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An Accessible, Persistent BT Model:

Faster-Cheaper-Better

Explainer Presentation

by Robin Rempel, 2023

Tyndale Bible Translators

Spread the Fire!

Share the Treasure!

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The WILDFIRE OBT Model

  • An innovative OBT+SE model

May it spread like Wildfire !

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A LOCALLY Persisting (sustainable) - Affordable - Ownable (doable) BT + SE Model

  • An innovative, locally empowering OBT+SE model

Spread the Fire!

Share the Treasure!

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The big idea:

Start with OBS

(Oral Bible Storying)

Continue with OBT

(Oral Bible Translation)

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The objective:

To provide free, non-proprietary tools which combine features of a BT workflow application + TWP + a publisher, all of which can be run on a locally affordable device to enable MTTs to learn, research/exegete, translate, check and publish accessible Bible content in a sustainable, underwhelming, persisting manner for their language community, regardless of where they live.

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The big idea:

Start with OBS

  • digital; DIY
  • publish Bible story videos
  • via Story Publisher Adv (SPadv)
  • walk before you run

Continue with OBT

  • digital; DIY
  • via the Honey Bee app (HBobt)
  • all-inclusive software
  • Exegetical resources and everything necessary in one accessible app

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The big idea:

Start with OBS

Continue with OBT

Enables incognito, sustainable, digital OBS + SE

Enables incognito digital OBT more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey,

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Why?

Start with OBS via SPadv

Continue with OBT via HB app

  1. Wiser
  2. Easier
  3. Cheaper
  4. Faster
  5. Requires less training
  6. More sustainable
  7. More engaging
  8. Accessible
  9. Mobile

If I were to do a translation project again now, I would start with the Story Publisher app.

Andrew Simms, Indonesia, Tr Cons

I wish I’d had the Story Publisher app available 30 years ago when I started doing Bible translation.

Greg Carlson, two NTs, Vanuatu

Daniyal is the best translator on our team because he did Oral Bible Storying first…

Nepal

Very practically, test the community’s commitment to and readiness for a BT project before investing heavily from the outside.

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Why?

Start with OBS via SPadv

Continue with OBT via HB app

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

The SP interface is easy-peasy to learn, very user-friendly.

Karen user, Myanmar

Learn as you go, on-the-job.

It’s intuitive.

The translation team can form and change in the process of translating and publishing story videos for the community, maneuvering into roles they are suited for and committed to.

Simple, uncomplicated software and hardware.

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Possible costs:

$300 for a device (one smartphone)

$30 for a micro SD card

$30 for a multi-point USB key/drive

$150 for a small solar powering system

~$400 for travel, room & board for 1 week of orientation training

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster - Persistent
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Go the pace desired by the community.

No delays due to loss of outsider help.

Start immediately.

No orthography development required. No language/dialect survey necessary.

As desired by the community, add language text to videos (subtitles) and/or transcribe the oral translation from Honey Bee after it is approved.

As necessary, revise and update the translation.

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Bible background training is acquired in the process of publishing Bible panorama videos…

Preferably train on-site.

Centralized training is also an option.

Virtual training may be an option for some.

1 week initial orientation/training will enable a community to be confident in using the software on their own.

1-day follow-up every 6 to 12 months.

A good translation process is learned and practised on-the-job…

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Do-It-Yourself model.

Less dependency on outsiders

Free, accessible software and resources

Affordable, locally sustainable and maintained equipment.

Offline processing

Enables revision work when the community desires to do it.

Community/Church owned, not merely Church-centric

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Exports Bible materials that can be easily and effectively used in Sunday Schools, school classrooms, by Pastors, in Bible study groups, by families, for discipleship and evangelism.

It’s oral, audio, visual!

It’s multi-modal for best learning capacity.

Overlapping formats: text, audio, images, videos

The process is simple and engaging enough to welcome anyone who would like to be involved.

Immediately and regularly engage the community by sharing with them simple Bible videos and audio files that they can view and play on their devices.

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Very affordable.

Very available.

Very accessible.

Very understandable.

Very inclusive.

All content is Creative Commons!

