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The Innovation Lab partners with those who are qualified, available, and aligned with the Lab’s commissioning. Whether through technology, content, prayer, or other forms of support, we welcome those ready to collaborate in helping every person access God’s Word by 2033. To find out more about getting involved, please head to the Get Involved Page.

No, we do not believe so. AI serves as a support tool rather than a replacement. Human translators are essential for cultural nuance, theological accuracy, and contextual understanding.

ATT uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and scalable technologies to support human translators. It can generate draft translations, identify inconsistencies, and streamline the translation process, making it faster and more efficient while still relying on human oversight for accuracy and clarity.

Similar to any new innovation, the Innovation Lab is thoughtfully engaging current challenges in the adoption of ATT. AI tools rely on quality data, so many lower-resource languages require a data collection process before translation can begin. Some communities also face practical barriers such as limited internet access, lack of devices, or high-security environments. These challenges highlight the need for local relevance, trusted partnerships, and thoughtful implementation.

For AI to support Bible translation effectively, it needs to be trained on reliable language data. ‘Smaller’ languages often lack the digital text needed to build strong models. To address this, the Innovation Lab is exploring approaches like data augmentation, synthetic text generation, and community-led validation to strengthen datasets and expand the reach of ATT to more language communities.

In Church-Based Bible Translation, AI supports quality assurance by helping detect inconsistencies, suggesting improvements, and automating grammar and style checks. This allows local church teams to focus on theological accuracy and community understanding. In Oral Bible Translation, AI also assists with audio transcription, voice masking, and pronunciation analysis to ensure clarity and consistency in spoken Scripture.

The Innovation Lab combines AI-assisted translation with intentional human oversight to ensure accuracy and theological faithfulness. AI-generated drafts are thoroughly reviewed, with input from trained reviewers and theological guidance rooted in the local church context. An iterative feedback process helps refine the translation, allowing the church to affirm its clarity, accuracy, and alignment with Scripture.

AI is used in Bible translation to assist with generating initial drafts, accelerating revision and quality checks, and improving consistency across texts. It works best when trained on high-quality language data, allowing it to support faster and more scalable translation efforts. With human oversight, AI can help ensure translations remain accurate, clear, and culturally appropriate.

Multimodal Bible translation uses formats like text, audio, video, and visual storytelling to make Scripture more accessible, especially in oral cultures. By starting with natural communication methods such as speech and story, it allows communities to engage with Scripture early and meaningfully. This approach helps accelerate translation and ensures the Bible is clearly understood and widely used.

Free and open resources remove barriers to translation efforts by ensuring that communities have unrestricted access to essential tools, biblical texts, and linguistic data. This enables church-based translation initiatives to thrive without financial, institutional, or process-related constraints and supports scalability by allowing for broader collaboration.

Experimentation is essential to developing new methods and tools that can strengthen and scale Church-Based Bible Translation. It helps address the diverse realities of language communities around the world by testing solutions that are locally relevant, sustainable, and more effective. Through thoughtful experimentation, the global Church can lead trustworthy translation efforts and reach more people with God’s Word.

In Church-Based Bible Translation, external Translation Consultants and agencies play a supportive role. Consultants serve as coaches, offering training, mentoring, and guidance throughout the process. Rather than conducting final checks in isolation, they help build the church’s capacity for quality translation and support ongoing review and revision at the invitation of the local church.

Church-Based Bible Translation (CBBT) is a model where the local church leads the translation process. It is at the center of decision-making, resourcing, and quality assessment in ways that are locally relevant, and is involved in every stage, including authentication. The CBBT cycle includes five key stages: Capacity Building: Equipping the church with the skills and tools needed to sustain translation. Community Engagement and Conversational Drafting: Exploring, internalizing, and drafting Scripture through collaborative, often oral-first methods. Review by a Quality Assurance Community: Local church leaders test and affirm the translation. Regional Church Leader Authentication: Broader leadership verifies the integrity of the process. Iterative Publication and Revision: Scripture is published, used, and refined through ongoing community feedback.

Confidence in CBBT stems from several factors:​ Community Involvement: Active participation by the local church ensures the translation resonates culturally and linguistically. Training and Resources: Translators receive training and access to high-quality biblical and translation resources. Quality Assurance Processes: Rigorous checking procedures, including review by church leaders, ensure theological and linguistic accuracy.

The Aquifer is a curated, open-access library of biblical and translation resources designed to support church-based Bible translation and AI-assisted tools. The platform prioritizes open licensing, integration with emerging technologies, and accessibility for communities with limited resources.

