August 2026 Translation News

Google Link to the PDF AUGUST 2026 Translation Newsletter

Extracted text from 08_Aug_2026_TransNews.pdf:

SIL International Translation Services (ITS) 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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August 2026 Why Bible Translation? - Bernie van der Louw AI for Consultants Discussion - Reinier de Blois & Nick Peterson Hudson Taylor and AQuA: AI in Translation Checking - Mark Woodward All Scripture, All People Consultation - Phil King Oral Translation Services - Kris Toler OBT Reading Group for August Una Espiral de Profundización - A Deepening Spiral Five Questions the Global Church Asks about Bible Translation - Tim Hatcher Interviews with Translation Consultants - Dwight Shaver AI & Translation Spot SC AI Drafting Guide and Course - Darcie Drymon Stop Using AI. Start Directing It - YouTube Video News New PhD - Alice Reed Jerusalem Seminary (JS) Updates - Benjamin Pileggi & Baruch Kvasnica Integration of JS & and the University of the Holy Land Expansion of JS School of Hebrew: Hebrew for the Nations courses: online and now in person New Nine Month JS Koiné Greek Program in Greece Linguistic Videos for Bible Translation - Tim Stirtz Jerusalem Center for Bible Translators Courses - Bob Carter Biblical Hebrew for Consultant Training One-Book-at-a Time Course: The Book of Psalms Useful Links SIL Translation Services International Leadership Team Area Translation Coordinators

Coming Events Exploring the use of AI in Consultant Work (Aug 2026) Online FLEx Parser Workshop (Aug 2026) Nairobi "What is a word?" Anthropology insights into communication theory and what this means for Bible translation. Global CoP for BT Consultants. (Aug 2026) Online Knowing Me, Knowing You: Online Anthropology Course on Worldview and Interpersonal Dynamics. (Sep-Oct 2026)

Oral Bible Translation Consultant Workshop (Sep 2026) South Africa Taste of FLExTrans (Sep 2026) Online Africa OBT Consultation (Oct 2026) Online FLExTrans Workshop (Nov 2026) Online Greek linguistics. Global CoP for BT Consultants. (Nov 2026) Online Translation Development Event (Nov 2026) EurAsia SBL Global Bible Translation Studies (Nov 2026) Denver Bible Translation Conference (Oct 2027) Cape Town, South Africa

Why Bible Translation? Bernie van der Louw - GSLT For the next few months our newsletter will begin with members of the Global Translation Community of Leadership sharing what motivates them to be involved in Bible translation. This month we hear from Bernie.

When I was asked to write something on "What motivates me to be involved in Bible Translation and why am I giving my life to this work?” I recalled that when I was fourteen I watched a program on TV about a family in PNG.

The parents were doing Bible Translation and I thought it was fascinating! The father explained some of the translation problems they were running into, because of cultural and linguistic issues, and I suddenly knew: ‘this is what I want to be involved in, this is what God wants me to give my life to.’ That sense of calling stayed through my MA in general linguistics, and Bible college. During a Bible college foreign placement I visited a Christian Deaf school in a closed country, where I was told about the need for both sign language linguistics (so that teachers working with the Deaf would learn to sign grammatically and communicate better) and for Bible translation into sign language. Up to that point I had never considered doing Bible translation in a sign language. I did not even know if it was possible. When I got in touch with SIL to ask about this, I was told that the first ever SIL translation project in a sign language had just started in Mexico and that they were planning to start training people for working in sign language BT. That’s why I decided to accept the invitation from the Deaf school to come and do linguistic research after my graduation, intending to do Bible translation later on. When I moved there and started learning sign language, it was not easy to be accepted by the Deaf community, but I realized: ‘This is what God wants me to do.’ I guess that is still my main motivation. What keeps me motivated in Bible translation for the Deaf is to see the ‘lights come on’ when Deaf people, many of whom do not have a Bible in their language and no access even to church services, or other ways to learn about the gospel, understand a translated passage. Deaf people are very expressive and I love to observe their faces when they watch the signing and how their facial expressions show they have (or have not) understood. One of my favorite moments in translation is when I do testing of the translation with an uninitiated native signer, who knows nothing of the Bible except the passages that she has tested. To interact with her about the passage and see her say things like: “this is really important, I never knew this, but Deaf people need to know this” is so precious. Or to see Deaf people come to the front during a presentation of a chapter of the Bible and see them signing: “I have read this in the written Bible

