an exegete for a translation team, in 2018 he was selected for consultant training and attended the translation conference in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso that same year. From 2019 onwards he participated in both formal and informal training sessions: Hebrew training in Israel (2019), English training in Accra, Ghana (2021), and a leadership course in Yaoundé, Cameroon (2023). Alfred also participated in various workshops and seminars on Biblical translation and linguistics and completed several supervised checking sessions.

Benoît began working with the Central African Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (ACATBA) in 2008. After a six-month internship, ACATBA enrolled him at FATEB (Faculté de Théologie Evangélique de Bangui) - known in English as BEST (Bangui Evangelical School of Theology). He speaks Gbeya (mother tongue), Sango (national language), French, and English. After completing the FATEB degree program in Biblical translation in 2011, he continued working with ACATBA as a translator-exegete on the Gbeya project in the CAR. In 2013 the administration asked him to enter the translation consultant training program. His CiT training included several mentored checking sessions with experienced consultants. This CiT training broadened his understanding of translation and enabled him to guide the other translators on his team, and as an exegete, to successfully complete the translation of the New Testament into his mother tongue, Gbeya, culminating in its dedication in 2022. After the NT dedication, the administration entrusted him with the responsibility of a project manager (LPM) and he completed a leadership and management course in Yaoundé, Cameroon (October 2022). Then in November 2025 Benoît also completed a course on language development work in a multicultural context, to help him effectively manage the projects under his supervision as a language manager. Benoît's extensive experience in Bible translation includes: • assisting his Gbeya team complete the New Testament as the team's exegete; • assisting other language groups such as Vale, Tali, Luto, Gbagiri, and Suma by reviewing the script for the Jesus film in their languages; • helping some teams with the preparatory work for the layout of their New Testament; • teaching translation principles several times; • supervising two translation teams, Ngando and Ali working with FCBH.

Interviews with Translation Consultants We asked experienced Senior Translation Consultant, Dick Kroneman, to share his thoughts concerning his work and philosophy of ministry. Dick currently works with SIL Global as a Senior Advisor For Translation Research, under Angie Foo (Translation Research and Practice). He also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Dallas International University and at the Whole Word Institute (Israel), and as a research fellow at the missiology department of the Theological University of Apeldoorn. And he is a trainer / mentor of translation consultants in Indonesia and throughout Asia Area. Over his career he has served as a Translation Consultant (SIL Indonesia), the SIL Asia Area Translation Coordinator, the SIL International Translation Coordinator, and as the SIL International Coordinator for Translation Research and Practice. 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.

