Uncovering Biblical Treasure in Paratext 9: Accessing Meaning via Enhanced Resources in Major Languages

Let’s face it: Today, the average Bible translator has little expertise in Biblical languages that were once considered essential knowledge for the task. Fewer and fewer translators are coming from the West with Bible college or seminary educations, and more and more local partners are getting involved. We could wring our hands in despair, stubbornly hoping for a resurgence of Biblical language studies for translators, or we can do the best we can at making Biblical languages accessible to the new generation of translators. Paratext’s Enhanced Resources accomplish this by providing a layer of abstraction through which the meaning and semantic range of Biblical words may be discovered in a language of wider communication. Definitions of underlying Biblical terms are displayed when their surface word is selected in an Enhanced Resource text because the resource has had its Biblical terms aligned with the original text. Where possible, pictures, maps, and other media are included to uncover Biblical treasure and enable faithful rendering into the target language. This session will demonstrate how translators who are not gifted in Biblical languages can use and benefit from Enhanced Resources in Paratext 9 to improve their understanding of the source text.