so often, but it never went into my heart. Seeing it in sign language really touches my heart”. These are the moments that make all the long hours behind a computer screen worthwhile.

AI for Consultants Discussion Reinier de Blois & Nick Peterson - hosted by UBS and SIL On Wed 05 August 2026 UTC 13:00 in this Zoom Room (password: greenthumb), Reinier de Blois and Nick Peterson will lead a discussion on ways in which AI has been useful within translation consultant work. They will also discuss effective training for translation teams in how to incorporate AI into the translation process. A panel of speakers will share their experiences and you can share any success stories.

Hudson Taylor and AQuA: AI in Translation Checking Mark Woodward - SIL AI Capability Team Writing to his sister in February 1850, the eighteen-year-old Hudson Taylor described how he and his cousin were preparing to follow God’s calling to mission work in China by teaching themselves Chinese in the back of a chemist's shop in Hull, England, working only from a copy of the Gospel of Luke:

The method we pursue is as follows. We find a short verse in the English version, and then look out a dozen or more (also in English) that have one word in common with it. We then turn up the first verse in Chinese, and search through all the others for some character in common that seems to stand for the English word. This we write down on a slip of paper as its probable equivalent. Then we look all through the Chinese Gospel for this same character in different connections. It occurs as a rule pretty frequently. And if in every case we find the same word in the English version, we copy the character in ink into our dictionary, adding the meaning in pencil. Afterwards, if further acquaintance shows it to be the true meaning, we ink that over also.1 It is hard to imagine a more difficult way to learn a language. As they sat in England, Hudson Taylor and his cousin had no grammar, no dictionary, no teacher, no community of speakers around them. What they did have was a small parallel corpus

• the Gospel of Luke in English and in Chinese - and a willingness to reason their way patiently from what they could see toward what the words must mean. Every guess was provisional. They wrote it in pencil first, and inked it in only when later evidence confirmed it. We all know this is not the best way to learn a language. You learn a language by living in it, by hearing it from children at play, by sitting through funerals and weddings, by getting things wrong in front of friends who will tell you.2 The community is where a language really lives. But at the time those options weren’t available to the young Hudson Taylor, so he creatively developed a new method with the limited resources he had. 175 years later, SIL’s AQuA (Augmented Quality Assessment) tool is doing something similar to bring AI insights to minority language Bible translation. While AI Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on huge amounts of data, picking up linguistic patterns through “immersion” in hundreds of billions of words, a different approach is needed for languages with much less data available with which to train an AI model. With AQuA we assume that there may be no text at all for training an AI model beyond what the translation team is producing in their project. So we constantly ask: can we create AI tools to assist with Bible translation checking that work in languages with little to no training data? The simplest tools we have built are visual overviews, which do not utilize LLMs. A scatterplot, for example, places every verse of a book by its estimated word correspondence (the degree to which the two texts align word-for-word) and its semantic similarity (the degree of similarity in inferred meaning between two texts) to a reference, and the outliers at the edges are places where the team might want to take a closer look. However, these approaches often miss more nuanced and subtle quality issues in translation drafts. More recently we have seen encouraging results with a new approach, not dissimilar to the method used by Hudson Taylor all those years ago. Given a draft of a book in a language it has never seen, the AI works through the draft verse by verse, reasoning towards a surface-level understanding of a word based on where else it appears in the draft text, and what source language words also appear in those verses.

