Supporting the global Bible translation community

Our Mission

We’re a worldwide network of Bible Societies operating in over 240 countries and territories to make sure that everyone who wants to can access and engage with the Bible.

Exploring our mission

We believe the Bible is for everyone so we are working towards the day when everyone can access the Bible in the language and medium of their choice.

We’re involved in the full Bible Lifecycle, from Bible translation, production and distribution to advocacy, holistic ministry and engagement.

Bible Societies are actively working on around 500 translation projects at any given time in order to provide translations into languages which have never been translated as well as languages where existing translations need updating to grant access to the biblical text to today’s audiences.

We serve the global translation community by:

  • sharing tools and resources
  • sharing expertise
  • collaborating with partner agencies

Our Bible translation specialists draw on their expertise and diverse experiences to create resources that help translation teams worldwide to understand the Greek and Hebrew texts. They are also involved in locally training translators and giving assistance throughout the translation process.

UBS and SIL developers also work on cutting-edge digital tools, which can assist in the Bible translation and publishing process by increasing quality, speed and collaboration.

A Walak man with a copy of the very first Walak New Testament at its launch on September 14, 2021, in a remote village in Papua province in the far east of Indonesia. It was a long journey for the Bible Society and its partners to attend the launch and bring copies of the new Scripture to the Walak people: a six-hour flight from Jakarta, an hour-long flight in a light aircraft to Kobakma, and a bumpy, two-hour journey along rough roads to read the village of Ilugwa.
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Our Distinctives

We are interdependent

We operate as a Fellowship of independent national Bible Societies who choose to join together to fulfil a common mission

Our Distinctives

We are interconfessional

We serve and work with churches of all traditions and denominations
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Our Distinctives

We are integrated

We work across the full Bible Lifecycle so that, with God’s help, we can meet peoples and cultures at their point of need.