uk
uk en_US zh_CN fr_FR he_IL hi_IN id_ID pt_BR ru_RU es_ES

Sign Language Bible Translation

Training & Resources for Sign Language Bible Translation & Scripture Engagement

For 70 million people, sign language is their heart language. There are more than 350 unique sign languages in the world. Only 1 sign language has a full Bible translation.

Empowering Deaf Leaders. Unlocking the Whole Word.

Scripture comes alive when it speaks to the heart. For the global Deaf community, true comprehension doesn’t come from a page—it comes from a visual, spatial, and expressive performance. With over 350 distinct sign languages in use today and only one possessing a full Bible, the urgency for high-quality, direct-source translation has never been greater.

The Sign Language Bible Translation movement is accelerating rapidly, and its success hinges on one critical factor: equipping Deaf leaders to translate directly from the original biblical languages. Whole Word Institute bridges this critical gap.

Why the Land of the Bible Matters 

Based in the unique geographic setting of Israel, our program offers an unparalleled visual immersion into the land, history, culture, and material world of the Scriptures. By combining this vivid context with a dynamic Hebrew-immersion environment—and learning directly from Deaf instructors—translators and consultants develop a profound, unmediated understanding of the text.

Investing in top-tier source-language training secures the accuracy, authority, and naturalness of sign language translations. Together, we are equipping the global Deaf Church to claim ownership of the translation movement, bringing the complete light of God’s Word to life on screen.

Out Distinctive Approach

  • Visual-Gestural Mastery: We adapt rigorous academic training to honour the unique culture, spatial discourse, and rich learning styles of Deaf learners.
  • Contextual Immersion: We utilize the geography, archaeology, and living environment of the Land of the Bible to build a 3D mental map of Scripture, transforming how original contexts are understood and visualized.
  • Direct Translation Consultation: We train qualified Deaf consultants-in-training who can safeguard the exegetical accuracy and naturalness of emerging translations worldwide.

We believe that when Deaf translation teams are fully equipped with the original source languages, the resulting translations are faithful, authoritative, profoundly transformative, widely engaged, and community-owned.

Partner with us as we accelerate the movement to see every Deaf community flourish in the truth of God’s Word.

Programs

School of Biblical Hebrew & Translation Consulting, with Deaf Specialization

The Deaf Specialization provides a direct academic pathway for Deaf scholars to enter our rigorous graduate degree or certificate program. Completely adapted to eliminate communication barriers, this track combines a high-level academic curriculum with optimized visual and spatial learning frameworks.

Accessible & Adaptive Learning Environments

To ensure complete academic access, the residency program features robust, multi-channel linguistic support:

  • Bilingual Classrooms: Core residency lectures are professionally interpreted into sign language, while key specialized modules are taught directly in sign language by native signers.
  • Deaf-Led Instruction: We employ experienced Deaf instructors based in Israel who specialize in teaching Hebrew to Deaf learners, fostering an intuitive, peer-to-peer academic environment.
  • Direct-Sign Tutoring: Students receive personalized, supplementary instruction from qualified academic tutors who communicate directly via sign language, bypassing spoken-language intermediaries.
  • Flexible Modalities: In addition to our flagship immersive residential experience in Jerusalem, the Deaf Specialization is dynamically engineered for extension and hybrid distance learning, allowing field leaders to advance their education from their home contexts.

The Israel Immersion Advantage

Based in Jerusalem, the program leverages a unique dual-language immersion environment. By engaging simultaneously with biblical Hebrew and Israeli Sign Language (ISL), Deaf students experience an accelerated, natural internalization of biblical Hebrew’s linguistic structures.

Strategic Consultant Tracking

This specialization includes dedicated elective tracks focused on the specialized linguistic, spatial, and technical skill sets required for Sign Language Bible Translation (SLBT) projects. Graduates are uniquely equipped to step into critical global roles as certified translation consultants, capable of auditing and approving visual scriptures directly against the original Hebrew text.

Підписані екзегетичні ресурси

The acceleration of the global Deaf scripture movement requires tools built specifically for visual-gestural languages. Whole Word Institute develops contextually accurate, linguistically rigorous exegetical resources designed by Deaf scholars, for Deaf translators and consultants.

  • Deaf-Centric Media Delivery: Rather than translating text-heavy commentaries, our resources utilize Deaf-friendly visual methods, spatial discourse mapping, and interactive media formats that align with Deaf cognitive processing and learning styles.
  • Unmediated Source Clarity: These tools break down the deep, original historical and grammatical meaning of the Biblical Hebrew text, empowering local translation teams to capture the exact nuances of Scripture and express them naturally in their local sign languages.
  • Illustrative & Enlivened Scripture: By integrating specialized illustrative media directly into the translation workflow, these resources clarify complex historical settings, ancient metaphors, and material culture. The result is a faithful, authoritative translation that allows Deaf communities worldwide to experience the depth and transformative power of the Word of God.
Course offerings

Whole Word Institute offers the following certificates, a degree program, and electives in a degree program for prospective students in Sign Language Bible translation:

Certificate in Translation Consulting

This certificate consists of the following pre-requisite course and courses:

Prerequisite Courses:

  1. Виконуємо Писання
  2. Introduction to Language
  3. Introduction to Translation

Core Courses: 

  1. Project Management and Tools
  2. Cross-Cultural Service and Teamwork
  3. Communication Theory
  4. Advanced Translation Issues
  5. Translation Quality Assurance
  6. Біблійні основи усного мовлення
  7. Sign Language Bible Translation

MA Classical (Biblical) Hebrew Degree Program

Обов'язковий курс: 

  1. Виконуємо Писання

Elective Courses: 

  1. Біблійні основи усного мовлення
  2. Sign Language Bible Translation

MA Classical (Biblical) Hebrew and Translation Consulting Degree Program

Prerequisite Courses: 

  1. Виконуємо Писання
  2. Introduction to Language
  3. Introduction to Translation

Основні магістерські курси:

  1. Project Management and Tools
  2. Cross-Cultural Service and Teamwork
  3. Communication Theory
  4. Advanced Translation Issues
  5. Translation Quality Assurance
  6. Біблійні основи усного мовлення
  7. Sign Language Bible Translation
  8. Consultant-in-Training Internship

Certificate of Specialization in Sign Language Bible Translation

Core courses:

  1. Sign Language Linguistics
  2. Deaf Ethnoarts
  3. Медіа-продакшн
  4. Deaf Culture
  5. Sign Language Discourse Analysis
  6. Scripture Engagement in Deaf Communities
  7. Sign Language Bible Translation Internship 
View all training programs