AQuA scatterplot: every verse of Genesis plotted by word correspondence and semantic similarity to a reference translation.

Then it re-reads the draft and asks where the picture does not fit - where a concept seems to be missing, where the draft seems to diverge significantly from the source, or where the meaning seems to have shifted between two passages that should agree. A real-world example is given in the image below. In a draft of Exodus 21:11 in Senga, a language of Zambia, the source clause "if he does not provide her with these three things" had been rendered using a Senga verb, chichizya. From its reading of the rest of the draft, the AI had seen chichizya used elsewhere - in Matthew 5:41 ("if anyone forces you to go one mile"), in Mark 15:21 (Simon of Cyrene compelled to carry the cross), and in Revelation 13:16 (forcing people to receive the mark). In every one of those passages, the word seemed to mean to compel or force, not to provide. So the AI flagged Exodus 21:11 as a question for the team, with its reasoning written out: the verse as drafted appeared to say something closer to "if he does not force her in these things, she is to go free" - a significant shift from the source.

AQuA AI Notes assessment of Exodus 21:11 in Senga, flagging chichizya (force / compel) where the source has "provide", with cross-references to Matthew 5:41, Mark 15:21, and Revelation 13:16.

Our vision is that, while the language community remains central to the quality assessment task, AI can contribute insights as another outsider working from limited evidence, asking questions, making suggestions and highlighting potential areas for discussion. As with any outsider, there are significant limitations to what AI can offer, and we must take care to present any insights as tentative suggestions rather than authoritative assertions. In minority languages it’s not possible for AI to hear what a native ear hears, but it can read tirelessly, hold a whole book in mind at once, and raise questions a busy team might never have time to ask. Just as Hudson Taylor worked creatively to make the best use of the limited resources available to him, AQuA seeks to take whatever draft Scripture is available in a language and make the most of it. This process will never replicate the knowledge and understanding of a native speaker, but our hope and prayer is that as an enthusiastic and tireless outsider, AQuA can nevertheless make a contribution to the Bible translation checking process, allowing the translation team to view their text in new ways and maybe working towards a higher quality translation as a result.

(1) Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor in Early Years: The Growth of a Soul (London: Morgan & Scott, 1911), ch. 7. The full text is available online here. (2) It should be pointed out that once he arrived in China, Hudson Taylor very much did all these things, immersing himself in the language and culture of those around him.

You can read further thoughts about AI in the "AI & Translation Spot" below.

All Scripture, All People Consultation Phil King In July 2026, I had the privilege of participating in a consultation hosted by the Seed Company about the All Scripture, All People (ASAP) initiative. The consultation was facilitated by Dr Michel Kenmogne, and included several leaders from African Wycliffe Global Alliance organisations, the Seed Company, SIL and other partners. The consultation focused on a variety of relevant issues in order to move towards a vision of all people (rather than all languages) having access to the whole Bible, including: multilingualism; Scripture engagement; approaches to quality assurance; capacity building; AI; and the role of wider language development (‘upstream’ components).

Each topic was introduced by a Subject Matter Expert, and then discussed in table groups. My own presentation looked at some different models of quality assurance (expert-led, crowd-sourced, resource-guided, AI-assisted), and some of the drivers, enablers and tensions around these models, that might guide the use in different contexts. As a group we then wrestled with the question of ‘Who should decide the approach to quality assurance to be used in a particular project?’ Another excellent presentation was given by Dr Timothy Hatcher about the 5 key questions local pastors are asking when they consider whether or not to use local language Scripture - see his article below in this newsletter. Michel gave us a framework for thinking through the issues of the week by proposing a 3-way typology of projects within the current landscape of Bible translation: BT as linguistic adaptation; BT as theological and cultural reconstruction and BT as first encounter with Scripture. This framework recognises there are now many contexts (‘linguistic adaptation’) where communities have access to completed quality translations in nearby languages that have already done significant theological and linguistic work. This can provide a foundation, so that the process is more accessible to translators with limited technical training, for example. However, other contexts may require different approaches, such as those shaped by other dominant religions, or where there is a completely different system of meaning (as for Sign Languages), or where it is the community’s first contact with Scripture. The typology provided a helpful tool for thinking about why approaches may work in some contexts but not so well in others. An overall summary of the consultation is available here. Please do take a look, and provide feedback on aspects you find insightful, as well as implications you think SIL should be paying attention to.