Dick Kroneman - SIL Global How did you get interested in Bible translation? When I was in high school, I discovered that I was very much interested in languages, both modern (Dutch, English, French, German) and classical (Latin and Greek) languages. When I was sixteen, I heard about the work of a Dutch Bible translator, Chris Fahner, who had completed the New Testament in the Western Yali language in what was then called Irian Jaya (now: Papua, Indonesia). This sparked my interest in doing Bible translation work overseas. When I read Translating the Word of God by John Beekman and John Callow, I knew for sure that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I get excited when local translators get to the point where they become independent translators, and produce translations that are accurate, clear, natural, and beautiful. Papuan languages follow an SOV structure and their syntax requires a lot of restructuring of clauses compared to the Koine Greek text and its Indonesian translations. It is good to see that more experienced translators deal with those issues in a natural way, without any prompting from a facilitator or consultant. In addition, translators need to be creative to find good descriptive renderings for words and concepts that are not attested in the receptor language. I enjoy working with capable and highly motivated translators who show this kind of creativity. What is your consulting philosophy? Not every speaker of the receptor language is necessarily a good translator. Translators need to be trained and mentored in order to develop their natural and potential competencies. An important aspect of the training of new translators is to build on their critical thinking skills. Technical skills like exegeting and translating are not the only competencies that are important. Bible translation also requires a positive attitude and a spiritual mindset. In addition, planning and (time) management skills are also important. Last but not least, the ability to work together as a team is an important factor that can make or break the success of a translation project. As a consultant, I always want to learn new things from those who I am consulting for. What translation resources do you really value? Paratext and Translator’s Workplace are my favorite translation resources. Those provide many resources for translators and exegetes. I am also excited about the Key Terms of the Old Testament project (KTOT), which has over 100 entries now. Full disclosure: I am one of its founding fathers, and currently still an author and editor in this project. So I may be a bit biased. However, good quality translation work requires that we pay close attention to the meaning(s) of Biblical key terms and to the ways they can be rendered. This is exactly what KTOT has been doing. How do you continue to grow as a consultant? I try to write at least one article on translation practice and theory every year. I also continue to teach translation courses for consultants-in-training and for master students. Continued interaction with translation teams also helps me to keep learning new things. How do you share your translation discoveries with others? Mostly through writing and publishing articles or books - like my doctoral dissertations on metaphor (2004) and on contextualization (2013). I also attend the biennial BT conferences and I usually present a paper there. I also share my insights in my lectures. Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? I see consulting work as a dialogue between a consultant and a translation team. As a consultant, I always want to hear the team’s perspective, and what their reasons are for following a certain interpretation or for using a certain rendering. Bible translation is not always a matter of “right” or “wrong”. Sometimes there is more than one plausible solution, and this should be readily recognized by translation consultants. I cannot remember an issue where my advice was wrong. But maybe this says more about my memory than about the facts. What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? Make sure you have a strong foundation both in theology / exegesis and in linguistics and anthropology. Facilitation skills and team working skills are also very important. Interview experienced translators and consultants, and ask them about highlights and hindrances in the work of Bible translation. Don’t panic if you don’t have all the gifts that are needed. Bible translation work is teamwork and it is a process of lifelong learning. Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? I learned most from translation consultants who did the first consultant checks on Una Scripture portions (Andrew Sims, Gilles Gravelle, Marge Crofts). By observing their consultant work, I learned the importance of doing proper comprehension testing, and of making implicit information explicit. From my doctoral supervisor (Dr. Lourens de Vries), I learned that explication of implicit information should be limited to that which is necessary. I also learned that in “missionary” / “pioneer” translations there is more room for explication than, for example, in translations for established church communities. What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? The church is very important in Bible translation. In the case of the Una translation project, my wife Margreet and I were invited by the local church in 1986 to come to Irian Jaya (Papua, Indonesia) to be involved in Bible translation work. We arrived in 1988. We trained and mentored local pastors and elders to do the translation work. We also reported to the leadership of the GJRP church. Without the direct and continuous involvement of the church, the Una New Testament (2007) and the complete Bible (2022) would not have come to fruition. Scripture engagement would also have been impossible without the church. What would you say to young / aspiring translators? Read John Beekman and John Callow’s Translating the Word of God. And Kathleen Callow’s Discourse Considerations in Translating the Word of God. Or any other literature that shows the diversity of human languages and that inspires you to participate in the magnificent task of Bible translation. Any other comments? Bible translation is not just about producing the vernacular Scriptures as fast and cheap as possible. The process is more important than the product. The journey is more important than the destiny. Bible translation needs to be accompanied by and embedded in Scripture engagement. It also needs to be strengthened by incarnational ministry that aims at transformed lives and communities. I applaud attempts to encourage representatives of local churches and communities to play a more important role in approving translated Scriptures for their language community. At the same time, I still see an important role for professional translation consultants who serve these communities with their expertise in Biblical languages and translation practices. Bible translation, including the final checking and approval of translated Scriptures, is teamwork that requires different members of the body of Christ to work together in accordance with the variety of gifts given to each member of the body.

Amazing Stories of Bible Translators Samuel Ajayi Crowther - Nigerian pioneer (c. 1807-1891) Thanks to David Morgan for Samuel's amazing story posted on the Wycliffe UK website. The Right Reverend Dr Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first African bishop in the Anglican Church and the first African Bible translator of the modern era. He was a significant missionary, linguist, and scholar, born into slavery, rescued by the British navy, and educated in Sierra Leone. He said: ‘…the “Sword of the Spirit” [the Bible], placed in the hands of the congregations, in their own tongue, will do more… than all our preaching, teaching and meetings of so many years put together.' Widely known as a gentle, modest man, Crowther was responsible for successfully opening up the Niger to the gospel. He employed a compelling dialogue approach, using local languages and the Scriptures. And he translated the entire Bible into Yoruba, his mother tongue - spoken mainly in West Africa, including Crowther’s home in what is now Nigeria.