For everybody! Anybody can use the tools regardless of denomination, location, education or organisational affiliation.

It’s oral and audio and visual!

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Why?

  • Wiser
  • Easier
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Requires less training
  • More sustainable
  • More engaging
  • Accessible
  • Mobile

Incognito. Safe.

Small footprint.

Offline is the primary option.

Use anywhere!

Flexible.

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Link to a report of SPadv being introduced to 30+ tribes in India during a 4-day workshop, Sept 2023, to get them started on a church-owned, oral translation work

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The big advantage!

Story Publisher Adv facilitates local users to:

  • learn a healthy translation process
  • practise translation on “unpacked”, transparent scripts
  • share a video Bible story panorama education with the entire language community
  • Render and document key terms in their first mention contexts
  • Take time to form a solid translation team with committed people in the right roles
  • do Scripture Engagement from day one

Honey Bee OBT facilitates:

  • oral Scripture translation (more difficult scripts)
  • embedded exegetical resources
  • offline, immediate local publishing options

SPadv content is simpler and can ease users into Honey Bee with more difficult content.

first ~3 years

after ~3 years

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Why do we need another Bible Translation app?

Current Bible Translation programs:

  • Paratext (text based+exegetical helps)
  • Adapt It (text based for related lgs)
  • Translation Studio (text based)
  • Transcriber / Audio Project Manager (web-based oral translation-to-text bridger without exegetical helps)
  • Render (oral process+automated file management; no exegetical helps)
  • Audacity (audio recording software)

*These are all excellent systems and are being successfully and fruitfully utilized…

But … they do not reach everybody!

And, they can easily become dysfunctional due to high outsider-dependency.

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Why do we need another Bible Translation app?

Accessibility for all is missing! For example:

  • If a Bibleless language community does not have a writing system, if they are oral preference, they cannot utilize Paratext, Adapt It, Transcriber/APM or TranslationStudio
  • If a Bibleless language community is not sponsored by a BT org (providing equipment, consultant checking and publishing services, perhaps salaries), they would not have access to Paratext or Render.
  • If a language community is financially poor and/or off-grid, how can they revise their out-of-date NT, or finish translating the whole Bible, or initiate their own BT efforts?

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Why do we need another Bible Translation app?

Accessibility-for-all requires a BT system combining all the following:

  • Local ownership and sustainability for the entire process
    • For equipment
    • For exegesis
    • For accuracy checks
    • For publishing
    • For revisions
    • For propagating to others
  • Learn-as-you-go; easy learning curve; rapid training/orientation
  • Quick turn-around of materials
  • Automated file management
  • Affordability; low cost operations
  • Offline processing
  • Exegetical Resources appropriately available
  • Oral/aural/visual formats with text options
  • Scripture Engagement options from the start

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Honey Bee app fills in the gaps

Honey Bee is a hybrid/multimodal OBT system that empowers local Bibleless communities to access God’s Word by owning all aspects of a BT project

*an initial 1-week, on-site, hands-on introduction/training is necessary for most users, but self-training is also possible

Psalm 19:10

The Word of the Lord is more desirable than gold;

it is sweeter than honey dripping from the honeycomb.

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Honey Bee app fills in the gaps

  • Honey Bee empowers Do-It-Yourself (DIY) local ownership and sustainability for the entire process of Bible translation
    • For equipment
    • For exegesis
    • For accuracy checks
    • For publishing
    • For introducing to neighboring dialects
    • For revisions
  • Affordability - low cost equipment; free software
  • Learn-as-you-go; easy learning curve; user friendly interface; short training time
  • Automated file management
  • Oral/aural/pictorial processing with text options
  • Accessible exegetical resources (e.g. Brief Exegetical Notes)
  • Scripture Engagement options from the start
  • Offline, off-grid processing options
  • Publish and export in various formats
  • Quick turn-around of published materials

Psalm 19:10

The Word of the Lord is more desirable than gold;

it is sweeter than honey dripping from the honeycomb.

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Start the DIY OBT process with OBS via

Story Publisher Advantage (SPadv) app

Both apps have very similar navigation and workflow.

SPadv and HB apps are oral translation “fire” partners.

