Institute for Bible Translation, Russia/CIS

Purpose statement

 
IBT's main aim is to translate, publish and distribute the Bible in the languages of the non-Slavic peoples living in Russia and the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). These 85 million non-Slavic peoples represent a tremendous diversity of language (at least 130 different languages) and religion (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Shamanism).Some of these peoples number many millions; other languages have only a few thousand speakers. Some of the languages have a long written tradition; in others a written form is only now being created.

IBT’s main operational centre
IBT’s main operational centre is situated in Moscow. The IBT office is located in St. Andrew's Monastery (also the location of the reading room of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Synodal Library), on the banks of the Moscow River next to the new building of the Russian Academy of Sciences Presidium.  IBT is a non-profit scientific organization with staff from different Christian traditions and denominations.

Bible translation projects
IBT strives to make accurate and faithful translations which reveal the message of the Bible to modern readers in their own languages. IBT’s office in Moscow coordinates the work of 65 translation teams. Translation team members live in different cities and countries, but at certain stages of their work it is necessary for them to meet and work together. In addition to coordinating and administering the work of Bible translation, the office also holds seminars for translators and exegetical checkers. There are usually three such seminars each year. In addition to its Bible publications, IBT also produces Scripture books for children, Bible reference works and scientific materials related to the receptor languages.