How Can Multimodal Bible Translation Tools Meet User Needs?
Exploring User Stories from APM, Render, and AVTT
Effective and impactful Bible translations must be both trustworthy and trusted, which begins with a reliable translation process. Until recently, oral translation was difficult to undertake, but new tools and technologies are emerging to better support oral Bible translators.
Recognizing this challenge, the ETEN Innovation Lab has published Quality Assurance Recommendations advocating for multimodal translation as a key methodology to meet the remaining Bible translation needs. A multimodal process incorporating audio, text, and visuals (images and videos) enables greater community involvement, fosters ownership, and allows for earlier engagement from churches and communities.
These methods are already being integrated into Oral Bible Translation tools like APM, Render, and AVTT, each designed to address critical gaps for translators working in diverse contexts. These tools enhance the translation process by producing better first drafts and using more authentic and natural language, ultimately expanding access to God’s Word for oral communities.
As these tools evolve, they also incorporate additional multimodal resources, including Familiarization, Internalization, and Articulation (FIA), a process that helps translators engage deeply with Scripture as they draft, check, and refine their work.
This update explores how these three tools are meeting real-world needs, reflecting a broader and faster movement toward Scripture accessibility thanks to the efforts of multiple ETEN partners.
APM (Audio Project Manager)
APM is an open-access, open-source application by SIL that simplifies speech audio file management for oral Bible translation, drafting, storying, and transcription. Designed to be user-friendly, it accommodates individuals with low computer skills, making it accessible for diverse Bible translation needs.
In the past year, APM supported 101 active language projects, including 37 All-Access Goal languages. Many of these projects work on multiple books simultaneously, totaling 200 active projects and 33,000 edited media files. Notably, 74 projects are transcribing Scripture, highlighting APM’s role in multimodal translation.
Nathan Richey, a colleague working on an Oral Bible Translation project in Indonesia, shares his excitement over innovation meeting felt needs on the ground:
“APM is constantly improving. My favorite new feature is a Scripture Engagement application tool called Akuo. I can quickly and seamlessly post approved passages to the Akuo app, where anyone can immediately access them via desktop or Android app in a clear and attractive format. There is even a 'Beta' site where we can post drafted passages for community checking. The simplicity and speed at which this is done allow the translators to spend their time focusing on what they do best—translating.”
One community, having completed three books of the Bible, was too fearful of persecution to release them. However, following a recent APM’s AERO demonstration, the team became familiar with its AI features. They altered the voices of two books, enabling the translation team to safely share the Scriptures for community feedback engagement.
In 2025, SIL is focused on adding three new key AI features, recently introduced in version 4.1.0, along with data file project interoperability with Render. The hope is that those features will continue encouraging many projects to pursue AI acceleration in APM.
A key strategy is making Scripture more accessible to oral communities through audio-based navigation. Instead of books, chapters, and verses, APM segments Scripture into movements and stories, now available on AkuoBible.org and its companion app in the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. Akuo, meaning "I hear" in Greek, also allows translation teams to add notes, creating a study Bible-like experience tailored for oral-first engagement.
Discover more about APM here.
Render
Alongside APM is Render, an open-source and soon-to-be open-access software developed by Faith Comes By Hearing for Oral Bible Translation (OBT) projects, supporting the Innovation Lab’s recommendation of multimodal translation.
Render allows Bible translation organizations, low-literacy oral communities, and mission groups to translate Scripture into their heart language through audio workflows without written text. Its customizable process supports drafting, reviewing, and checking, which ensures community collaboration and accuracy in local churches.
Since 2020, its user base has grown significantly, with 456 cumulative projects as of December 2024, including 431 active OBT projects. The majority of these efforts are in Africa, with 152 active projects in Nigeria alone, alongside ongoing efforts in the Americas, Eurasia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Render software made it possible for the Hwindja language community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to connect with Scripture in a meaningful way. Manoko, a member of the team, summed up their experience: "Render seemed daunting at first, but it turned out to be incredibly effective. Once we got the hang of it, we felt confident we would only get better. The structured workflow and intuitive design really helped us master the tool."
In Nigeria, the Bijim language community had a similar experience as Render gave them the ability to orally translate Scripture into their heart language. Spending so much time in the Bible deepened their connection to God’s Word and fueled their passion to help others hear Him speak.
Echoing his team’s feelings, Tobi admitted he was nervous at first, but that quickly changed: "I thought this would be really difficult, but once I got into it, I realized I could handle Render’s method just fine." As the team translated, they achieved more than technical skill—they gained a deeper understanding of Scripture. Near the end of the process, a consultant working on the Bijim project highlighted how smoothly Render helped with accuracy checks, saying, "Render makes it so much easier to validate translated sections and ensure everything is correct."
By the end, the team agreed that they had worked with a platform that was not only efficient and easy to use but also helped them grow in their ability to bring God’s Word to life in their heart language.
Find out more about Render here.
AVTT (Audio Visual Translation Tool)
AVTT is another flexible, open-access platform for multimodal Bible translation, designed to support OBT principles. The ABS tool streamlines creation and management of audio and video recordings, ensuring accessibility, accuracy, and scalability for diverse translation needs.
This browser-based, offline-capable software enables collaborative translation by guiding teams through an incremental, iterative process. It includes internalization (exegesis), oral and video recording (drafting), peer and consultant checking, community and church review, revision, and digital engagement for publication and distribution.
The tool is currently used in 21 countries, including Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. With 196 active projects, its impact is growing as the AVTT team anticipates a total of 30 new projects by the end of the year 2025. These projects represent not just numbers, but real communities gaining access to God’s Word in ways that were previously impossible. Here’s how users are experiencing the impact of these tools.
The feedback from users has been encouragingly positive:
“Before AVTT, managing recordings for ABS’s Oral to Oral project posed significant challenges. The initial software had serious limitations, leading to time-consuming editing, segmentation issues, and difficulties with file distribution. AVTT has transformed this workflow by providing user-friendly features, secure cloud storage and an intuitive system for translation sharing. With AVTT, we finally have a single software solution that delivers both quality and efficiency!” - Dr. Fausto Liriano, UBS Global Translation Consultant
“AVTT is very user-friendly - new users can easily learn how to use it and record immediately. It is also very flexible - each team can customize it according to their needs (for example, they can adjust segments even if the recording is already segmented). And with the Engage app, translators can now easily get access to the recordings.” - Marie Castillo, Translation Consultant, Translators Association of the Philippines
The AVTT team has also developed Engage, a mobile app that allows communities to review Scripture, provide feedback, and experience God’s Word—often for the first time in their heart language. Teams can assign passages for review and use responses to refine their work. Engage is also being used to collect impact stories and will soon support digital publication.
Learn more about AVTT here.
As multimodal translation continues to accelerate access to Scripture, tools like APM, Render, and AVTT are proving that innovation isn’t just about technology—it’s about people. Whether you’re a translator, a church leader, or a Bible agency, we invite you to explore these tools and consider how they might support your work.
We’re excited to see how the collaboration of these three critical tools, among many others, are utilized to grow the access and reach of the Word of God so that every individual and every community can read the Bible in their heart language.
Have you been inspired by the work of APM, AVTT or Render? We encourage you to explore more or reach out to the Lab at lab@eten.bible to discuss the application of each of these tools.
We want to hear from you! The Lab is evaluating how we communicate and engage with partners, and we would love your input. Take a few minutes to complete our Communications Survey on Partner Engagement and help us improve how the Lab designs communication to equip partners for experimentation, utilization, and scaling new translation approaches.