“My Word is like a fire,”

declares the Lord.

Workflow steps:

  • Learn/Internalize
  • Translate & Revise
  • Community naturalness Check
  • Accuracy Check (password required to unlock final phases)
  • Voice Studio
  • Finalize (create a product)
  • View & Share/Distribute

first ~3 years

after ~3 years

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Start the DIY OBT process with OBS via SPadv app

“My Word is like a fire,” declares the Lord.

Common characteristics of both “fire” apps:

  • Run on an Android device (< $300)
  • Free open source software
  • Templates populate the software
  • Resources are all creative commons
  • Offline operation
  • Exegetical resources embedded in the apps
  • Hybrid oral and text interface
  • User-friendly, easy-to-learn operation
  • Automated file management
  • Flexible, open, flowing workflow steps
  • Publish small, publish early, publish often

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Start the OBT process with

OBS via SPadv app

Spread the Fire!

Story Publisher Adv facilitates users to:

  • Translate and publish Bible stories

Honey Bee OBT facilitates:

  • Translate and Publish Scripture

SPadv content is simpler and can ease users into Honey Bee with more difficult content.

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Start the OBT process with OBS via

SPadv app

Story Publisher Adv facilitates local users to:

  • learn a healthy translation process
  • practise translation on “unpacked”, transparent scripts
  • share a video Bible story panorama education with the entire language community
  • Render and document key terms in their first mention contexts
  • Take time to form a solid translation team with committed people in the right roles
  • do Scripture Engagement from day one

Honey Bee OBT facilitates:

  • oral Scripture translation (more difficult scripts)
  • embedded exegetical resources
  • offline, immediate local publishing options

SPadv content is simpler and can ease users into Honey Bee with more difficult content.

first ~3 years

after ~3 years

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Honey Bee Screens: Get Scriptures Templates

  • Get Scripture templates via online download, or offline sideload
  • Sort many templates according to progress
  • Scripture templates include:
    • E2T text & audio
    • BEN texts
    • Images & videos
    • Overviews
  • Scripture templates available in various LWCs
  • Development is ongoing

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Honey Bee Screen: Workflow

  • For every Scripture template, HB guides the translation team through an accountable, flexible workflow process, auto-saving files, from Internalizing to Translation and Checking to Publication
  • Work offline
  • After a work pause, HB puts you right back where you left off

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Honey Bee Screens: Learn

  • Learn phase for passage internalization
  • Read and View audio source text + images + background resources (i.e. text and videos)
  • Listen and watch whole passages. Practise retelling whole passage in your language.
  • Retell and Record whole passages in your language.
  • Record by subsections. (Each subsection is on its own page.)
  • Navigate to the next or previous page by swiping left and right or tapping the page arrows.

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Honey Bee Screens: Translate + Revise (modified from SPadv)

  • Translate+Revise phase for orally drafting short chunks of the passage
  • Scripture is E2T (Easy to Translate) version, in text and audio formats
    • Implied info is grey
    • Key terms and names are hyperlinked (WordLinks system) for easy documentation
  • Use Wordlinks tool to track, research and document key terms and repeated names
  • Navigate between chunks by swiping left and right like turning pages

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Honey Bee Screens: Translate + Revise

  • Tap on hyperlinked brown text to bring up BEN (Brief Exegetical Notes) and optional renderings (i.e. synthesized TWP).
    • BENs may include text, visuals, tips and training
    • Goal: make research underwhelming)
    • Next slides: sample data sheets

OR

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Clip of a Template Resource Text with B.E.N.s

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Honey Bee Screen: Naturalness Check / Peer Review

  • Peer/Local Check phase - review the whole passage for naturalness and clarity.
  • Navigate by swiping left and right to access the entire passage and play the audio draft for each chunk. Review as often as desired.
  • Reviewers may record audio comments for improvements, chunk by chunk, or record audio back translation if necessary

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Honey Bee Screens: Accuracy Check (local mode)

  • Accuracy Check phase - for consultant to facilitate.
  • The audio plays the MT draft which can be paused for live phrase-by-phrase back translation for comparison to the source text.
  • Tap menu to open a history log of slide activities for the current page.
  • Tap the tick mark green when the page is approved.
  • When all pages are approved green, then the password window appears to unlock final publication phases.

