Translating God’s Word from the languages in which it was first written into the languages of the Bibleless people we serve is a lengthy and thorough process. Pioneer Bible Translators is committed to producing accurate and meaningful translations. Your prayers make a difference.

• The first draft of a translation is usually produced by local people who are native speakers of the language. Pray that these men and women — both those who are believers and those who are not yet — will be impacted by God’s Word as they interact with it.
• Translation teams often encounter challenges as they search for the right words or phrases to use. Pray for wisdom in deciding how to translate Biblical concepts like holy, grace, forgiveness, and faith into languages that do not include words that easily convey these concepts.
• The next step is to carefully examine the drafted text, meticulously checking it against the original Hebrew or Greek to help ensure that the new translation accurately conveys the Biblical message. Pray that teammates providing this exegetical check will notice each place where the draft needs to be revised.
• Another step in the translation process is to share it with members of the community: reading it, asking questions, and listening for responses that indicate the hearers have misunderstood parts of it. Pray that the teammates leading these community comprehension checks will be alert to responses that indicate misunderstandings or ambiguities in the translation. Pray that the community members participating in these checking sessions will truly hear God speaking as they listen and respond to Scriptures they are hearing in their own language for the first time ever.
• When the exegetical and community checks are complete and all changes have been made, an experienced translation consultant works with the team to give every book one final check before it is published. Pray that any places that still need to be revised will be identified during this process.

Once the translation consultant gives final approval, the Scriptures are ready to be distributed in print, audio, online, and/or video formats. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work through these Scriptures, in whatever format people receive them, to transform their lives as they hear God speaking through His Word in their own language.