Do you know about a Bible translation that speakers of that language would read or listen to if it was available on their phone, etc.? Do you have a Bible or portion of Scripture that is not yet available on a computer?
The Worldwide Electronic Bible and Book Service (WEBBS), led by Dr Martin Reynolds, is our project to support the work of Bible translation and publishing throughout the world. We partner with a range of agencies who share the vision to have the Bible available in every spoken language on Earth.
“Digitising translations of the Bible is hugely important. Bible Society has the largest collection of printed Scriptures in the world, and within our archives are texts in languages which have no Scriptures online. We want to make them available as widely as possible so more and more people can read and listen to the Bible in their heart language.”
Paul Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Bible Society
For our part, MissionAssist produces digital text which is a highly accurate and generally the very first copy on a computer. The process starts with an original that is typeset or written, and involves us converting that printed text to digital format by typing, also known as keyboarding.
Our goal is to produce 100% accuracy in every project that we undertake. To achieve this, we welcome and train volunteers with high attention to detail to become keyboarders. They type each character individually, using a specially produced software application to produce diacritics (accented characters) in Unicode format. Each piece of work is keyboarded separately by two teams in parallel. The results are digitally compared and checked thoroughly.
The project editor splices together all the different files to produce a complete, electronic document. They also make a final check for accuracy. Using this method, we are able to produce consistently accurate reproductions of original texts, often from ancient and even damaged, printed pages.
Generally, the Scripture translations that we work on are out of print and need to be typed up so that they can be prepared for re-printing or an audio Bible script. Alternatively, once the text of an old translation is available in digital format, translators can benefit from useful, time-saving computer applications to help the production of a revised or new and more accessible translation for the modern day.
Most of our projects involve typing out Scripture, although you may also make a request for other material such as Bible commentaries, dictionaries, devotional books, primers, texts of stories, theological teaching materials, Sunday school lessons, literacy aids, language learning books, translation textbooks, reports.