Have you ever felt bored when you watched an old movie? One reason for this might be that the movie simply had a slow pace. Sometimes it seems that the scenes of old movies are long and drawn out. Not much happens; there are few cuts.

Earlier versions of Story Producer required long training sessions for new users. But now we are happy to announce that the app installs like any other app, and the embedded tutorial videos, popup windows, and streamlined user interface have greatly simplified the learning process.

Photos are static and movies move. That’s the difference. But have you ever considered how this affects how people understand images and how they interact with them?

Digital media, when thoughtfully integrated into Scripture translation, offers transformative opportunities for meaningful engagement, cultural relevance, and deeper comprehension of the biblical message.

Is it always we who have to make or adapt media for others? What about letting people make their own media for themselves? In our digital age it has become easy enough to produce low-cost media locally, made by local people for local people. To me, in most cases this seems like an obvious best approach, at least when we think anthropologically about media.

My mother always taught me that you need to give a positive first impression. When you walk into a room for the first time or show up for that first job interview, the people in that room will judge you and analyze you subconsciously based on your appearance, how you walk, how you smile, your clothing, etc. There is no getting around it, it is human nature to care about public image.

Dear Colleagues, We at MegaVoice continue to experience the Lord’s good hand upon us and praise Him for that, and we need your continued partnership. So far we have distributed over 3.6 million MegaVoice audio Bibles and other life enriching messages.

SIL Global AI offers a suite of innovative tools designed to support Bible translation and multilingual community engagement. M2 massively multilingual chatbot platform can help you deliver important content to the local language communities you serve, for example, via FAQ or Survey/Quiz chatbots.

If your project has voice actors in or visiting the Dallas, Texas, area, the IMS Studio is now open and available to lease for your audio recording needs. Located on the campus of the SIL International Linguistics Center (ILC), the studio features professional-level equipment and soundproofing. Already, the new studio has helped facilitate the production of several projects.

Have you ever thought about what media technology really is? Sure, we know all about cell phones, what you can use them for and how to operate them. The same may be true for TV sets, computers, cameras, and other gadgets. They’re just things, stuff that we use. They mostly do what we want them to do and so we forget that they’re even there. Unless they cause you a problem or malfunction. Then we get angry and maybe shout at them.

The Spoken English Bible (SEB) and its associated application, Akuo, are significant steps forward in the world of media within the Bible translation movement. The Spoken English Bible was created to serve the global church by offering a model oral Bible translation in American English.

In a world where information is often taken for granted, many people in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have limited or no access to the Internet. To assist those who do have Internet access to find God’s Word in their Tok Ples (heart language), we created SaveLongGod.org (meaning "Know God"). Our goal is to make it easy for individuals to find Scripture materials in their Tok Ples without requiring extensive reading or complex navigation.

Imagine you’ve just wrapped up an audio translation project, recording the book of Luke into a North African language. And you are feeling relieved after months of hard work. But during the review phase, a few glaring issues emerge: background noise (a rooster crowing, footsteps, the occasional honking of car horns) which compromises the quality of the recording.

Translating the Bible in order for it to be used isn’t just about translation. Creating great media resources to help people engage with God through scripture isn’t just about creating great resources.

In our last issue, the IMN discussed ways to develop relevant media for your audience. In particular, the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) and Eyes 4 Impact tools were highlighted. Picking up where we left off, here are three more things you can add to your toolkit when preparing media for your audience.

By Johannes Merz & Andreas Ernst
Let’s use media! They’re quick to make, easy to distribute and use, attract large crowds, and communicate efficiently. They’re simply awesome! But do media really work like this? How do you figure out which are the most relevant, appropriate, and effective media to use?

IMS is ready to release the script, CESP, and dubbing shell for the new Lumo film, The Covenant. You may view Lumo's English version of The Covenant on YouTube.

In English the metaphor of Pandora’s box is often used to describe a new technology or a new way of doing things, where we are not always sure what the consequences might be.

The Tetelestai series (Greek for “It is Finished”) traces God’s hand from the Garden of Eden to the risen Christ in eleven 30-minute episodes. Over a thousand actors make the eternal story of redemption come to life in this award-winning series.

This article recommends and reviews the latest piece of equipment for video: a projector called the AAXA P6 Ultimate.

Pathways to approach reading the biblical text are endless. For English Bible readers, a couple of clicks opens access to dozens of English translations on Bible Gateway or BibleHub. If we use specialized tools like Logos or others, we might see even more.

