AI in Bible Translation: Monster or Marvel? (Nov 25)
Over the centuries, the Scriptures have been written down on a whole range of materials. Yahweh even wrote his laws and commands on tablets of stone! In fact he had to do it twice, due to the original copies being dashed to the ground on Mount Sinai! Papyrus was developed in Egypt around 3000 BCE. Made from the pith of the papyrus plant, scrolls were the original format for almost all of the biblical books. Then, in the second century BC, along came a more durable writing material made from animal skins, known as ‘parchment’. In the third century AD the first true papermaking process was documented in China, although it took a while for the ‘papermill’ to arrive in Europe (11th century). In terms of printing, 1440 AD was the big year! A certain goldsmith from Germany, named Gutenberg, invented the printing press, and made it easier to produce Bibles. By the end of the 1800’s pens & pencils were being downed as the typewriter came into use, and in the second half of the 1900’s – along came the word processor, the computer, and the laptop. The keyboard reigns supreme!
Thanks to these advancements in technology, and printing methods, larger language communities now have access to digital, audio, and printed Scripture. But - there are still over 2,500 language groups that lack any of God's Word in their language, accounting for over 1.5 billion people. Indigenous-led Bible translation is changing this reality, and each innovation is helping to accelerate Bible translation, extending the reach of the gospel. The latest innovation sweeping the planet is of course AI (artificial intelligence) – but is that something Bible translators should be using? Afterall, we’ve all heard of the potential risks that the AI monster brings to the table! Job displacement, bias, data breaches, manipulation, misinformation, lack of transparency and accountability; the list goes on! Maybe we should leave it to one side, or should we?
Enter AiBT - Artificial intelligence immersed Bible Translation! TWFTW has actually developed AiBT technology for use in the Bible translation world, which guides translation teams through a learning process, enabling AI to produce an initial draft. Initial and ongoing testing shows that the first draft of a translation is generated more quickly and more accurately than the translators having to do a first draft themselves. This tool streamlines indigenous translators’ time in order to focus on refining meaning, deepening community engagement, and ensuring faithful Scripture translation.
AiBT assists translators by producing high-quality first drafts. It upholds core Bible translation values such as natural translation, translator control, and community ownership, and provides fast and reliable first drafts. It also efficiently generates translation checks, offers translation improvement suggestions, and speeds up the preparation and editing of audio recordings. In short, AiBT is enabling mother-tongue translators to produce accurate, dynamic translations whilst shortening the time it takes to produce a translation – without jeopardising quality and accuracy.
“In order to do a manual draft translation, each verse needs to be translated individually, which is very time consuming. But when AI came, our accuracy improved our method by standardising spelling and doing away with the process of fixing the mistakes we’d make with a manual draft. AI provides the exact words that we search for. I have personally noticed our translations have improved significantly” - An indigenous Bible translator.
Whilst it is still early days, it would seem that God is equipping our translators with a powerful tool for His purposes, and although we still need to be aware of the dangers of AI, it seems that AiBT certainly equips our translators to do an even better job than they're already doing! AiBT does not replace the translator; nor do we want it to, and nor will we allow to! But it is proving to be a tool that plays a part in further equipping them.
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'Sinai for Sena' - 1 Week to go!
Last week we were able to post this on our Facebook & Instagram pages: “Get the flags out! Light the fireworks! Praise the Lord! The final milestone of our ‘Sinai for Sena’ fundraiser has just been reached”. That target of £24,000, which seemed a big ask in the middle of August, has been hit! I’m chuffed to bits that we’ve reached our target, and am humbled and amazed at the generosity of those who have got behind the project. The fundraising page will remain open until I return from Egypt on 12 Nov, and any further funds received will be put towards a similar Bible printing project – of which there are many!
I took part in a recent zoom prayer meeting with a couple of colleagues in South Africa. One of them had recently attended a 24-hour prayer event in Cape Town and had bumped into a guy from Malawi, who ‘happened’ to be from the Sena tribe. As they got talking, and without knowing about our fundraising project, the Sena man mentioned that there weren’t many Sena Bibles available anymore, and that there was a big need for them. My colleague was able to reply: “there are 10,000 copies heading your way”! PTL indeed! Thank you so much to those who have enabled us to make this happen. If you want to keep up to date with the Sinai project – please check out our Facebook & Instagram pages, where you’ll find a number of recent video posts that I’ve put together.
Loving it in Lambya Land!
It’s all very well spending years translating God’s Word and having 1000’s of copies printed, but are they being used? Afterall, dusty Bibles that spend their lives sitting on shelves unread are not much use! You may remember in last month’s newsletter we featured a short film about the launch of the Lambya Bible in Malawi, which happened in April. Last week we received a short, but very encouraging, email from a Lambyan pastor. “I have been doing some research in the churches and have found that 90% of them are now using the new Lambya Bible. I am so happy that toda
Thankfully, NOT the case for the Lambyans of northern Malawi!
Out & About Diary Dates for Nov/Dec:
2 Nov: Koinonia Evangelical Church, Andover (am)
7-12 Nov: Sinai for Sena sponsored climb – Egypt.
16 Nov: Warminster Baptist Church, Wiltshire (am)
23 Nov: Corsham Baptist Church, Wiltshire (am)
23 Nov: Cromhall Chapel, Gloucestershire (pm)
28-29th: Oak Hall Team weekend, Otford, Sevenoaks
30 Nov: Corsham Baptist (Neston) Church (am)
2-9 Dec: TWFTW leadership meetings in Hermanus, South Africa
Praise & Prayer Points:
“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble.
But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference" - Max Lucado.
Answered Prayer! Praise God that we have now reached our target of £24,000 for the “Sinai for Sena” project! We've grateful to God and the generous donors who have made this possible. We’re now in a position to get 10,000 Bibles into the hands of the Sena people of Malawi. The climb itself takes place on the 9th Nov. Please pray that all of the arrangements go well.
The UK Board would value your prayers as they continue to seek a new voluntary trustee, who could take on the role of treasurer. If you know of anyone who might want to take up this opportunity of serving TWFTW UK in this way, please get in touch (admin-uk@twftw.org)
SE Asia: Please pray for one of our staff. “After medical check-ups, David was treated for pneumonia, but his condition did not improve. Six bottles of fluid were later removed from his lungs, and the doctors then discovered a lesion, which they suspect is cancer. He is now very weak and requires urgent medical care. Please uphold Rev David in your prayers, that the Lord will grant him healing, strength, and comfort".