I had finally met the man of my dreams, and he was a translation consultant for Bibles International (BI)! I was eager to help, but I was a graphic designer. What did that have in common with Bible translation? When my husband told me that BI’s Bibles were formatted using Adobe InDesign, my first thought was, “Wow! Maybe, I could help!” But my very next thought was, “Wait. I won’t be able to read the text. How could I possibly format something that I cannot read?” Over the years, many people have asked me this and other questions about Bible formatting, and I am happy to answer some of those questions here.
So, what exactly is Bible formatting, and why is it so important?
Bible formatting is the arranging and styling of the translated Scripture text to make it easily accessible to the reader. Though this work is also done for digital forms of text, here I will focus only on the printed form. Formatters visually communicate the different kinds of content found in the biblical text using font styles, sizes, and alignments. While a title may be large, bold, and centered, footnotes can be small, italic, and left-aligned. Formatters create navigational elements, like a table of contents, title pages, running headers, and page numbers. They carefully review every page of the Bible for the proper arrangement of the content. They also design maps, charts, glossaries, and other Bible study helps.
Good formatting is vital to the work of Bible translation because it greatly affects a translation’s readability and usability. It can encourage and enable a deeper study of the text. Visual differences in the text that identify poetry, prose, and quotations can help the reader to quickly recognize various sections of Scripture. Running headers, page numbers, and chapter and verse numbers enable a reader to locate a desired portion of text. A good formatter will keep his/her eyes on the final page count so that the printed Bible will be easy to carry and use. In fact, the way the text is formatted can greatly impact a Bible’s long-term use and effectiveness.
But, if you cannot read the text, how can you properly arrange it and style it?
Bible translators insert labels into their texts to identify the different types of content. These labels are called “Unified Standard Format Markers,” or USFMs. For example, the title of a Bible book will be marked as a “major title” using the USFM “\mt.” A paragraph of prose will be marked with “\p,” and “\v” will come before a verse number. In this way, the translators tell me what I am looking at, and the computer helps me to arrange and style these components properly. By using USFMs correctly and consistently, both the printed text and the electronic text can be visually conveyed in a helpful manner for those who will read it.
So, how did you learn to do Bible formatting?
When I joined BI in 2014, Don Block was the main formatter for all of BI’s translations. Before my husband and I left for the field, I had the opportunity to sit down with Don and learn how he did his work. Many months later, we began to develop a streamlined process so that more people could share Don’s heavy load. During our first furlough in 2016, I formatted my first Bible using this new process. It was a bit of a bumpy start, but by the end of our furlough in the Spring of 2017, I was able to teach 3 more people to use the process for BI. By the end of that year, the translated texts for 4 new Bibles were ready to be formatted. God had provided the extra formatting help just in time!
What is the most challenging part of Bible formatting?
The hardest part of Bible formatting is properly handling newly developing writing systems. First of all, these languages often do unique things with their characters. While these languages use established scripts like Roman ABCs or Hindi or Burmese characters, the computer can make inaccurate assumptions, and characters or parts of letters may end up in the wrong spot. Formatters must find ways to force the computer to handle the characters, numbers, or punctuation correctly. Secondly, newly formed words can get quite long. However, for those learning to read their own language for the first time, using hyphenation can seem too hard. Formatters must design page layouts that meet each language group’s needs.
What is the most rewarding part of Bible formatting?
By far, the most rewarding part of formatting is seeing the joy on people’s faces when they receive a copy of the Bible in their own language for the first time! We I have had the great privilege of attending 4 Bible dedications, and each one has been an incredible, unforgettable experience. Our greatest desire is to hear that people find the Bibles easy and enjoyable to use.
Bible formatting is a challenging and rewarding work that very few are aware of or understand, but it is absolutely vital to the success of Bible translation. Without formatting, the good work of translation remains hidden inside the computer. With the aid of good formatting, God’s Word can be more easily used by God’s people to build God’s church for His glory.
-E.W.