How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Bible Translation
An estimated 3,300 languages in the world don’t have their own translation of the Scriptures. In order to improve the speed and cultural accuracy of Bible translations into more rare languages, Avodah Connect is using artificial intelligence technology.
The organization recently held a webinar in conjunction with Dallas Baptist University (DBU) for those interested in learning more about how artificial intelligence is being utilized to speed up translation projects in rare languages that are often overlooked.
Avodah said they currently have 31 translation teams using their AI process and expect that number to grow to 50 by the end of the year. Eleven of the teams are halfway through their translations.
While a traditional textual translation takes between 20 to 25 years, Avodah believes it can realistically speed that process up to between four and five years and reduce costs significantly.
“This will have a huge impact on minority language groups who have been waiting a long time for a translation of the Bible,” Avodah representative Kristin Westbrook said.
According to Gregory Toepperwein, the director of language AI at Avodah, the artificial intelligence tools they use are meant to accelerate the process for Bible translation, but humans will still be involved, especially for quality checks.
Randy Byers, chair of the AI Task Force at DBU, said the university has been collaborating with Avodah to grapple with the ethical issues.
The goal, he said, is to produce faithful, contextualized scripture without diluting the theological message. “We want to use this tool in a way that glorifies God but makes the Bible accessible,” Byers said.
The artificial intelligence model used by Avodah clusters texts thematically, then looks for patterns of semantic similarity. The AI doesn’t replace translators, Byers said, but because of the limited access to trained linguists in low-resource languages, they are used more for quality checking and validation.
Byers described it as a “blended approach” — AI is good at pattern recognition but does not have wisdom nor contextual understanding. That is why it can never fully replace the human consultants who review translations for accuracy and doctrinal fidelity, he explained.
The framework for AI-assisted translation, Byers said, is represented by TUAA: trustworthy, understandable, appealing, and appropriate.
In order to be trustworthy, the translation must reflect the meaning of the original text as it moves into the rare language. The text must be understandable and accessible. A text is appealing if it resonates culturally and spiritually with its readers, Byers said.. Finally, the goal is that the translation is appropriate — meaning it sounds like it should. For example, poetry should read like poetry.
Toepperwein said Avodah is continuing to improve its language analysis and process and is working toward more cross-cultural reception to AI-aided translation.
The Seed Company and Biblica are both working with Avodah AI on Bible translations, Westbrook said.
KIN International, a humanitarian and development group, also works on Bible translations. Larry Graber, KIN International executive director, recently told the National Association of Evangelicals that the group contracted with Avodah to translate 10 languages in Indonesia. Graber estimates translation time has been reduced by 75 to 80 percent and costs by as much as 60 percent.
Shawn Ring, founder and president of Avodah, was the chief information officer for The Seed Company for several years before founding Avodah in 2019. While at The Seed Company, Ring was looking for ways to improve the translation process through technology.
“Technology affords us the ability to connect the Body. In Bible translation today — and for the first time in history — we see the Body of Christ being joined together as never before. And once the Body is connected, God brings life,” Ring said in 2016.
The leadership team at Avodah has over 35 years in translation experience, according to its website.
This article was originally published by MinistryWatch.
Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate with honors from Baylor University and an undergraduate degree in government from Angelo State University. She has three young adult children who were home schooled and is happily married to her husband of 28 years.