The Innovation Lab collaborates with organizations through a variety of partnership roles: Content Contributors provide Bible translation resources under open licenses for use by the global Church. Experimentation/Implementation Hosts connect church planting, disciple making, and church growth movements worldwide to emergent methods of Scripture translation in languages most relevant to your ministry purposes. Technology Providers bring expertise in AI, machine learning, NLP, and related fields to explore new solutions for Bible translation. Thought Partners offer experience and insight in Scripture translation to support specific Lab priorities or projects. Prayer Partners commit to regular, focused prayer for the Lab’s efforts. Investors support the Lab financially through cost-recovery and scaling of innovative outcomes. If you would like to partner with the Lab, visit our Get Involved page to learn more.

The Innovation Lab accelerates solutions in Bible translation through three current strategic priorities: Assisted Translation Technology (ATT): Exploring and scaling Artificial Intelligence and commercial translation technologies. Quality Assurance (QA): Development and scalability of flexible QA methods to suit emerging translation methodologies. Translation Resource Ecosystem (TRE): Development of open-access tools, texts, helps, and data to equip church-based Bible translation. Its primary goal is to accelerate global Bible translation efforts to meet ETEN’s All Access Goals by 2033.

ETEN’s All Access Goals aim to ensure that by 2033, all people have access to God’s Word in a language they can clearly understand. The goals include: 95% of the world’s population having access to a full Bible 99.96% having access to the New Testament or an equivalent portion of Scripture 100% having access to at least some portion of Scripture Full Bible translations in the world’s 100 most strategic written languages Challenges include reaching low-resource and high-security language communities, integrating emerging technologies without compromising trust or quality, and expanding church-based translation alongside access to open resources.

The Innovation Lab is part of the Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN) collective impact alliance, functioning as an experimental hub rather than an implementing agency. ETEN Implementing Partners carry out translation projects and related operational elements of Bible translation, exercising as much innovation capacity as aligns with respective board mandates and organizational calling. The Lab serves as a dedicated environment to catalyze and sponsor exploration and testing that complements the work of Implementing Partners. Its shared goal is to help proven innovations reach broader adoption within ETEN implementing partners and others. The Lab pioneers, tests, and communicates to equip the scaling of emerging methods, tools, and models to help achieve the 2033 All Access Goals. It works in close collaboration with Implementing Partners to radically broaden involvement, accelerate progress through the use of advanced technologies and open, accessible resources.

The ETEN Innovation Lab is a catalyst within the Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN) collective impact alliance. It exists to accelerate progress toward the All Access Goals by exploring, testing, and communicating to equip the scaling of emerging methods in Bible translation. The Lab takes strategic risks to test what is untested, equip the unequipped, and advance efforts that require focused attention and intentionality. Rooted in collaboration, the Innovation Lab works alongside ETEN and non-ETEN partners to identify barriers, experiment with new solutions, and broaden participation in trustworthy Bible translation.

Project Slingshot enables translation teams to generate high-quality drafts using AI trained on existing Scripture data. It is designed to accelerate workflows without compromising quality, especially in low-resource settings and oral communities.

Codex is a developer framework for building AI-driven Bible translation tools, powering the Copilot platform. Together, they enable fast, intelligent drafting, quality checking, and integration with tools like AQuA and the Greek Room, all within a flexible, VS Code-based environment.

Project Catapult supports the development of high-quality datasets for AI-assisted Bible translation. By focusing on languages with limited existing content, Catapult initiatives train AI models to function effectively.

An approach that harnesses AI technology to reduce Bible translation time and cost while supporting local translators with accessible tools, fostering a decentralized, scalable approach that transforms the field through shared insights and best practices.

Greek Room is a web-based validator for back translations, designed to support consistency and integrity in Bible translation projects. It offers practical tools for checking alignment with source texts, along with both technical and non-technical training to equip translators and developers.

Creation of open-source, open-access tools for oral, video, and text-based Bible translation. Designed for culturally appropriate devices, the tools prioritize local ownership, ease of use, and flexible, church-led workflows. Features include transcription, AI-assisted editing, and integration with resources like FIA.

The local church is at the center of decision-making, resourcing, and quality assessment in Bible translation programs, with leadership and involvement at every stage, including authentication. Tools and processes are designed to support each phase of the CBBT cycle: Capacity Building, Community Engagement and Conversational Drafting, Review by the Quality Assurance Community, Regional Church Leader Authentication, and Iterative Publication and Revision.

These materials support Church-Based Bible Translation through comprehensive training that uses a multimodal, oral-first approach. Tailored for adult learners, they introduce CBBT principles to church leaders and Bible agency personnel, ensuring the translation process remains locally led and accessible to all.

Development of a six-step exegetical process to help oral communities engage with Scripture. FIA supports Bible translation by helping people familiarize with, internalize, and articulate passages in their own language. Simple and repeatable, it enables churches to own the translation and evangelism process from the very beginning.

This initiative supports the development of regional networks that strengthen Church-Based Bible Translation (CBBT). These networks foster collaboration, leadership development, and shared learning among practitioners. Current efforts include piloting Scripture Quality Networks and building capacity for FIA translation.

