342 languages are actively being translated in 16 countries in partnership with 45 local church networks that represent over 200 million people who speak these languages.
Envision
We inspire church leaders to grow their community of disciples through Bible translation.
Our team engages with church networks and leaders across multiple countries to encourage participation in envisioning conferences. During these events, we present statistics to show the lack of Scripture availability and share the need for churches to take up the ministry of Bible translation. We help them understand how their involvement in the translation process accelerates the fulfillment of the Great Commission and provides opportunities to use newly translated Scripture for evangelism, church planting and discipleship.
During this process, we also work with leaders to research any existing resource materials and Scripture in their country’s languages and how to acquire access to them. For some, we are able to identify and connect them with an agency already working on that language. For languages with no active translation work going, we equip the churches to start the translation process by providing them with training and connecting them with available support and funding.
“The translated Scriptures are making a tangible impact, facilitating spiritual growth and strengthening the faith of local communities.”
In-Country Trainer
Project Highlight
Inspiring new projects in West Africa
During a mission conference with another organization, one of our team members attended a Francophone (West African countries who speak French) breakout group. As a result, we began partnering with the leader of a large Burkina Faso Church Network to start a pilot project using Artificial Intelligence to translate Scripture into a few of their languages.
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This same leader later hosted an envisioning conference. More than seventy men and women from 17 nearby countries, representing 41 church networks, gathered to learn about Bible translation.
One man shared he had been waiting for a translation in his language since the 1990s and only now are the gospels available. Another stated that he was 38 years old and during his entire life translation efforts were going on for his language and they only have the New Testament. The astonishment that this could be done so quickly with such quality inspired them. The attendees embraced the challenge to become involved in the translation process and presented 147 languages to our team for consideration. Several of these languages were already in process and some called the agencies right then and there to check on the status. Training and fundraising for the remaining languages is underway.
“This is exactly what we want to do!”
Equip
We train church networks how to translate the Bible with accuracy and quality at their own pace.
Individuals from church networks and local communities are identified as In-Country Trainers. These leaders receive in-depth Biblical training, learn principles of translation, and work to translate manuals and resources into their own heart languages. They are then able to equip and train translation teams in their own countries.
A Church-Centered Approach.
We use the Church Centric Bible Translation (CCBT) method (outlined in the below illustration) which supports and empowers local church networks to translate Scripture into their own language while growing and strengthening faithful disciples in their community.
“Beyond Translation’s efforts have ensured the accurate communication of Scriptures, leading to deeper understanding and more meaningful reflections among the teams.”
In-Country Trainer
Project Highlight
Equipping the Passionate DRC Translation Team:
“We thought God forgot about us.”
Deep in the jungles of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are men and women with courageous spirits. They are from generations of believers who have longed for the Bible in their heart language.
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One shared with us, “We thought God forgot about us.” That was until they heard about Beyond Translation and the invitation to participate in bringing the Word of God to their people for the first time in history.
Their excitement to participate in a translation workshop was palpable. Church leaders in 15 languages traveled through many dangers and great distances to come to the training. Some walked over 900 kilometers, rode in canoes and boats, and boarded a plane for their very first time. During the training, they were so motivated that even during power outages and late into the night, they worked in the dark, typing with one finger as they had never used a computer before. Their determination to bring Scripture to their people was admirable.
Just months after this team began, they completed drafting the book of Luke in all 14 languages and were engaged in conducting quality checks. Their project will provide over 160,000 speakers access to the Word of God in their heart languages.
Encourage
We encourage the collaboration of church networks, agencies, and partners to translate Scripture.
When a church network or multiple churches work to translate Scripture together, there is greater effectiveness and capacity. We encourage individual churches that come to us with the desire to have the Word of God in their language to join forces with another church or network. We advocate for teams to unite across denominational barriers and partner to translate Scripture into their shared languages.
“The project has not only enhanced the linguistic and theological skills of the translators but also fostered a stronger sense of community and shared purpose. This effort has been a catalyst for spiritual transformation and has brought hope and inspiration to the regions we serve.”
In-Country Trainer
Project Highlights
Unity and partnership among church networks fuel translation projects.
In Indonesia, 35-40 people gathered for training to translate 10 languages.
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The country leader highlighted that leaders from the Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterian and Independent denominations were serving together on the translation teams.
It was an incredible point in history to see networks that typically do not partner on projects, join together to translate the Word of God into their heart languages.
In a Southeast Asian country, an evangelical church network wanted to translate a deaf language in a particular dialect.
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There were only two churches that used this language and neither had enough people to form a translation team.
These two churches were invited to join forces and attend a translation conference in Dubai. These two churches had not talked with each other in over 10 years. They decided to forgive each other and combine forces around their mutual desire for a Bible in their language. Now, they have a beautiful restored relationship.
Establish
We establish and multiply churches through discipleship in every language and people group.
Beyond Translation’s focus is on fulfilling the Great Commission and not just translating the Bible. Translation is just the beginning. Throughout the translation process, teams have opportunities to actively use the Word of God for church planting, discipleship, and evangelism.
Theological questions and discussions are a natural result of the translation process, which develops faith and leads to deeper understanding of Scripture for believers. When unbelievers in the community are invited to participate, many hear the Word of God for the first time and make professions of faith. These new believers form small groups and begin meeting on a regular basis, often developing into new house churches.
“We appreciate Beyond Translation’s collaborative approach, commitment to accuracy, and the support provided throughout the translation process. Our emphasis on local partnership and capacity-building fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among the teams.”
In-Country Trainer, South Asia Country
Project Highlight
Faith communities and churches grow from translation projects.
A church network from a restricted South Asian country asked us to help them translate a deaf language.
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We invited them and their people to meet in a neutral country to teach them translation principles and methodology.
When the deaf in the language speaking communities gathered to translate, they decided to meet regularly and their community developed into a deaf house church.
Another Southeast Asian country was engaged in translating several languages.
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Eight days into the translation of the New Testament, two team members were compelled to be baptized.