Bali, Indonesia

Overview

In Bali, about twenty oral Bible translation consultants-in-training (CiTs) spent two weeks learning how to handle Hebrew poetry — then put it into practice alongside five Indonesian teams of musicians and translators. Together they turned Psalm 1 and Psalm 13 into songs in five languages.

The workshop was the third in a series of five designed to train consultants in best practices for oral Bible translation (the OBT-CDT track). Each workshop in the series takes up a different biblical genre. This one focused on the Psalms, with a brief look at Proverbs, and had two goals: to give CiTs a framework for ethnopoetics and for translating aesthetic language, and to let them practice those skills with real translation teams.

Scriptura’s Psalms: Layer by Layer resources were at the center of the participants’ preparation, and both lead content developers are part of the Layer by Layer work.

Who Was There

How the Workshop Ran

CiTs arrived well prepared. Before the workshop, they learned to recognize and follow the Hebrew text, did thorough exegesis of Psalms 1 and 13, drafted checking questions, and read up on psalm genres, local genres, the CLAT process, and internalization.

Each morning opened with devotions and teaching. Most lesson materials were translated into Indonesian so the musicians could take part too. The teaching followed the CLAT translation framework, starting with the big picture — sections, points of prominence, and the flow of emotion — before refining details.

In the afternoons, groups of three or four CiTs paired with a language team. Together they explored local art forms, chose a fitting song genre for each psalm, then internalized, drafted, and tested their psalms with home communities over WhatsApp. In the second week, CiTs were regrouped with different teams for consultant checking.

The last day turned to what comes next: bringing these psalms into local communities and sparking more Psalms work. A closing lunch and ceremony featured one song from each language team, and every musician and ethnoarts specialist received a certificate.

What Went Well

Songs that reached hearts

All five language teams produced songs closely based on Psalms 1 and 13. Of the ten songs checked by the senior consultants, five already qualified as full song translations, three needed only small adjustments, and two needed more help. Tellingly, the team that needed the most help had no prior translation or songwriting experience.

Community feedback over WhatsApp showed the songs were moving their listeners. One musician nearly broke down the first time he sang Psalm 1 publicly. As he sang it in his own language, he said, he saw how many of his people fit the description of the wicked at the start of the psalm. He left with a deeper passion for his people to know the truth of God’s Word.

Musicians and CiTs alike said the Psalms “came alive,” especially during the first week.

More songs than planned

The internalization sessions inspired songs beyond the assigned work:

• 🎵Two songs from the Balinese team (Psalm 1, a full translation, and Psalm 13)
• 🎵A full song translation of Psalm 1 from an expatriate ethnoarts specialist
• 🎵Full song translations of Psalms 1 and 13 by one CiT in his home language
• 🎵From a bonus internalization session on Psalm 100 for the ethnoarts staff, two American English song translations and one in Ambonese Malay

That bonus session came together quickly because a Layer by Layer analysis of Psalm 100 was already available.

Well-prepared people, smooth logistics

• 📖Many participants credited the Psalms: Layer by Layer materials with helping them prepare their exegesis.
• 🤝The facilitation team worked confidently and warmly, even through challenging moments, with no tension or conflict.
• 📝Lessons were ready well ahead of time, which allowed translation into Indonesian. They were clear, substantial, and participatory.
• 📱A custom app, HonestEval, let facilitators record observations in the moment.
• 🏠The host base in Bali offered plenty of space, excellent meals, and a healthy two weeks.

Momentum beyond the workshop

• 🌱Matt Menger and Matt Connor are planning a Psalms translation workshop in Indonesian in 2027 to train translators and musicians toward consultant level.
• 🌱Several CiTs and translation advisors said they now feel ready to move ahead with Psalms in their own projects. One has already received permission to begin.
• 🌱The ethnoarts facilitators left with much more confidence in, and ownership of, the whole oral translation process.

What We Learned

• 1Brief the CiTs on their team. A short language-and-culture profile of each team — including past translation and songwriting experience and some key terms — would help CiTs arrive ready.
• 2Pair a creator with a translator. For some teams this was their first time writing song translations. Each team should bring at least one songwriter and one translator. Most teams needed encouragement to draft fully orally, and all wanted written lyrics or music notation to lean on.
• 3Brief the ethnoarts specialists on translation. Useful topics include how much text a song genre can carry, flexible problem-solving, helping musicians accept larger edits without feeling their song is “broken,” and producing back translations that capture key artistic features.
• 4Work in smaller groups. Planning internalization in groups of three or four under time pressure was too much. Pairs, with a facilitator approving the plan, would work better. Ideally, each language team would have its own senior consultant for the full two weeks.
• 5Keep tools simple. A Local Genres Research app piloted at the workshop needs a simpler “starter” version for first-time users.

What Comes Next

Some CiTs have now attended all three training sessions and are on track toward the full set of competencies. Others bring deep experience in written translation and may need only one or two sessions. Each CiT will have a mentor to assess readiness and guide them through certification.

The fourth workshop, on legal texts, is planned for spring 2027, likely in the Middle East to draw in CiTs from more regions. And because the biggest challenge for CiTs was not technical knowledge but soft skills, the organizers plan a series of virtual trainings on good listening and cross-cultural communication.

Scriptura’s Psalms resources are available free at psalms.scriptura.org.