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ETEN Innovation Lab
Stories of Innovation
Explore how innovative Bible translation solutions equip communities and drive progress toward Scripture accessibility.


Dance on a Shifting Carpet
Four Lessons from AI and Bible Translation *The following is adapted from a speech Stephen Cave, former Chief Strategist at the Innovation Lab, gave at the Missional AI 2026 Global Summit. Watch the original here. Through our work at the ETEN Innovation Lab, we have seen the goodness of God and the amazing generosity and trust of faithful resource partners. God is at work blessing efforts, partnership, and the courage of so many. And in our technological world, AI is a part o

Stephen Cave
4 days ago6 min read


Learning in Action
As we sharpen the focus of our efforts toward places where pace must be addressed to meet the All Access Goals, the ETEN Innovation Lab is taking a catalytic acceleration approach and is learning that iteration needs to be a key strategy going forward.

ETEN Innovation Lab
Apr 274 min read


AI in Bible Translation?
No AI was hurt in the process of writing this article. It is indisputable that technology has been helpful for humans, though it comes with trade-offs. It seems to me that usually the first things to get automated are the more mechanical or non-creative parts of a task. The creative work is left for humans. AI (as in LLMs) crosses an important threshold of showing creativity (emergent abilities), mostly by mimicking human language. AI is, therefore, now playing a bigger role

Joel Mathew
Apr 234 min read


The Genius of Granny Kay
Historically, the Bible translation process has often missed the value of Granny Kay. But when the goal is to have trustworthy, understandable, appealing, and appropriate Scripture that communities engage with for years to come, the genius of grannies should not be underestimated. The FIA process places orality front and center so that exegesis is accessible and everyone in a community can participate in Bible translation work.

ETEN Innovation Lab
Mar 265 min read


Are AI Drafts Really Faster?
Are AI-assisted Bible translation drafts really faster? Early metrics looking at 75 projects using Serval/Scripture Forge indicate AI is significantly accelerating progress in translation efforts.

ETEN Innovation Lab
Feb 266 min read


The Path to 2033: A Refocusing for Future Progress
ETEN’s shared vision behind the All Access Goals (AAG) has always been clear: we want to see people everywhere gain access to God’s Word by 2033. This desire continues to guide and unite us as an alliance. Here's what you can expect from the Innovation Lab in 2026 as we partner with you to make these goals a reality.

ETEN Innovation Lab
Jan 264 min read


Bible Translation and the Art of Cave Diving
Ever wonder what the art of cave diving can teach us about the responsible use of technology in Bible translation? Koos Fouche, Assisted Translation Technology Strategy Leader, shares some of the lessons we can learn as we dive deeper into collaboration and innovation with wisdom.

Koos Fouche
Jan 45 min read


Fluent: A Bible Translation Tool To Serve The Global Church
The Lab is excited to introduce Fluent, a free, open, extensible, and multimodal translation product suite leveraging intelligently assisted technology.

ETEN Innovation Lab
Nov 5, 20254 min read


How AI is Being Integrated into Church-Based Bible Translation
Where translation, AI, and the church meet. Over 627,000 chapters of Scripture (across more than 3,000 languages) remain to accomplish...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Oct 7, 20253 min read


Bible Translation Process vs. Technology?
Having started work with the ETEN Innovation Lab recently, I have been reorienting myself to better internalize the ambitious All Access...

Joel Mathew
Sep 21, 20254 min read


How Could We Accelerate Global Bible Translation If We Started With a Blank Slate?
What if we started from the beginning, translating our first-ever Bible? How would we design a language model built specifically for...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Sep 2, 20255 min read


Bible Translation and WhatsApp
Though not the most popular means of communication in the United States, WhatsApp is one the of the most popular mobile applications in...

Joel Mathew
Aug 21, 20254 min read


An Update on AI and Assisted Translation Technology in Bible Translation
As the ETEN alliance continues to explore how technology can accelerate Bible translation, AI has emerged as a proven driver of progress....

ETEN Innovation Lab
Aug 1, 20253 min read


From the Church, For the Church: How QA Community Reviews Build Trustworthy Scripture
An Interview with Teryl Gonzalez, International Translation Consultant with Wycliffe Bible Translators More than 500 languages are currently using the Church-Based Bible Translation (CBBT) model, with that number expected to grow in the coming months. At the heart of CBBT, local churches take ownership and leadership of translation in their own language. One key stage in this process is the Review by the Quality Assurance (QA) Community , where local church leaders and believ

ETEN Innovation Lab
Jul 10, 20254 min read


Translation Technology: From Data to Drafting
Insights and progress from Catapult and Slingshot in 2025 Across ETEN, translation partners and vendors are advancing a range of Assisted...

ETEN Innovation Lab
May 2, 20254 min read


Nigerian Church Leads Bible Translation Workshops
Alis i Ron Church demonstrates the power of community-driven translation The promising story of the Alis i Ron church in Nigeria...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Apr 15, 20254 min read


How Can Multimodal Bible Translation Tools Meet User Needs?
Exploring User Stories from APM, Render, and AVTT Effective and impactful Bible translations must be both trustworthy and trusted, which...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Mar 18, 20256 min read


Assisted Translation Technology Accelerates Scripture Access in Indonesia
Pilot program aids Napu Bible translation An Assisted Translation Technology Bible pilot program took place in Indonesia earlier this...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Mar 11, 20254 min read


“CBBT Stage 2 allows the local church to take on the ownership and leadership of translating the Bible.”
An interview with Tricia Stringer from SRV Partners about CBBT Stage 2 (Community Engagement and Conversational Drafting) The Innovation...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Feb 19, 20255 min read


The Greek New Testament by Biblica
An open-licensed Greek New Testament built to serve the global church and accelerate Bible translation through unrestricted access to...

ETEN Innovation Lab
Feb 18, 20253 min read
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