Memoriam Marlene Schulze (1932-2025) South Asia Marlene Schulze (1932-2025) went to be with the Lord on 02 December 2025, age 93, in Germany after a period of illness and hospital stay. She served over 50 years in South Asia with the S people helping them complete the translation of the entire Bible in 2012. In 2022, at age 90, she published an impressive trilingual dictionary her last major linguistic project. Marlene was very grateful that she was able to witness this milestone. Click here to read her obituary notice.

Babu Thomas (1950-2025) South Asia Babu Thomas was born 15 August 1950 and passed away 27 December 2025. He worked for many decades among the Halbi people in central India, and was involved in translating the Scriptures in the Halbi language. He was deeply connected to the wider Bible Translation movement across India and had longstanding relationships with many other translation organizations. Babu was a beloved elder statesman in the Indian Bible Translation movement. For decades, he stood with translators, language communities, and leaders, offering pastoral care, mentoring, and steady encouragement. His work with the Halbi translation project was especially significant, and his influence extended far beyond that single community. He was a father figure to many in the field, known for his wisdom, humility, and deep commitment to seeing God's Word accessible in every language. Click here to a tribute to Babu from Viji Mathew.

News A Good Review of Language in the Mission of God

• Michael Greed Language in the Mission of God is SIL's first book written for a popular Christian audience. It received a four-star review in the UK's leading Christian magazine, Premier Christianity. We hope this review can help put our language-based work at the heart of the mission concerns of the Church. In her review Maxine Harrison writes, "This book challenges the idea that linguistic diversity is a curse, arguing instead that God delights in speaking through many languages - affirming his truth while honouring our distinct cultural identities." She includes some autobiographical insights:

As a Black British woman with Jamaican and Nigerian heritage living in a white-majority culture, I know how the trivialisation of minority languages can make people feel as though their identity is somehow inferior to dominant languages like English. I’ve heard Jamaican patois dismissed as “ghetto”, “broken English”, or even “rude”, yet having grown up around family who spoke it, I know it carries far more than an exchange of words, but sparks feelings of home and identity. Language in the Mission of God speaks directly into this reality, showing how God uses different languages as a tool to communicate his truth. God does not discriminate by language and neither should we, as his image-bearers. She recommends it for "for Christian leaders serving diverse communities and seeking to reach people across cultures. It is also valuable for Christians like myself who care about honouring the God-given identities of the diverse communities around us which, ultimately, should be the aim of all believers."

SBL Global Bible Translation Studies Nathan Esala The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) Annual Meeting now has a new Global Bible Translation Studies Consultation (GBTS). Please contact Nathan Esala if you are interested in finding out more or participating. For SBL a “consultation” is granted a three-year term to explore scholarly interest in a new domain or topic. If there is sufficient interest, at the end of the three years, the domain can apply to become a “unit” or a “seminar.” If that is granted, then that topic/ domain is allowed for a six year term. The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) has been around for nearly 150 years. Each year they host a large “Annual Meeting” at a major convention center in the US. Next year’s annual meeting will be 21-24 November 2026 in Denver. The cost for attending includes enrolling to become an SBL member and then registering for the annual meeting, paying for accommodations, etc. In 2026, the GBTS consultation is planning to host three 150 minute (2.5 hours) “sessions." Here are links to the two sessions facilitated back in November 2025. 12 November 2025 (James Maxey) - Global Bible Translation Studies: A New Mediating Discipline? Global Bible Translation Studies (GBTS) combines the academic disciplines of Translation and Biblical Studies and extends the domain of research beyond biblical and world languages. GBTS expands beyond linguistic analysis to include the historical, cultural, medial, technological, ideo-theological, and human and social elements involved in Bible translation. GBTS’s interests expand to the people, the institutions, as well as the diverse motivations and types of translations that are exhibited with the Bible. 24 November 2025 (Bryan Bibb, Daniel Rodriguez) - Biblical Scholarship and Bible Translation in Dialogue. This session pairs biblical scholars with Bible translation specialists or scholars around a specific text. The biblical scholars will have demonstrated expertise related to the ancient world and ancient texts, whereas the Bible translation specialists/scholars will have experience translating and/or studying translated texts in a contemporary global context.

