The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150

Bible Societies A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibi ...

operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore, Nairobi and Miami. The headquarters are located in Swindon, England.

History

The organisation was founded in 1946 by representatives from several national

. The founding meeting took place in Elfinsward, a retreat centre in Haywards Heath, England. The Bible Societies had been in discussions about working together before the war, and their war-time experiences made them even more determined to do so. Several delegates had survived years in prisons or concentration camps. “There is not much hope in the world but there is very much hope in the Bible,” noted Bishop Eivind Berggrav from Norway, who spent much of the war in solitary confinement. “Peace and hope are two of the chief words in the Bible, and now the world is asking how we can find our way into the new future.” On 9 May 1946, “moved by the need of the world for the Word of God and by the deep Christian fellowship of those who work together for its spread”, the Bible Societies agreed to form United Bible Societies (UBS).

Mission

The mission of United Bible Societies is to make the Bible available and accessible to everyone who wants it, and to help people engage with its message in meaningful and relevant ways. It has provided nearly three-quarters of the world's full Bible translations and is the world's biggest translator, publisher and distributor of the Bible. Between 2015 and 2019, Bible Societies around the world distributed over 1.8 billion Scriptures and completed Scripture translations in 270 languages used by 1.7 billion people. Bible Societies are also active in areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, trauma healing and literacy. Bible Societies carry out their work in partnership with all Christian Churches and many international non-governmental organisations. It has an observer status with the World Council of Churches and collaborates with the

Catholic Biblical Federation The Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) is a worldwide "fellowship" of administratively independent Catholic Bible associations and other organizations committed to biblical-pastoral ministries in 126 countries. It exists primarily to promote and coo ...

as well as with several church organisations.

Paratext

UBS developed Paratext, the most important and widely used software for Bible translation. It performs many functions unique to the Bible translation task, and to the process of translating into a language whose writing system is still being developed. The text editor is indexed to the Biblical texts enabling powerful searching and checking from the very beginning of a translation effort. Paratext has many other cutting-edge features including collaboration tools that allow for translators to work from many different locations. Paratext is also integrated with the Digital Bible Library which allows for easy archiving and publishing of biblical texts. Paratext is currently being jointly maintained and developed with SIL International.

Members

The UBS has members and affiliates in around 150 countries, working in more than 240 countries and territories. They include, among others: * The

British and Foreign Bible Society The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world. The Soc ...

(1804) * Scottish Bible Society (1809) * The Bible Society of India (1811) * Netherlands Bible Society (1814) *

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

(1816) *

Bible Society Australia Bible Society Australia is an Australian non-profit, non-denominational, Christian organisation. It is part of a worldwide network of Bible Societies. Bible Society Australia maintains that the Bible is a significant historic text which has deepl ...

(1817) *

Bible Society NSW Bible Society NSW was the first Australian Bible society A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they ...

(1817)
Colombian Bible Society
(1825)
Bible Society New Zealand
(1846)
Canadian Bible Society / Société biblique canadienne
(1904) *

Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ("German Bible Society") is a religious foundation regulated by public law. It is involved in publishing and in spreading the message of the Bible. The Society publishes the Bible in the original languages and in ...

(German Bible Society) (1981, predecessors 1812)
Korean Bible Society
(1949)
Nepal Bible Society
(1 November 1975)
Bible Society of South Africa
*

Ukrainian Bible Society Ukrainian Bible Society ( uk, Українське Біблійне Товариство), is a religious non-profit organization, established by representatives of different Christian denominations in Ukraine, who recognize the Bible as the Word ...

Russian Bible Society The Bible Society in Russia (russian: Российское Библейское Общество) is a Christian non-denominational organization for translating and distributing the Bible in Russia, in languages and formats accessible to anyone. Ea ...

Japan Bible Society The is a nondenominational Christian organization committed to translating and distributing the Bible in Japan. It was established in 1937 with the help of National Bible Society of Scotland (NBSS, now called the Scottish Bible Society), the Americ ...

Hungarian Bible Society

Philippine Bible Society

Slovenian Bible Society

Hellenic Bible Society

Indonesian Bible Society

Magazine

The Bible Translator ''The Bible Translator'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal relating to theory and practice of Bible translation. Since the foundation in 1950, it has appeared in two series - ''Technical Papers'' in January and July, and ''Practical Papers'' in ...

'' is a refereed journal, published since 1950, dedicated to articles about the theory and practice of Bible translation. It appears in two series – Technical Papers in January and July, and Practical Papers in April and October.Journal
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References

External links

United Bible Societies website
{{Authority control Bible societies Organisations based in Swindon Christian organizations established in 1946 1946 establishments in England 1946 establishments in Switzerland