You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can watch the Bible. And now you can even play the Bible. Sort of. The game is Gate Zero, "a Bible Exploration Video Game," as the Norway-based publisher puts it. And, evidently, it's not the only one on the horizon.

There has been talk lately of a new way to do social media—a decentralized social media, one not controlled by third-party entities. It’s called nostr. The name stems from an acronym (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relay). But what is nostr really? And what are the pros and cons?

Thinking anthropologically about media is, first and foremost, to think about audiences. Media are tools that people make for people. So the key question we need to ask when we  start working with media should always be: “Who are my audiences?”

The Story Producer app, which allows users to translate and produce Bible story videos all from a single Android device, launched a new version at the 2023 EMDC conference this month.

I have created a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@ScriptureRecording) to share the tips and tricks I've learned over the past 24 years recording Scripture. I post new videos every Sunday.

Watch this tutorial video from IMS to learn how you can turbo-charge your audio editing workflow with Reaper. Also New Spreadsheet for Estimating Recording and Editing Times By John Gieske

Several years ago, a number of Oral Bible Translation projects were begun in languages spoken by the San peoples (Bushmen) of the Kalahari, in Botswana and Namibia. These languages are widely recognised as having many ‘click’ sounds.

Media distribution from one mobile device to another is a great tool for fulfilling the Great Commission. It is important to teach missionaries, pastors, denominational leaders, and seminary students where to get the files and how to distribute them. On our trip to PNG there were some challenges, “speed bumps,” to sharing the media files.

Emotions are not simply emotions. Emotions are powerful, and there can be subtle but significant differences in how people around the world understand, express, and handle them. When we express our emotions, they can trigger further emotions in those around us, who may express empathy or react against us.

You’ve probably all heard the stat by now. An estimated 70% percent of the world’s population now have access to a smartphone. You’ve also likely heard that the advent of the smartphone initiated something of a “Gutenberg moment.”

When I returned to my community after my first year of i-DELTA in 2017, I started to make shows, commercials, dramas in French and also Waama language. I posted them on social networks for feedback. I had no reliable equipment, but I recorded them on my phone, then processed them on Audacity. The listeners called me to express appreciation and encourage me...

Has someone ever insulted you with a hand gesture? How did this make you feel? Hand gestures are powerful nonverbal signs that mean something specific. They are important in our daily communication but can be treacherous when we use them outside our own cultural environments.

Bloom was used as a vessel for making the national literacy curriculum widely and easily available to teachers around the country. This was a pivotal innovation for teachers in remote areas who previously had little to no access to literacy materials. Bruce points out that comparison studies were conducted “between students that had access to these Bloom books in the classroom and students that did not. There was a tremendous increase in literacy for the children that had access to the Bloom books.”

The newly revamped IMS Training program began offering modular courses in September of 2021. Since that time no one outside the U.S. has taken more of the training than SIL Ethiopia media specialists Lombiso Daniel and Israel Tigistu. The two have already completed three courses: Audio Production, Scripting and Dubbing Biblical Films, and The Role of Media in Ministry & Holistic Development. 

Scripture engagement specialist Phil Baer recently visited the Maya Harero* people group in the most southern part of Mexico. His mother and father were the SIL linguists who first translated the New Testament into the language of this people group.

We recently received an inquiry through the IMS website regarding a company promoting an MP3 solar device that looked identical to a MegaVoice device.

When I first began my work in media in SIL, I was still producing cassette tapes. The idea of distributing media online, whether through websites or social media, seemed a long way off due to internet costs in my context and the technology that was available at the time.

The way we use our bodies in communication is deeply significant. How we move different body parts often expresses something we can’t easily say in words. We also use body language subconsciously. Therefore, it is often easier to learn a spoken language than the gestures and facial expressions that go with it.

International Media Services invites you to be a part of the IMS Forum.  The IMS Forum Google group encourages collaboration between members through the sharing of ideas, tips, experiences, and answers to work-related media questions.  One question on the forum that generated a great response was “What is your favorite free video editing software and why?” 

International Media Services has relaunched its training program. Newly appointed IMS Training Director Andreas Ernst has overseen the transformation. There are two significant changes. Firstly, the new training program is offered primarily online. In the past, IMS students were required to travel to Waxhaw, North Carolina, to receive training over a 15-week period.

