How a Bible translation initiative is catalyzing change worldwide
Bible translation is not just about putting words from one language into another. Ask anyone in the field, and they will tell you it’s really about what happens after translation; it’s about accessibility leading to lives transformed by Christ. And this is what Seed Company is all about: not just God’s Word translated but God’s Word opened, heard, watched, shared, taught, wrestled with, loved, and followed.
In the same way, Bible translation strategy is not just about translation methods. It’s about supporting people, coming alongside churches, and building relationships. It’s also about playing the long game—investing in leaders around the world who are poised to carry the movement into the future.
We are honored to have partnered with some of these trailblazers. We call them Global Translation Leaders (GTLs).
Seed Company launched the GTL program in 1994 and has since equipped over 800 talented professionals around the world with training and support in their field of expertise. The program develops these leaders in one of two lanes: capacity building (1–3 years on average) or quality assurance (3–5 years on average)—both identified as strategic tracks to accelerate Bible translation.
About 97 percent of program graduates, many of whom bring related experience into the program, continue in Bible translation careers as innovators, supporters, and vision-casters. These leaders are shaping the movement in real time.
Meet Two Global Translation Leaders:
AFRICA
Bible translation can’t happen without people like Marc. Leaders in the capacity building lane may not work directly on translations, but they still contribute their unique gifts toward seeing God’s Word change lives. IT experts ensure Bible translation can move forward with reliable systems and tools—managing connectivity, training others as needs arise, and maintaining both hardware and software that support the work. “Even if you’re not in the front,” Marc says, “what you do in the back still matters.”
EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Having worked on the translation of the Bible in her people’s dialect for years, one Global Translation Leader in a restricted region is studying and training to become a translation consultant in the quality assurance lane so she can help produce clear, accurate Scripture—not only in her own language but in neighboring ones too. “The translated Word always reveals the living Word,” she says. “I want other[s] to hear the voice and see the face of Jesus in the Bible.”
Seed Company goes where God is already at work. It’s an honor, not just a strategy, to champion leaders who are serving their communities for the sake of the gospel.