Oral Translation Services Kris Toler

In July, we completed our 12th session of the Multimodal Bible Translation Community of Practice. That is one year of interesting and engaging topics expanding our knowledge and understanding of Multimodal Bible Translation. Thank you to everyone that has presented and engaged with the topics. I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversations and I look forward to many more sessions in the future.

There are some changes in how the Community of Practice will operate going forward. Beginning with the August session, we will not be using the EMDC Academy platform to manage the meetings. I want to say thank you to the EMDC Academy for the work that they are doing. I will be sending out announcements for the sessions and topics via the mailing list. If you know of anyone who would like to be included, please let me know. You can contact me at kris_toler@sil.org. We will have a discussion about Best Practices in Oral Bible Translation on Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00am Dallas, 14:00 UTC, 19:30 India, 21:00 Thailand. I will be facilitating the conversation, and look forward to your thoughts and questions as we have a lively discussion. Last month, Jon Hahr from the Jesus Film Project shared on “Multimodal Translation of the Jesus Film”. He shared about how advances in technology and their changes in their production process has led to a more holistic multimodal approach to translation.

OBT Reading Group for August This is a small reading group where we read an article, paper or book related to the topic of Oral Bible Translation and then discuss it together. This month’s session will meet on August 28th at 09:00 Dallas, 14:00 UTC, 19:30 India, and 21:00 Thailand time. This month we will be reading “A Multimodal Approach to the Audio Recording of Written Scripture” by Rev. Dr. Marlon Winedt. As I mentioned previously, the editorial staff of The Bible Translator Journal has graciously given permission for us to share the article for the purpose of this discussion group. It cannot be shared with people who are not participating in the group. Please respect this limitation and do not share the article with others. If you know someone who would like to participate in the reading group send them my way and I can add them to the list. This should be a really interesting article to discuss. I am looking forward to seeing you on the 28th. Here is the Zoom link for the session: https://sil.zoom.us/j/99964509859

Una Espiral de Profundización - A Deepening Spiral Una Espiral de Profundización - Marilyn Valverde compartió con la Comunidad de Práctica de la Traducción Multimodal de la Biblia en español en la sesión de julio. Compartió sobre el tema de “Internalización, exégesis de las emociones e interpretación oral: una espiral de profundización”. Este tema fue compartido originalmente en inglés por Heather Beal en la Comunidad de Práctica en inglés el año pasado. Marilyn aportó su experiencia como consultora de traducción, trabajando tanto con traducciones orales como escritas en América Latina, a la presentación. Destacó la importancia de incluir estos

tres temas interactuantes, Internalización, Exégesis Emocional e Interpretación Oral, en todos los proyectos de traducción. La interacción de los tres enriquece tanto el proceso de traducción como la calidad resultante de la traducción. Si quieres ver alguna de las grabaciones de las presentaciones anteriores, puedes visitar nuestro canal de YouTube. A Deepening Spiral - Marilyn Valverde shared with the Spanish Multimodal Bible Translation Community of Practice at the July session. She shared on the topic of “Internalization, Emotional Exegesis and Performance: A Deepening Spiral”. This topic was originally shared in English by Heather Beal at the English Community of Practice last year. Marilyn added her experience as a translation consultant working both with oral and written translations in Latin America to the presentation. She brought out the importance of including these three interacting topics, Internalization, Emotion Exegesis and Performance, into all translation projects. The interaction of the three enriches the process of translation as well as the resulting quality of the translation. If you would like to watch any of the recordings of the previous presentations you can visit our YouTube channel.

