An estimated 1,200 oral language groups have waited for thousands of years to receive the Scriptures. Many will never obtain the written Word of God. But they can still hear the saving truth of the Gospel.
Oral Bible Translation (OBT) sidesteps the hurdle of having to read and write to translate the Bible, meaning that individuals living in unreached people groups who may never read can still hear God's Word and come to Christ. In fact, OBT is vital in achieving our Vision 2033 objectives.
Now, a team of mother-tongue translators can be trained to work among their own people to clearly and accurately render God's Word in a format they can understand and use. OBT goes through all of the same rigorous checks of a written translation—team checking, community checks, back translation, and consultant checking. And as soon as a recording is approved—whether a few verses or a whole book—it becomes available to the community. The wait is finally over!
An urgent desire to see the last people groups receive the Gospel in their heart languages continues to grow. OBT projects are in great demand, given that the methodology has been accepted by the worldwide translation community. God is graciously preparing the hearts of oral people worldwide to hear His truth and come to Him. They will be counted among those standing before Christ’s throne on the last day, just as He promised.
Render, the software behind Oral Bible Translation, launched in 2017. Since then, more than 200 languages have received portions of Scripture. This explosive growth meant upgrades quickly became necessary. Render 2 (2018) introduced much-needed stability, setting the foundation for the work to come.
In the initial years of the program, OBT maintained a fixed, linear workflow, facilitated in Render. But as more communities used OBT, the need for an adaptable workspace grew. 2023 saw this updated in the long-anticipated launch of Render 3.
Eager to meet the challenge head on, our developers set to work creating a more intuitive workspace. With an adapted, simplified dashboard, teams can tailor the program to fit the needs of each unique recording. Render 3 created a flexible, more efficient workspace, with the potential to provide the community quicker access to approved Scripture portions. While in-house testing proved promising, the question remained: Would Render 3 succeed or crumble in the face of challenges?
Field tests in Mexico and Nigeria gave us the answer. The first test, a partner recording, allowed experienced Render 2 users to test the full flexibility of the updated interface. A larger group unfamiliar with the Render software underwent the second field test. This group’s size made it possible to explore the full limits of the software on a large project.
With the success of the field tests, the global OBT community anticipated the launch of the new software. Render 3 is now in use for every new Faith Comes By Hearing OBT project started around the world. These advancements will provide an estimated 1,200 communities the means to hear God speak their language.
Render 3 allows Oral Bible Translation (OBT) teams to customize their workflow to suit their individual project needs. Once the workflow is customized, Render 3 guides the users through the translation process using color-coded icons, which are specifically designed to be approachable for oral users. Render 3 also allows users to move their work to a previous workflow stage giving the user the ability to adjust the workflow to assure a good quality translation.
Contact us so we can talk more about how we can partner together. Please fill out this form with your project details if you’re interested in OBT.
We are happy to partner in different ways. For some language projects we just provide the Render technical support. For other projects, we train in the launch workshop, provide funding, and provide a certified Bible translation consultant. Contact us to talk more about how we can partner together in a way that works best for your unique situation.
Audio recordings that act as references for the translation are loaded into Render. Translators listen to the references, internalize the passage, and translate orally into their own language, recording their translation in Render. Providing a seamless and easy-to-use interface, Render also acts as a file management system, allowing files to be sent between users.
The primary difference is that oral translation produces an oral Bible—one that is meant to be listened to, not read in a book. In oral translation, translators use different techniques to internalize a passage, which allows them to retell it in their mother tongue in a clear, accurate, natural, and acceptable way. Oral Bible Translations go through all of the same rigorous checks as written translations, but bypass the need for orthography development in the local language.
Up to four Audio Bible versions can be loaded into Render to be used as references for the translation. We have many languages and versions available and can work with you on what will be best for your project.
If all references are available, project setup needs to start ten weeks before the start date. If no audio recording exists for one of the references, it can take up to five additional months to record it.
For most of your project, you will not need internet, as you can sync and share files among the team over a Local Area Network (LAN) or a USB drive. You will need internet initially to download the Render software on all project computers. We recommend performing an internet sync periodically to back up your files.
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