Bible TRanslators & Consultants
We support the global Scripture translation community with resources to develop your knowledge and the key tools needed to create, manage and distribute your translations effectively.
As Bible translators and consultants, we apply a wide range of knowledge to our work — exegesis, language, translation theory and practice, use of computational tools — and access to better tools, resources and knowledge help us do our work better.
We support translators and consultants in the field by providing resources to share experience and develop technical knowledge, tools supporting digital workflows to create, manage, publish and distribute translation outputs, and we stand in the global community, creating connections and facilitating knowledge sharing.
If you’re looking to learn from others, our publications share solutions and insights from experts in the field. They’ll show how other teams grappled with and addressed the same issues you face, giving practical examples of solutions, and providing additional insights that can help you in your work.
To learn how to best manage your translation workflow, handle publishing and copyright, and how to distribute your translation work in the right formats, check out our tools which form an ecosystem of people, processes and systems to get Scripture into the hands of communities around the world. In particular, the Digital Bible Library (DBL) is the best way to display and distribute your work to various audiences, allowing you to publish early and often, and Paratext is an indispensable tool for the day-to-day work of translation. You’ll also find digital platforms to connect with others in the field and build engagement with the work of translation amongst the wider Church.
Explore our tools and resources below, or contact us to see how else we can partner with you.
Not doing translation work yourself?
We have resources for those supporting or managing translation projects and for those in the wider Church who are interested in the work of translation and how it can illuminate Scripture.
Reference tools & resources
Our tools and resources give you the tools you need to create, manage, publish and distribute your translations, and give you access to a wealth of information as you grapple with your particular projects.
Paratext
Paratext is the world’s leading software application for creating and editing new Bible translations, writing study Bibles, and revising existing translations. As a Bible translator this is an indispensable tool for your day-to-day work of translation.
Visit Paratext
The Digital Bible Library
The Digital Bible Library is an online digital asset and licensing management platform for Bible translations. As a Bible translator, the Digital Bible Library can be used to distribute your work. If you’re a copyright holder or project manager, the Digital Bible Library can be used to manage the licensing or distribution of your team’s work.
Visit The Digital Bible Library
UBS Translation Resources Store
The one-stop-shop for all physical and digital resources available for purchase from UBS that are specifically designed to support Bible translation. This includes handbooks covering all books of the Bible, monographs, training videos and topic-specific technical helps.
Visit UBS Translation Resources Store
Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew
The Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (SDBH), translated into Portuguese and English, is based on semantic domains, comparable to Louw and Nida’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. As a Bible translator, it is an incredibly valuable reference tool for your translation work.
Visit Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew
TAZI
TAZI is a UBS special audience initiative with a vision to facilitate access to and engagement with the text and message of the Bible. It addresses the distinctive challenges of translating, publishing and distributing the Bible for and with particular non-Christian communities.
Visit TAZI
Translation Insights and Perspectives
If you are part of the wider Church, or you desire to engage the wider Church in the work of Bible translation, the Translation Insights and Perspectives tool is a fantastic asset. It is an ongoing project to collect and share stories where biblical translations offer fascinating and unique insights into the original text. As a translator or consultant, you’re warmly encouraged to contribute to this project by submitting insights from your translation work.
Visit Translation Insights and Perspectives
ProgressBible
As a project manager or funding partner, you may wish to contribute data to ProgressBible. You may also acquire a dashboard account which provides a comprehensive view of Bible translation across the world, based on language — including translation need, program status, and available products.
Visit ProgressBible
Publications
Every day you come across new challenges in your translation work. With our publications you can learn from the experience of others who have grappled with similar issues and discover the solutions, insights and learning used to overcome them.
Le Sycomore
Le Sycomore is a French-language scholarly journal devoted to various fields of study related to the practice of Bible translation, including linguistics, anthropology, exegesis, theology, philology, translation theory, and Scripture use.
Le Sycomore est une revue scientifique traitant de plusieurs domaines d’enquête qui contribuent à la pratique de la traduction de la Bible, par exemple, la linguistique, l’anthropologie, l’exégèse, la théologie, la philologie, la théorie de la traduction, l’utilisation des Saintes Ecritures.
Visit Le Sycomore
Traducción de la Biblia
Traducción de la Biblia, or ‘The Bible Translation magazine’, is a Spanish-language publication providing a range of content including suggestions to solve Bible translation problems, essays that present specific topics in depth, and bibliographic help.’
La revista Traducción de la Biblia, edición electrónica sigue la tradición de excelencia, variedad informativa, ayuda bibliográfica, sugerencia para resolver problemas de traducción bíblica y ensayos que presentan temas específicos a profundidad.
Visit Traducción de la Biblia
The Bible Translator
The Bible Translator is the leading academic journal dedicated to the theory and practice of Bible translation. It exists firstly to serve those directly involved in Bible translation, aiming to encourage sharing of the results of their research and records of their practice. It also provides a forum for a wider community of scholars and students.
Visit The Bible Translator
TIC Talk
TIC Talk provides translation consultants with information on recent trends and publications in the fields of biblical studies, linguistics, translation, and computers in areas that pertain to Bible translation.
The newsletter usually began with a bibliographical article on recent trends in some topic of interest followed by notices of recent publications in Bible Translation, Biblical Studies, and Language and Communication.
Visit TIC TalkHow this all fits together in the Translation Landscape
Translators and consultants form part of the translation team and the publications, tools and resources we provide support their work.
The Translation Landscape comprises a network of many organisations, individuals and technologies — all with one goal in mind: to bring Scriptures to everyone in the language and medium of their choice.
UBS tracks progress, supports efficiency and ensures quality from end to end of the translation process. The process starts with the local Bible Society, part of UBS, engaging and collaborating with the local church, through to storing, managing and distributing the translated Scripture using the Digital Bible Library, developed and maintained by UBS.