Five Questions the Global Church Asks about Bible Translation Timothy Hatcher - DIU Assistant Professor Dr Timothy Hatcher gave this presentation at the July 2026 ASAP Consultation. Here is the link to the pre-publication draft of the full article: ScriptureImpact.org.

1. Is this new Bible translation really the Bible?
2. Which language is holy?
3. Which language will bring unity?
4. How do I lead a multilingual church?
5. Does this Bible translation answer our theological questions?

Five Questions the Global Church Asks about Bible Translation (that Bible Agencies Neglect): Theological Decision Points Influencing Adoption of Vernacular Language Bible Translations This article explores the theological discussions that many communities have described as the decision points on whether they adopt a new Bible translation for church or personal use. These issues center around Bibliology (theology of the Bible), theolinguistics (theology of language), ecclesiology (theology of church), and ethnotheology (theological reflection on local cultural issues). Because vernacular Bible translation introduces a change in all of these theological areas, it often generates some anxiety in host communities that tend to be change averse. The “Five Questions” explore how these topics are expressed by host communities and how Bible translation agencies can listen more effectively and empower local leaders to negotiate these complex issues effectively.

Interviews with Translation Consultants

We asked an experienced Translation Consultant, Dwight Shaver, to share his thoughts concerning his 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.

Dwight Shaver - Americas How did you get interested in Bible translation? I grew up in Peru, observing my parents live among and serving the Nomatsiguenga people. As the translation progressed, I observed Antonio, one of our friends and swimming buddies, stand outside our patio and listen as my father read the translated Scriptures. As he listened over time, God worked in his heart. Seeing how the power of the Word in his language changed his life, I was moved to dedicate my life to helping others receive the Word in their languages.

What gets you excited when you work with others in Bible translation? I get excited seeing how others engage with the Scriptures through their own language and cultural lenses. I am amazed how God’s Word can be understood and applied in each cultural context. What is the most gratifying thing you have done as a translation consultant? Two very gratifying experiences in translation consulting have been, 1) working with a team in West Asia as they grappled personally with the person of the Lord Jesus and began to see Him as an answer to their lives and to their communities, and 2) presently being able to work with the great granddaughter of the man who translated the NT with my father. She is now a translator in the OT project. What is your consulting philosophy? And what's your philosophy of mentoring? I prefer face-to-face consulting whenever possible and prefer an oral method over a written back translation approach. When a person hears a Scripture passage and retells it with clarity, it gives me confidence that it is translated well. When the person cannot retell it, we look for reasons that result in lack of understanding. In my consulting I want to motivate the translation team to always keep their audience in view as they translate and encourage them to carefully and widely check their work in their communities. My role is to walk alongside the translation team, honor them and help them grow in their abilities and with them grow in understanding our Creator. As a mentor I seek to lead by example and give ample opportunity for the one being mentored to practice and grow in the giftings that they have. What translation resources do you really value? Original language resources, numerous translations in Spanish, English and various Quechua/Kichwa languages, Translator Notes and the UBS Handbook notes. I also value following threads on the BT list when I'm able. How would you describe your relationship to current developments in the field of translation? I appreciate how technology brings so many resources to the fingertips. I am growing in my understanding of how AI can play a positive part in the translation/consulting process, yet feel very strongly that the language community needs to own the process and make final decisions on how their translation is carried out. What worries you about where the field of translation is heading? What gives you hope? I am concerned that urgency and “efficient use of resources” in the area of Bible translation could affect how the process should be a discipling process for the translators and the communities.

