In January 2015 two translation team members from IBT's Avar and Ingush projects traveled to the Holy Land for a 10-day study tour focusing on the historical, geographical and cultural contexts in which the Bible was written. This tour was arranged by the Home for Bible Translators, an organization that for the past two decades has been providing high quality educational programs for Bible translators from around the world to increase their level of expertise in translating the Holy Scriptures.

The study tour's intense program included daily outings to museums, Biblical locations and various archeological sites around Israel, while lectures by Bible scholars often occupied the evenings. Our translation team members look forward to applying the information gathered on this study tour to their translation work. "It was incredibly interesting and important for me to be in the very places that I'm dealing with in the Old Testament text and to see them firsthand," wrote the Avar translator.

This was the 3rd study tour for IBT staff organized by the Home for Bible Translators. Over the years, more than 20 IBT workers have taken part in study programs in Israel, including intensive Hebrew language study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.