Bible Translation Software
Translate at any time, anywhere, on any device
Introduction
Bibledit is the name of a professional Bible Translation Software program. It is a collection of Bible translation tools, all conveniently in one place.
Online as well as offline access is an important and handy feature. One can save the work offline, and later upload all to the Cloud when there is an active internet connection. Also, most importantly: the software can run on any device and on any operating system for free.
This program is suitable for the whole translation team. It makes communication between managers, translators and consultants very easy. The translations of various contributors are simply kept in sync through Bibledit Cloud.
Installation is easy, and it is free. On the Installation page there is very important info on how to install and use Bibledit, plus all the links to the download instructions for the various devices and operating systems.
Most of the interface of Bibledit has been translated into French (over 88%), and could even be translated into other languages. Brazilian Portuguese has been done for 29%, and Indonesian for 19%. If you want to contribute: Go to the settings of the Demo of Bibledit. And here is an overview of what has been done already.
Why Bibledit?
- No registration needed.
- Bibledit is open source software. This means that one can adapt it to his or her personal needs, for example in certain difficult circumstances.
- The software runs well on ANY device and operating system. More specifically, it works on Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS, Bibledit Cloud, Android and iOS.
- Bibledit can even be used online without installing the software. The work will then be saved to the Bibledit Cloud.
- Bibledit Cloud makes it very suitable for teamwork, for example when the translation team members can not be in the same location.
- Bibledit has a convenient system of ‘Consultation Notes’. Because of this, consultants and team members can easily communicate with each other and discuss.
- Bibledit contains a Paratext Bridge for Windows and Linux. This is of great benefit, because it allows for 2-way synchronization of Bibles between Paratext and Bibledit.
- It is great for offline work so members of the team can continue their work while travelling.
- It comes with all the necessary tools and resources.
- Basically Bibledit can upload any Bible in any language for reference. In some very rare cases it could happen that a browser does not support all characters of a script. This can be verified with the demo.
- The program guides through the whole process, from the start to the completion and typesetting of the Bible.
Features of Bibledit
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Any device: web, computer, Chromebook, tablet and mobile phone. |
| Target user | Bible translators, managers and consultants; beginners as well as professionals. |
| License | Free, open source. |
| Resources | Open-licensed resources, ancient as well as modern resources. |
| File format | USFM3. |
| Previews | Optional live preview beside the text editor. |
| Find/Replace | Yes, basic search and replace, and advanced search and replace. |
| Style-sheets | Extra style sheets can be created besides the default style sheet. |
| Bible text editors | Three main options: chapter editor, verse editor and USFM editor. |
| Workspace layout | Adjustable workspaces, with up to 15 panes in one window. On the web one can open multiple tabs in the browser for more workspaces. |
| Compare Bibles and Resources | Yes, via a ‘Comparative Resource’, and via the function ‘Compare Bibles’. |
| Displays illustrations inline | Yes. |
| Internationalised interface | Yes. See this link for options. |
| Fully internationalised editing | Yes, inclusing right-to-left support. |
| Conflict resolutions with team work | Yes (merges differences, and auto-resolves conflicts, sends email if not sure about merge). |
| Live collaboration of multiple users | Yes, in Bibledit Cloud. |
| Able to show changes made by other users | Yes, live, and through the Change Notifications. |
| Real-time spell check | Uses spell checker of browser, so dependent on browser. |
| Autosave | Yes. |
| Backup of the device to Bibledit Cloud | Yes, through device by ‘send/receive’. |
| Backup of Bibledit Cloud | Can be done by the administrator, depends on web hosting VPS provider. |
| Other backups | Manual backup depending on operating system. |
| Sharing options | RSS feed. Send/receive to Git repository. |
| Original language Bible resources | Yes. |
| Bible and commentary resources | Yes, in various languages, especially in English. |
| Lexicon resources | Yes. |
| Other downloadable resources. | Yes, like images and pdf documents. |
| Import of local resources | Yes, USFM. |
| Open-licensed resources | Yes. |
| Resources updated automatically | Yes, but offline resources which have been downloaded have to be updated manually. |
| Old Testament support | Yes. |
| New Testament support | Yes. |
| Deuterocanon support | Yes. |
| Customizable order of Bible books | Yes. |
| Front- and back matter support | Yes. |
| Book introductions support | Yes. |
| Chapter introductions support | Yes. |
| Section headings support | Yes. |
| Section references support | Yes. |
| Cross-references support | Yes. |
| Footnotes support | Yes. |
| Specialised glossary support | Yes. |
| Translator/Consultant notes support | Yes. |
| Bridged verses | Yes. |
| Omitted verses | Yes. |
| Reordered verses | Yes. |
| Non-numeric verse “numbers” | Yes. |
| Non-numeric chapter “numbers” | Yes |
| Alternate versification schemes | Yes. |
| Editable verse mappings | Yes. |
| Consistency of translated terms | Manual. |
| Search functions | For similar verses, for similar Strong’s numbers, for exact Strong’s numbers, for similar Hebrew and Greek words, for Consultation Notes. |
| Other tools | Community Feedback, Work Planner (called Sprint Planner), Sprint Burndown Chart, e-mail notifications. |
| Export Bible Text | Yes, to website, to html, to USFM, to basic USFM, to plain text, to OpenDocument, to e-Sword, to online Bible. |
| Printing | Yes, it can print Bibles and Resources, as well as text per verse. |
| Typesetting support | Yes, via OpenDocument and Help menu. |
| Status | Mature, with regular updates. |
| Distribution | Freely available via website or app stores. |
| Installer available | Yes. |
| Availability | Yes, on Linux, Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and iOS. |
| Automatic program updates | Partial, depending on operating system, on Ubuntu, macOS, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android. |
| Openly documented and accessible verse synchronisation scheme | Via source code or interface. |
| Programming language | C++ / HTML / JS / CSS |
| Planned new features | See issues tracker on GitHub. |
| Source code available | Yes. |
| Hackable | Yes. |
| Licence | GPL3+ |
| Home page | bibledit.org |
| Download | bibledit.org |
| Forum | groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bibledit-general |
| Training | YouTube videos, plus embedded on website. |
| Source code | github.com/bibledit |
| Owner or creator | Open source community. |
Reviews
Installation
How to install Bibledit
1 Install the Bibledit Client on your device. This can be any device (computer, Chromebook, tablet, iPad, mobile phone) or operating system (Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS, iOS, Android).
