Style Guides as an Aid in Bible Translation Quality Control

PROBLEM: “All the [translation team members] did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21: 25b, NLT, adapted).

How can we reduce the number of copy-editing or USFM corrections needed in translations that are almost ready for print or digital release?

How can we get multiple team members to use the same norms for punctuation, hyphenation, transliteration, capitalization, footnote caller placement, measurements, numbers in lists, poetry, embedded letters, section headings, etc.?

One answer: Style Guides.
Biblica has developed several Style Guide modules about punctuation, quotations, syntax and grammar, spelling and capitalization, hyphenation, headings, footnotes, lists, poetry, letters, and more. Translation teams fill these out in the context of the Project Brief and their language’s norms.

Having the translation team take the time early in the process to come to a shared understanding about these and other issues can:

• Allow team members to grapple with issues and help them to own and apply their decisions

• Create reference documents to guide the team’s work

• Cause text entry and subsequent editing to be more consistent and error free

• Help leaders to address team member text entry issues earlier

• Accelerate the onboarding of new team members

• Aid final checkers in bringing the text into alignment with Style Guide decisions

• Be leveraged to guide AI translation and Quality Assurance

• Provide guidance for subsequent revisions and other documents in the language

This presentation will discuss Style Guide and their development and implementation in a Biblica context. The principles can be adapted into other Bible translation settings.