I have hope as I see language communities take the lead in translation and language development, as I see translators with much experience in their own languages becoming consultants and applying that to help others, as I see Latin Americans becoming more and more involved in the Bible translation movement, and their churches taking an active role in the movement. How do you continue to grow as a consultant? Reflecting on those who were my consultants, interfacing with my consultant peers as we grapple with how to best train and mentor new consultants, watching those I get to mentor grow in their abilities and in their love for God and others, and seeing translation teams challenged by God’s Word, all play a big part in my continued growth as a consultant. How do you share your translation discoveries with others? Mostly by personal conversation and interaction at consultant and BT events. Can you share about a time when you realized you were wrong and what you learned from it? In working through the translation of Exodus, I became aware that the translation team had a better understanding of the parts of the altar of incense than I did. I recognized that and expressed my appreciation for the research they had done. What are your top tips for someone starting on a career path in Bible translation? Be humble and learn from the people. Always listen before you suggest. Take time to learn the language and culture of the people you will be working with. Seek God at all times and let the Word affect your life. This is not an academic exercise. Expect it to affect the lives of those you work with. Share something that you learned from a mentor or from a mentee? A friend involved in community development once said to me, “If I could do it over, I would focus on the Word in the language. That is what changes people’s lives.” That counsel from Glen Smith helped change the course of my life. What do you see as the place of the church in Bible translation? Where there is a church, it needs to be leading in the BT process, its promotion and use. We began the translation work among the Lambayeque Quechua people before there was a church. After the church had begun to grow, leaders from the young church came to us and said “you are doing the translation for us. We want to be involved. Please work with us.” That changed our direction. How would you tell that you have served the church well? I would feel I have served the church well when the Scriptures are used naturally by the believers and churches. What would you say to young/aspiring translators? Visit a translation project early in your training process and see what is involved. Any other comments? Although translation methods and strategies have changed much over the decades, it is important to keep learning from those who blazed the trail, honor them and humbly move forward knowing that this is God’s work, and He is using many, many people from many cultures and languages to get His word out to the world.

AI & Translation Spot SC AI Drafting Guide and Course Darcie Drymon - Seed Company Field Technology & Training The Seed Company Field Technology & Training team share their AI drafting guide and some information on their AI Drafting Course.

AI Drafting: A Guide for Your Team - this provides guidance on 1] Explore (Is AI drafting right for your team?), 2] Evaluate (Are AI Drafts Helpful?), 3] Implement (Use AI Effectively). AI Drafting Best Practices Course - This 60-minute course introduces AI-assisted drafting for Bible translation. You will learn what AI is, what it can and cannot do, and how it can support your work as a translator. The course focuses on wisdom, careful review, and human responsibility. By the end, you will understand where AI drafts fit in the translation process and how to use them wisely. This course is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, French, Indonesian, and Tagalog. Email fieldhelp@tsco.org for further information

Stop Using AI. Start Directing It YouTube Video - SIL AI Team

YouTube Video: Stop Using AI. Start Directing It This 25-minute presentation from the SIL AI team at the 2026 LA Confab in Chiang Mai introduces a practical framework for working with AI more intentionally by learning to direct it rather than simply use it. This 25-minute talk on the discipline of working with AI: not as a tool to command, but as something we direct. The framework introduces six behaviors organized into three clusters — PROTECTS, FEEDS, KEEPS — drawn from the learning curve across marketing, brand strategy, and church communications.

News New PhD

Alice Reed Congratulations to Dr. Alice Reed on completing her PhD Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA in 2026. Her dissertation "Indigenous, Decolonial, Evangelical Bible Translation: Case Study of the First Nations Version New Testament" was passed with distinction by R. Daniel Shaw (PhD advisor), Soong-Chan Rah, and Collin Cornell, in consultation with Chris Hoklotubbe. Please email Alice if you would like a copy of the full dissertation. Alice is a Translation Consultant serving with the Global Consultant Pool.

