What

To prepare for translation, the exegetical team needs to first get a grasp on ideas, themes, and background information that will be important for supporting the work of the translators.  ​

How

This mainly involves reading different biblical commentaries on the relevant texts and anticipating where the pain points will likely be when translating to JSL. Depending on the book being translated, this step might also include creating timelines and family trees, investigating maps of biblical locations, or looking for images of historically accurate objects or clothing.

Why

This is a vital step the team has developed to facilitate the translation process. It takes the burden of research off the translators’ shoulders so that they can focus on creating an accurate portrayal of the biblical text in JSL. Having done preliminary research, the exegetical team is also better equipped to support our translators, especially since the initial draft from scratch is often one of the most difficult steps.