This book offers a broad-based, contemporary perspective on Bible translation in terms of academic areas foundational to the endeavor: translation studies, communication theory, linguistics, cultural studies, biblical studies and literary and rhetorical studies. The discussion of each area is geared towards non-specialists, to introduce them to notions, trends and tools that can contribute to their understanding of translation.

The Bible translator is encouraged to appreciate various approaches to translation in view of the wide variety of communicative, organizational and sociocultural situations in which translation occurs. However, literary representation of the Scriptures receives special attention since it has been neglected in earlier, influential works on Bible translation.

The book's contributors are translation consultants for the United Bible Societies. They have worked with translation projects in various media and in languages ranging from ones of a few hundred speakers to international ones, in Africa, the Americas and Asia.