Translators benefit from viewing multiple resources and can be inspired by seeing the way difficult concepts and idioms are handled. To facilitate this, Paratext has been given special status in the Digital Bible Library. When a new Scripture text is uploaded to the library, the owner of the text is asked if they would be willing to share the text as a resource for Bible translators who have agreed to follow the guidelines put forth by the Forum of Bible Translation Agencies International (FOBAI). If the box is checked, this resource immediately becomes available to them if they are registered users of Paratext who has been accepted through an organization or as independent translators. To date, Bible translators have access to over 1,400 resource texts that have been shared with them in this way!
If you do Bible translation into an under-resourced language, you’ll find an excellent set of resources in Paratext to help you succeed:
- UBS Greek New Testament, Fourth revised edition
- Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia
- Various dictionaries and lexicons
- Enhanced resources in multiple languages of wider communication with links to the source text definitions for Biblical terms.
Whenever resources are updated, those updates become available for download in Paratext.
Who can access these resources?
Resources are licensed in one of three ways:
- To all Paratext users – (DBL License 2)* Accessible to anyone who downloads and registers to use Paratext, even if they are not involved in Bible translation.
- To vetted translators – (DBL License 1a+b)* All translators who agree to adhere to the FOBAI standards of Bible Translation, both those who belong to approved organizations and Independent Translators who have been vetted by the Paratext Board of Governors.
- To specific organizations or users – (License 1c)* The Paratext platform permits granular licensing to specific users or organizations when licensing to all vetted translators is not possible.
*The license numbers in parentheses refer to the DBL licensing agreement that the rightsholder chooses when making texts available to Paratext users. They are encouraged to make their resources available to all vetted translators.
How are these resources protected?
Text Resources are safeguarded so that they are not shared beyond the terms of the license.
- The texts are only visible to the translators or organizations they are licensed to.
- They are downloaded in an encrypted format directly from the Digital Bible Library into Paratext
- Printing and exporting are disabled.
- Copying and pasting the text is restricted to only about 150 characters.
- If a user’s Paratext license is revoked, the texts become inaccessible on their computer.
Do you have resources to add?
If you have any resources that would benefit those who are translating Scripture into other languages, we encourage you to share them through the Digital Bible Library. When uploading to the DBL, you may select the option to share the text with Paratext users who abide by FOBAI standards.
For more information about contributing content to the DBL, please consult https://thedigitalbiblelibrary.org/get-involved/