Having the SLTT in your Translation Toolbox

Bible translation for sign languages utilizes video as the primary medium for the translated text. Video has its own unique challenges. Before 2018, translation teams and professionals working with them created their best processes using off-the-shelf software. While quality assurance happened, it was not entirely efficient.

In 2018, Nathan Miles from the United Bible Societies proposed the first prototype of the SLTT, a starting place to begin to address these challenges. Stuart Thiessen (then a Wycliffe US member working with Deaf Bible Society but now a member of DOOR International) collaborated with Nathan to solicit user feedback and recommend development priorities. By the end of 2020, the SLTT had 13 active translation projects. We found that the SLTT helped them address some of the challenges created by remote work and COVID restrictions. As of March 2023, the SLTT now has 47 active translation projects.

During our presentation, we will introduce new members of our team, provide an overview of key features, share some user experiences, highlight new features (including an MVP of our sign language resource library), and share future plans. Our development strategy is Deaf-centric relying on ongoing dialogue with Deaf and hearing SLTT users to identify barriers that the SLTT can address to make their work more efficient and QA feedback easier to communicate and incorporate. We greatly appreciate the involvement from ETEN’s 55 Table, DOOR, UBS, and ABS and the honest feedback from SLTT users, all of which allows us to support quality Bible translation among sign language communities.