Abstract (summary) - Bible translation, as an interpretive act, has often caused linguistic and cultural harm to Indigenous communities when missionary-translators failed to responsibly steward their position as powerful agents of intercultural change. This dissertation responds to calls for critical reflection and a commitment to ethical conduct in translating the Bible by providing a context-oriented case study of the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament (2021). Using ethnographic interviews and qualitative analysis of the FNV NT text and paratext, my research examines how Native North American translators themselves developed and attempted to fulfill their vision, or skopos, for a Bible translation in the English language that is both decolonial and evangelical. I then draw on generalizations from the FNV NT case study to propose a missiological framework for translating the Bible in minoritized communities today. Through the lens of lived theology, I demonstrate that the skopos of the FNV NT was shaped by values embodied in the life and ministry of project founder and lead translator Terry Wildman. I then employ Christiane Nord’s (1997) and Maria Tymoczko’s (2014a) complementary frameworks for ethical translation to examine the ways in which translators’ decisions were influenced by their loyalty to the biblical authors and to the host community, as well as by their own evangelical faith, their Native North American identity, and the legacy of missionary colonialism. Ultimately, I suggest that Bible translators can more adequately communicate the message of Scripture in both text and practice by: (1) exercising self-reflexivity regarding their own positionality, (2) cultivating an active relationship with the Holy Spirit of wisdom, and (3) living in loving hesed loyalty towards the host community.

Jerusalem Seminary (JS) Updates Benjamin Pileggi & Baruch Kvasnica We praise the LORD for how He is growing Jerusalem Seminary (including a new website in the coming weeks) and welcome you to find out more about enrollment at admissions@jerusalemseminary.org. Integration of JS & and the University of the Holy Land - As of July 31, Jerusalem Seminary (JS) and the University of the Holy Land (UHL) have formally and publicly integrated, with UHL joining JS to offer a unified center for Christian biblical education in Jerusalem with both MA and PhD programs. Praise the LORD!

Especially relevant to Bible Translation is the MA in Biblical Studies with concentrations in the Hebrew Bible including Biblical Hebrew. Admissions for the 2026–2027 academic year are open across all three JS schools: School of Hebrew: Hebrew for the Nations, School of the Bible and the newly expanded School of Graduate Studies. For more information about programs, faculty, and how to apply, see jerusalemseminary.org. For questions about the integration, programs and enrollment, please contact us at admissions@jerusalemseminary.org Bible related JS courses offered this year that are especially pertinent for Bible translators and consultants are: “Land, Nature, and Society in Biblical Times I and II” (in person) and “Torah-Pentateuch as Foundational for Jewish and Christian Spiritual Life” (in person). Plus two amazing short-term courses in Israel and Jordan taught by Dr. Ginger Caessens: The Geographical, Historical and Cultural Context of the Bible (23 May-6 June 2027) and Historical Geography of Jordan (7-21 June 2027) as well as the Chinese language two year online undergraduate-level “Foundations” course starting this October that overviews the whole Bible, with a taste of the geographical context and Biblical Hebrew, meeting once a week for 3 hours. Additional courses and programs in Korean and Chinese are also available. Expansion of JS School of Hebrew: Hebrew for the Nations courses: online and now in person - For the first time ever, the School of Hebrew will have not only three levels of online Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language (BHLL) courses, but also in person BHLL classes at our Jerusalem campus - 55 HaNeviim Street. In addition JS is pleased to announce Murray Salisbury’s 12-week advanced Biblical Hebrew “Unfolding Isaiah” online course: Mondays 15:00-17:30 at GMT+2 with 12 sessions between 5 October - 21 December. Last but not least, as part of JS’ vision to offer modern Hebrew speakers Biblical Hebrew courses beyond the yearly Biblical Hebrew Teacher’s Course offered in Modern Hebrew, an online course will also be offered: “Nikkud (Vocalization) in Biblical Hebrew.” New Nine Month JS Koiné Greek Program in Greece - The JS “Greek Special Seminar” in Greece led by Dr. Randall Buth and Jason Weaver is a new 9-month immersion program that teaches Koiné Greek as a living language. The first cohort finished in June 2025 and the new cohort will be from 21 Sept 2026 to 11 June 2027. From day one, students will become acquainted with the language of the New Testament by hearing, speaking, and writing Koiné Greek in a fun, practical way. Partial and full tuition scholarships are available.

