The Oral Bible Translation Process

Translators listen to and study Scripture passages in languages they know and understand.

Translators act out passages and use items to tell the story. This helps them internalize Scripture.

After listening to and internalizing each passage, the team translates it into their mother tongue.

Passages are reviewed and back translated to ensure the proper meaning of every word comes through.

Community volunteers listen to the draft of each passage, evaluating clarity and naturalness in the translation.

The translation consultant performs the final check and approval of drafted sections to become Scripture.

Passages are made available and shareable by the team with the community, their homes, churches, and beyond.

Render is the software behind OBT, enabling Scripture translation for hundreds of languages since 2017.