Creation and access to open-licensed translation resources that clarify Scripture meaning and strengthen local translation decision-making. This includes verse-by-verse commentary through Open Translator’s Notes, deep checking resources for Scripture Authentication Elders and Review Boards, and optimized biblical content translated into strategic languages as part of the broader TRE.

Aquifer is a digital library of trustworthy, openly licensed, unrestricted Bible resources designed to support global translation efforts. Through its API, Aquifer enables the development of translation tools and other Biblical resources, accelerating high-quality Bible translation for all people and languages.

The OpenGNT is an open-licensed (CC BY) critical Greek New Testament, providing a trustworthy, transparent, and reputable text for global South Bible translators and theologians.

There may be an even greater need for TCs in the Emerging Model of BT than there was in the established—but the function of the TC is not the same. The role becomes more one of a Translation Process Coach, ensuring local translators are better equipped ‘at the front end’ rather than waiting for a finished product to assess. The church is best served when global church experts focus on growing the churchʼs capacity for and expertise in translation and its ongoing review and revision. When global church experts are invited by the church, their best service is as advisors, trainers, encouragers, and mentors throughout translation rather than primarily as end-stage translation checkers.

Yes, in principle that is correct, but we have made a deliberate decision not to pursue this as an option, for several reasons: Technology is not there to replace people but to assist them. We produce technology to assist Bible translators, making them more effective and efficient. However, we have seen better quality if we incrementally apply technology. Shortening cycle times and incorporating feedback often improves the quality of the work at a more rapid pace. It also allows us to involve the community. Short cycle time includes them from the start and gives them ownership of the work done. We believe that the Holy Spirit plays an integral part in Bible translation. Having technology as a supporting function allows that to happen.

Probably the greatest need is for biblical resources that equip the church to achieve trustworthy translations, then there is much translation work needed to have these resources in Strategic Languages. We also need to discover suitable technology for different contexts. And then there is the need to have ‘Trained Trainers’ in church networks. Inadvertent acceleration of BT production beyond the capacity of the church could create scenarios where the church is not able to verify the trustworthiness of their own translations, which in turn can lead to the need to redo a lot of their translations later. It is generally more efficient to increase the church’s capacity for understanding Scripture such that they are able to do good quality translation in the shortest amount of time possible.

When looking at BT drafting, considering the different models, approaches and phases of testing the technology, it is being utilized or tested in more than 200 languages.

AI has already changed the landscape of BT. There is no doubt that it will continue to be an integral and essential part of BT. AI will not steal the jobs of translators, but translators who use AI will! There are several reasons why: Efficiency: AI can automate and accelerate the translation process, making it possible to translate large volumes of text in a short time. Consistency: AI can maintain consistent use of terms and style across the translation, which is crucial for readability and comprehension. Quality Improvement: AI models are continually learning and improving, which means the quality of translations can improve over time. Cost-Effectiveness: It can be less costly in terms of both money and time for ministry to utilize AI in the translation process, making it feasible to undertake more translation projects.

There are various methods to assess the effectiveness of a machine-generated draft. However, we use a straightforward approach. We ask translators to evaluate the output by posing a single question: Upon reviewing the draft, what would be faster to produce a final product - editing the existing text or starting from scratch with your own translation?

Immersion: discussions, role-playing, and exploring the motivations of characters, are ways for the community to build their theological understanding of specific passages. This is a crucial starting point that prepares the community for accurate and meaningful Bible translation. Oral Approach: we recognize that many communities engage with God’s truth through oral communication. This includes embracing diverse ways of engaging with Scripture – we call it multi-modality. Iterative Quality Affirmation: Review and revision is an important step in church based Bible translation. This step involves feedback from other translators, the community, and other key leaders. Iterative Publication and Utilization: When pieces of Scripture are published and utilized by the community, it informs further translation; so the church grows in its experience and understanding of Scripture through the translation process. These elements collectively contribute to an effective translation approach by the emergent Church, ensuring that Scripture is accessible, relevant, and impactful within diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN) was established in 2010 as an alliance of Bible translation organizations of significant global engagement and Resource Partners committed to eradicating Bible poverty. It uniquely combines the perspectives of missiology and philanthropy by bringing together implementers and investors. It seeks to leverage the alliance partnership to ensure that by 2033 at least a portion of the Bible is translated into every language needed to reach every tribe and nation. To learn more visit eten.bible.

In early 2020, the ETEN Steering Committee analyzed the trajectory of the All Access Goals and concluded that the rate of progress was such that the goals would not be achieved by 2033. Together, they developed the “What Must Change” priorities: (1) Bolster Spiritual Unity and Alignment of our Base, (2) Radically Broaden Involvement, (3) Thoughtfully Integrate Innovation and (4) Sharply Focus the Aligning Energies on the Goals. The greater accessibility and acceleration needed for the alliance to accomplish the third priority required a group of dedicated drivers to test, prove and scale innovative options.