From October 7 to 11, 2026, IBT held a workshop in Baku, Azerbaijan on oral Bible translation. The training event brought together team members from the Ahiska, Budukh, Kryz, and Khinalug translation projects.

These peoples live  primarily in their own ethnic enclaves within  the Caucasus region: the Budukhs, Kryz, and Khinalugs reside in the Quba and Khachmaz districts, as well as in Baku and Sumgait, while the Ahiska Turks (a.k.a. Meskhetian Turks) historically lived in the Ahiska (Meskhetia) region of southwestern Georgia.

The workshop aimed to deepen participants' knowledge of Bible translation and to facilitate joint work on the text of the book of Ruth. The program was divided into theoretical and practical parts.

In the first half of the workshop, participants focused on immersing themselves in the text, studying the historical setting and cultural context of Ruth. Considerable attention was also given to reviewing the fundamental principles of translation. For experienced translators, this was an opportunity to refresh their knowledge; for newcomers, it was an important introduction to the basics of the work.

Participants then moved on to a detailed analysis of the book's text, with particular focus on the narrative’s characters, the geography of the events described, and the customs of that time.

A key topic was the cultural and legal aspects of the era, especially customs associated with levirate marriage and the laws of land inheritance. Understanding these details is critical for accurately conveying the meaning of the original text.

As a result, all four translation teams recorded an oral draft of the first chapter of the book of Ruth. The workshop allowed participants not only to deepen their knowledge but also to exchange experience with colleagues from other projects, contributing to the quality of oral translation in the region.