Linguistic Videos for Bible Translation Tim Stirtz These videos give brief overviews of various grammar topics and their importance for Bible Translation. Each aims to explain in about six minutes a specific language construction in non-technical terms and what difference understanding this construction can make in translation. For further information email Tim Stirtz. You can also give your feedback using this questionnaire.

Although they can be informative as stand-alone presentations, they may also be used by trainers with supplemental material in academic courses, workshops, consultant sessions and other training environments, such as with specific languages with application to specific Scripture passages. The series is in process; here are the five completed ones. Note that these videos are also available on this YouTube channel.

1. Pronoun Systems (how to talk about speakers, hearers and others)
2. Passive Sentences (for example, 'be baptised') (French) (Spanish) (Portuguese)
3. Deixis (including words like 'here', 'there', 'this', 'that')
4. Participant Reference & Morphosyntax: Marking who does what to whom across languages (French), (Spanish), (Portuguese), (Indonesian), (Russian), (Arabic), (Amharic)
5. Conditional Sentences: Expressing conditional situations (if-clauses, consequences, and hypothetical situations) (French)

Jerusalem Center for Bible Translators Courses Bob Carter - JCBT Executive Director Bob Carter announces these upcoming courses. You can register now. Jerusalem Center for Bible Translators (JCBT) is looking for more students to join our special program that we call Biblical Hebrew for Consultant Training (BHCT). It started in 2016 as a Seed Company program to train NT-experienced consultants in Biblical Hebrew and the Historical Geography of the Land of the Bible, and has now grown to serve 107 consultants and CiTs from several BT organizations.

It has become a training partnership between SC, SIL, Jerusalem Seminary's School of Hebrew, and JCBT. It will start in the first week of September. If you're interested or you know someone who is, write to Bob Carter soon, as we will need to close registrations. We're also looking for people interested in our Fall 2026 One-Book-at-a Time course: The Book of Psalms (in English) from 23 Sept to 16 Dec 2026. This is online only (weekly). The instructors are, Murray Salisbury and Niek Arentsen.

Coming Events 2026 - 05 Aug. Exploring the use of AI in Consultant Work (Online). Zoom Room - password: greenthumb. Email Nick Peterson 2026 - 10-21 Aug. FLEx Parser Workshop (Nairobi) 2026 - 25 Aug 15:00 UTC. Global CoPs for BT Consultants. Online. "What is a word?" Anthropology insights into communication theory and what this means for Bible translation (Johannes and Sharon Merz)

2026 - 04Sep-16Oct. Knowing Me, Knowing You: Online Anthropology Course on Worldview and Interpersonal Dynamics. Register here: KMKY Registration. For more information contact Sharon Merz. 2026 - 14-25 Sep. Oral Bible Translation Consultant Workshop. Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact Kris Toler for further information. 2026 - 16 Sep. Taste of FLExTrans (Online). Register at this link. 2026 - 13-15 Oct. Africa Oral Bible Translation Consultation. Click here to Register 2026 - 02-06 Nov. FLExTrans Workshop (Online). Contact Emily Havens 2026 - 17 Nov 15:00 UTC. Global CoPs for BT Consultants (Online). Greek linguistics (Michael and Rachel Aubrey) 2026 - 05-12 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 The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). Denver 2027 - 19-22 Oct. Bible Translation Conference. Cape Town, South Africa. Lagoon Beach Hotel. Theme: Bible Translation and Humanity - the image of God in context

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

Area Translation Coordination Teams AsiaPacific - Angeline Foo & Greg Carlson & Fletcher Hardison EurAsia - Amber J & Feruza & Selvi & Judi Africa - Drew Maust & Jonathan van den Broek & Judy Heath Americas - Rick Floyd & Dwight Shaver & Dany Tasama GSLT - Bernadet van der Louw

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