2 Install Bibledit Cloud on a VPS server (either local or with a hosting provider). See lots of information here.
3 Connect the Client to the Cloud. This is a one-off step. This can simply be done by clicking on ‘Connect to Bibledit Cloud” in your Bibledit Client, and by entering host name, port number, username and password.
4 For some features there is an extra login needed to Bibledit Cloud. Here are some more options for admins, like setting up user accounts for the team members, and some more like for planning, printing, e-mail settings, notification settings, uploading image resources and a few more.
Why Bibledit Cloud?
The smart thing is that after installation of the Cloud, all members of the team, and any device of the team can be connected to this Cloud. It also allows one to edit Bible text on a mobile phone, for example while travelling, or when offline. The changes made are stored on your device, and can be uploaded to the Cloud later, when an internet connection has been established again.
The Cloud is needed for team work, for communication between translators, managers and consultants in a translation team, for communication between team members when not working in the same location, for access to all the Resources needed in translation work, and to synchronize your own devices with each other (like when you want to work on your laptop locally, but want to use your Android or iOS phone while travelling) and with others. It is also easier to make backups of the Cloud.
How Bibledit works
In the Demo version of Bibledit one is automatically logged in to the Bibledit Demo Cloud. So in the Demo one can experiment with all the features of Bibledit.
However, when we install Bibledit on our own device, there will be a few steps to follow before we can access all the available features.
The basic software, without any connection to the Cloud, is called a Bibledit Client. It can operate in basic mode and in advanced mode.
The Client actually allows for some very basic translation work, but to benefit from all the features Bibledit offers, especially for team work, and for access to all the Resources, one needs to connect the software to the Bibledit Cloud.
So the first step is to install Bibledit Cloud on a VPS server with your web hosting provider. (Alternatively, this could be done on a local Linux computer/server, but this will limit your options). Please note that the installation process of Bibledit Cloud on the VPS server can only be done from a computer. This step can not be done from your mobile device. The good thing is: Once installed, Bibledit Client and Bibledit Cloud work on any device!
Next we need to connect the Client to the Cloud. The details, like internet address, port number, username and password, can be obtained from your VPS provider and from your IT person or admin.
Connection to the Cloud needs to be done only once. It allows one to store all data in the Cloud, and to do offline work, while data can be uploaded when an internet connection is established again.
One can actually decide to only install the Cloud, and work in the Cloud. In that case there is no need for installation of any software on your device, you just need to log in to the Cloud. This is only done once, afterwards the user will be recognized by the system.
For certain functions of Bibledit one needs to actually log in to the Cloud, even when Client and Cloud have already been connected. In that case you go straight to the internet link of the software. Details provided by your admin. This is a double login, but don’t worry, it is only done once. The system will recognize the user afterwards.
Please use the forum for any remaining questions! Enjoy the program!
Installation instructions
There are installation instructions for Windows, Linux, macOS, Chroms OS, iOS, Android, and the Cloud. This link to the installation instructions takes you to the Bibledit demo online help.
Support
The Bibledit online help provides in-depth information on the use of Bibledit Translation Software.
Video tutorials
A series of video tutorials is available on the Bibledit YouTube channel.
Discussion forum
Visit the Bibledit Forum on Google Groups.
Bibledit demo
In addition to the software itself, there is a fully operational public demo of the Bibledit software. This is a good place to start and experience the full functionality of the program.
The demo version of the Bibledit Translation Software is to see and feel what the software is like, like a ‘real life’ experience. It is absolutely great to get to know the many functions of the software and to see how it can assist you and the whole team with the translation work.
Nothing can go wrong on the demo version. It is like a sand box where you can fully experiment as you like and make changes as you like. It comes with the “World English Bible’ installed, but you can upload any Bible in any language and see if it works in the browser of your choice. If things ‘go wrong’, like when a Bible gets deleted accidentally, everything will be reset in a few hours. No worries, just enjoy.
Although the demo is self-explanatory, the software comes with a lot of online and personal support. Please check the detailed information on the Help menu, watch the Video Tutorials, and visit the online Bibledit Forum, for discussion and further support.
So if you are ready and prepared: Here is the link to the fully functional public Demo version of Bibledit Translation Software. Enjoy!
If you feel inclined to support this project, feel free to make a donation.