Biblical Hebrew Living Language Course - Brittany Löwenstein New at Jerusalem Seminary, the upcoming Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language courses! The 2026 Spring Semester Early Bird prices are now live. Only $520 USD. You can sign up for Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language online with a $200 discount, if you do it before February 15th, 2026. This semester they are offering level 2 for the Asia/Pacific time slot for the very first time! And Level 1 is also available for the Asia/Pacific time zone, as well as other time zones. You can take a placement test if you already have Hebrew studies in your background. Come study in the immersive way via live online sessions with Israeli teachers who love Yeshua / Jesus. Learn to read the Bible in the original language while speaking, singing and praying in Biblical Hebrew for maximum language retention and reading flow. The one-time application process for individual courses is short and sweet with no need for references or essays. Click here to apply and sign up.

Biblical Discourse Conference

• Paul O'Rear The second Biblical Discourse Conference was held 10 January 2026 on the DIU campus with nearly 80 participants both in-person and online. The first conference in 2025 was on Hebrew Poetry and Macrosegmentation. This year, the conference was more open-ended and incorporated Greek and some more broad theoretical papers as well. The plenary speaker was Dr. Elizabeth Robar, discussing "Holistic Exegesis: Not letting specialization distort the message." In addition there were 20 other presentations and a roundtable discussion with leading scholars in the field. The next conference is envisaged in two years (2028) and the topic would be broadened to discourse analysis in general - i.e. including target language concerns, etc. For inquiries, please contact Dr. JoAnna Hoyt, the conference coordinator.

HoneyBee: Bible Translation in Your Pocket! - Robin Rempel Robin Rempel (Tyndale Bible Translators) gave a briefing in the Multimodal Bible Translation CoP on the EMDC Online Academy. Ever wondered if Bible translation could be as easy as using your smartphone? Robin showed how SPadv plus the Honey Bee apps are turning that dream into reality! These free, offline apps put the entire translation workflow—from learning and internalizing scripture to translating, checking, and publishing—right into the hands of local mother tongue translators. No fancy computers needed, no expensive workshops required, just a smartphone and a passion to share God's Word. With multimodal features like embedded Bible Project videos, one-tap-away Brief Exegetical Notes, searchable Key Term dictionary documenter, Easy-to-Translate audio-text that's already "unpacked," Honeybee makes Bible translation accessible to communities everywhere—even in sensitive locations or offgrid areas. The Wildfire Model (combining Story Publisher Advantage for OBS plus Honey Bee for OBT) is challenging old assumptions about Bible translation—like needing printed Bibles for everyone, requiring outside expert consultants, not being able to self-publish, or spending years before producing anything helpful. Instead, any language community can start today, have scripture engagement content created by the end of the day, and own their translation work without jumping through licensing or organizational hoops. It's affordable (well under $500 if you need in-person orientation to get started, or $0 if you can learn remotely or self-train), sustainable (locals can keep it going), and designed for real people in real contexts with real challenges. Whether you're publishing a panorama of Bible videos in your local dialect or translating Genesis-Proverbs-Luke-Acts-Ephesians from resource materials in English, French, Bahasa, Hindi or Telugu, SPadv and HBobt are proving that Bible translation doesn't have to be complicated—it just needs to be accessible! Honey Bee Explainer slides StoryPublisher.website HoneyBeeOBT.com Get SPadv app from the Play Store Get HBobt from the Play Store To get HBobt app from the Apple Store, search for "HoneyBeeOBT"

Coming Events 2026 - 18-21 May. EMDC. Chiangmai, Thailand. 2026 - 15 Jun-24 July. Asia TCDW (Translation Consultant Development Workshop). Email Angie Foo for application. 2026 - 14-25 Sep. Oral Bible Translation Consultant Workshop. Johannesburg, South Africa 2026 - 12-19 Nov. Translation Development Event. EurAsia. For further information contact Thomas Hemphill or Amber Jasa. 2026 - 21-24 Nov. Global Bible Translation Studies Consultation (GBTS) at SBL. Devnver

Useful Links Donate to SIL Translation Services / BT Glossary / Translation Development Event 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) 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 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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