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Honey Bee Workflow phases for: Remote mode Accuracy Check

  • Remote Oral Cons Check option with HB-ROCC webapp*

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Honey Bee Mockup: Story/Passage Tell-Back

  • back translator (1) tells the entire story/passage in the LWC and uploads audio file to HB-ROCCer for their review

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Honey Bee Mockup: Slide Tell-Back

  • back translator (2) gives a literal (breath-pause) audio back translation in the LWC for each passage slide and uploads the audio files to HB-ROCCer for their review
  • If requested, a text back translation can be sent

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Mock up of HB4ROCC web app

Luke 15

All windows on this top row change to keep the verse slides synced

Windows and tabs on the bottom row are for whole-passage work

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Honey Bee Mockup: Remote Check

  • For each slide, the HB-ROCCer can send text messages (questions, comments, suggestions, explanations, answers) to and from the local translators
  • Local translators may need to revise their drafts
  • The ROCCer approves each slide when they deem them ok. When the last slide is approved (ticked green), the story/passage will be unlocked for voice studio, finalizing and publishing.

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Honey Bee Screen: Voice Studio

  • Voice Studio phase - for recording good quality audio for publication.
  • This phase (and all publishing phases) are locked until the translation draft is consultant approved.
  • Recording can be done phrase by phrase if desired. Also with multiple voices, if desired.
  • A blanket or towel draped over the recorder’s head and the device is all that is required for a simple studio.
  • Advanced feature: Text can be added here for video subtitles or publishing a navigable Scripture app with text and audio
  • Advanced feature: The live waveform generated by the user can be minimally edited by placing the cursor in the waveform and then tapping the + or - buttons to add or remove 0.5 seconds of silence per tap.

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Honey Bee Screen: Finalize

  • Finalize phase - to prepare the app to join all the data bits into a single file for export.
  • Local credits are auto-included
  • Type a MT book name (other title pieces are auto-generated from Registration info).
  • Choose Option(s) for the export file.
  • Tap Create Audio/Visual to let the app generate the desired file.
  • Repeat with different options for different audio visual creation varieties.
  • Advanced Feature: voice change option

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Honey Bee Screen: Review

  • Review phase allows the user to review all the created audio-visual file(s) to make sure nothing is missed out and it is as it should be.
  • Delete faulty files. If a file needs editing, it can be deleted and the translator returns to the appropriate phase to make any fixes necessary. Then re-finalize and review again.
  • A file can be shared to other reviewers.

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Honey Bee Screen: Combine

  • Combine phase allows the user to select multiple reviewed (chapter) files and let the app merge them into
    • a single continuous listening file, either audio or video (good for short books)
    • a package zip file, either audio or video, which the recipient can manually navigate (good for multiple books and/or chapters)
    • a navigable Scripture app (good for multiple books)
  • Select a book.
  • Type a MT file title (i.e. Buk blong Rut)
  • Choose options.
  • Select the available media with those options.
  • Tap Create AudioVisual button and wait for the app to combine your selected files.

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Honey Bee Screen: Share

  • Share phase allows the user to select any audio or video file that has been created, and share it for wider publication and distribution.
  • Use the Search and Filter features to narrow your file selection process.

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Current availability of the “Fire” apps

SPadv is available now from the Play Store.

Search “SPadv” or “Story Publisher Adv”.

StoryPublisher.website

ROCC for SPadv (Remote Oral Consultant Checking) web app is live and available

Honey Bee v1 app is available from the Play Store. Search “HBobt” or “HoneyBeeOBT”.

HoneyBeeOBT.com website

HoneyBeeOBT.info@gmail.com for questions and information.

Many OT and NT Scripture books are available in E2T version, in English, French, Bahasa, Telugu ….

Development continues.

Spread the Fire!

Share the Treasure!

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Link to a report of SPadv being introduced to 30+ tribes in India during a 4-day workshop, Sept 2023, to get them started on a church-centric, oral translation work