So you were not one of the 70 people from Danshui to Albuquerque who participated in the 2021 IMS Summit? Fret not. The IMN is here to break down each presentation for you.

Do images work like language? Do they have a vocabulary and a grammar that help us make sense of them? Many specialists would say that images are similar to language but that they are not the same.

The message of the love of God cannot be marketed to the masses. Rather, it is discovered through experiencing others faithfully reaching out to us, being available to us when we need them.

The message of the love of God cannot be marketed to the masses. Rather, it is discovered through experiencing others faithfully reaching out to us, being available to us when we need them.

Good storytelling is highly relevant in engaging audiences in the digital age. But how is this done in a way that brings hope and encouragement?

What makes media effective? Listening Well is the first in a three-part series addressing how Christian organizations can meaningfully interact with people who are increasingly swamped with digital information. When our audience deals with information overload, we need to ask, "What makes it through their information filters?"

Have you ever had "the script fit blues"? Have you gone to the field to dub a Scripture video assured that the script was ready only to find multiple clips requiring revision? Do you know someone who has? Help is here!

IMS has compiled a library of of free sound effects and music geared toward biblical settings and we want to share it with you!

The MicroPi functions similarly to other offline Wi-Fi servers, such as the Lightstream Pocket or ConnectBox, but is distinguished by: Low cost (~$40 US) (Depends on size of MicroSD card), Low power consumption (270 ma), Small size (78 mm x 38 mm x 13 mm), Large capacity (Depends on size of MicroSD card), Autoloading of content from ScriptureEarth and GRN websites

One team reported that, when possible, children will continue to play for hours. When one group of kids was asked what their favorite game was, they replied....

Not a single word was scripted for these dramas. This method facilitates a liberating, at times emotionally stirring, dialogue with participants on issues they rarely have the chance to talk openly and honestly about.

Light in Action was formed to create a solid, basic Bible teaching series called Tetelestai, with the goal of giving a clear presentation of the Gospel through the presentation of Old Testament stories, culminating in the person of Jesus Christ.
Now they are creating products to create a hunger that will lead people to open up Christian media.

On August 19th and 20th over 90 participants in locations from Kenya to the Netherlands gathered via Zoom for the annual International Media Services Summit. Over the course of two sessions, presenters shared information, tools and ministries to make us better equipped for the work that we do.

Poorly written procedures and complicated instructions made it difficult to help people connect to the resources offered on Wi-Fi media boxes at the Scripture celebration. However, learning from mistakes and omissions, Summit speaker Martin Lange shares practical steps to optimize digital Scripture distribution at community events like Bible dedications.

Think about your favorite movie, but with no sound. No music, no voice, no effects. How do you feel? Films need good music, but what makes the music in a film "good?"

Some among us have been studying intersemiotic translation for years and pondering what functional equivalence might mean, not only between languages, but also between media.

Like other machines, smartphones have benefits and dangers. Martin Lange talked about the tension of encouraging the use of such a tool in his article "I Am a Tormented Man" in our January issue.  Find out how some of our readers responded.

The Bible is available to read, hear, or download in hundreds of languages on the internet. Websites make audio, text, and even video Scripture media easily available to anyone with an internet connection. But what about smartphone users who aren’t connected? Using SIL’s Scripture App Builder tool, Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) built the Global Bible App for Android™ with these smartphone users in mind.

"Producing a Scripture video involves 'exegetical choices' just as translation does ... But in a visual medium there is less room for ambiguities and therefore a video producer is forced to make decisions which a translator seldom has to face"

All around the world, people are listening to the Bible recorded in audio form. One of the ways people listen to the Bible today is using a digital audio player. But since there are so many different audio players to choose from, how do we make a good choice?  The Forum of Bible Agencies' Scripture Engagement website has made Richard Margetts' report; "Which Audio Player?" (Revised  November, 2019) available for download.

Multi-Language Digital Education: An Innovation Driven by Need — Geoffrey Hunt.
It’s not surprising that book-poor communities are places where illiteracy is common. In Ghana, like many areas, buying, printing, and storing textbooks can be expensive and impractical. Over the past 2 years, Geoffrey Hunt has developed a collection of multilingual educational resources that can be freely shared on microSD or USB drives. This includes many documents (in color), dictionaries, low-res videos, images, and apps that are freely available and licensed to be used either in the classroom with a projector or at home (on smartphones or computers).