About Us

We’re a worldwide network of Bible Societies operating in over 240 countries and territories to make sure that everyone who wants to can access and engage with the Bible.

Our Mission

We believe the Bible is for everyone so we are working towards the day when everyone can access the Bible in the language and medium of their choice.

We’re involved in the full Bible Lifecycle, from Bible translation, production and distribution to advocacy, holistic ministry and engagement.

Bible Societies are actively working on around 500 translation projects at any given time in order to provide translations into languages which have never been translated as well as languages where existing translations need updating to grant access to the biblical text to today’s audiences.

We serve the global translation community by:

Our Bible translation specialists draw on their expertise and diverse experiences to create resources that help translation teams worldwide to understand the Greek and Hebrew texts. They are also involved in locally training translators and giving assistance throughout the translation process.

UBS and SIL developers also work on cutting-edge digital tools, which can assist in the Bible translation and publishing process by increasing quality, speed and collaboration.

Our Distinctives

  • We are interconfessional, serving and working with churches of all traditions and denominations
  • We are interdependent, working as a Fellowship of independent national Bible Societies who choose to join together to fulfil a common mission
  • We are integrated, operating across the full Bible Lifecycle so that, with God’s help, we can meet peoples and cultures at their point of need.

Our Partners

As well as the network of independent national Bible Societies, we work with some fantastic partners.

ETEN

Every Tribe, Every Nation (ETEN) is a major consortium of funding agencies, collaborating with the major Bible agencies, including UBS, to ensure responsible distribution of financial resources, and to promote acceleration, archiving (Digital Bible Library), distribution and the use of digital tools.

FOBAI

The Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) is the highest-level global alliance of Bible agencies and partners, focussing particularly on collaboration and quality assurance. UBS is a collaborating agency of FOBAI.

SIL

SIL is a global organization involved in language development and Bible translation. UBS and SIL work in partnership at many levels. One of the major areas of cooperation is the development of the Paratext translation software.

Le Coin du Traducteur

Le Coin du Traducteur is an inter-agency site for translators and translation consultants offering news of publications, events and conferences, resources and links to resources, and opportunities to connect with others involved in Bible translation work in francophone contexts. It is co-managed by Andy Warren-Rothlin and an SIL colleague.

FUSP

UBS has been collaborating officially with Fondazione Unicampus San Pellegrino (FUSP) since 2013 offering Bible translation training on a high level for diverse audiences. FUSP operates globally in the field of translation research as well as high-quality language training. Academically it is accredited to High Schools for Linguistic Mediators in Misano Adriatico, Vicenza, Belluno and Ceglie Messapica. UBS partners with FUSB offering Bible translation training on a high level for diverse audiences.