A Summer of Transformation
One of the best ways to discern if God is leading you to become a missionary is to experience cross-cultural ministry firsthand. For this reason, Pioneer Bible Translators offers multiple internship opportunities each summer.
Our greatest hope for our interns is for them to grow in intimacy with God and in hearing His voice as they come face to face with His heart for the world. Our heart is to equip them to thrive in an overseas setting and to journey alongside them as they explore the Lord’s leading in their lives.
The internship begins with Pre-Field Orientation, intentionally designed to help interns prepare for their time on the field. During these two weeks, interns receive hands on training in language acquisition, team formation, cultural anthropology, spiritual formation, and conflict resolution. They participate in interactive team-building activities under the direction and mentorship of certified life-coaches. In addition, interns get to participate in a myriad of opportunities – Bible translation demonstrations, literacy equipping sessions, disciple-making strategies, community development, and support ministries. They attend Discovery, where they meet many of our missionaries and catch our vision to see networks of churches using translated Scripture to grow, mature, and multiply.
The internship continues with the field portion, which lasts about six weeks. Interns participate in activities designed to help them acquire a broader vision of God’s world, gain further insight into His heart for the unreached, and continue becoming the people God created each of them to be. Our internships are organized to walk interns into the day-to-day life situations of the missionaries who are hosting them.
The internship concludes in Dallas for debriefing and reconnecting with other interns.
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Internship
In partnership with one of our sister organizations, interns will work alongside nationals to participate in the following: Explore the operations of a pineapple juice canning and bottling company and participate in organic pineapple farming Animal husbandry with goats and pigs Take part in the beginning stages of a chicken farm and butchery Observe local literacy classes and initiatives Accompany rural agricultural development program extension agents as they help farmers who newly acquired a loan to implement the new techniques on their farms See the local church in action in discipleship, leadership development and holistic community outreach Observe and participate in various economic activities relating to the impact of social business on communities leading to sustainable transformation While in West Africa, interns will live together in a dormitory on the demonstration farm. Focus: Agricultural development, farming, animal husbandry, literacy, Business as Mission (BAM), local church discipleship and community outreach, language learning What kind of interns are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Hard worders and those willing to live/work in rustic conditions Individuals with background and passion in some of the following: community development, working on a farm, education in Agriculture, Business, Communications, Dietetics or Engineering Individuals who are […]
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Internship
Across the world in many places that accept refugees, there are communities of a heavily persecuted and displaced people group from eastern Congo called the Banyamulenge. Because of the unstable environment in their home area, we have organized a project stateside to serve their needs. We are primarily involved in four major outreach strategies: Bible translation, literacy, trauma healing and media/online engagement. The Banyamulenge are a Christian group, but they don’t have a Bible in the language they know best. Our goals are to help this community find their voice, empower their ministries, build discipleship, retain their culture and language while living abroad, and help them understand and love the Bible more through their own language. Focus: Bible translation exegetical work, literacy development, building relationships with refugees, community engagement, media (primarily online engagement through our YouTube channel and WhatsApp) and trauma healing Potential Opportunities: Bible translation – exegesis Literacy – development, testing and distribution of literacy materials Community Development – making relationships with refugees, working in ESL/trauma healing/life skills Media – developing the project’s social media presence to reach Banyamulenge in other countries What kind of interns are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Disciple makers Self-directed individuals who […]
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Internship
The Deaf Missionary intern will play a vital role in advancing the mission of Pioneer Bible Translators by working with Deaf communities to provide spiritual support, promote inclusivity, and facilitate communication and outreach. This internship offers a unique opportunity to combine faith, cultural sensitivity, and language skills to impact the lives of Deaf individuals. Focus: Community engagement, spiritual support to the Deaf community, growth in sign language and cultural competency, collaboration with local organizations, mission and story documentation Potential Opportunities: Training and education, mentorship Interns may have the opportunity to participate in training sessions and workshops to enhance skills related to Deaf ministry and missionary work. Additionally, they may enjoy the benefits of mentorship from Deaf missionaries and translators from around the world. What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Disciple makers Self-directed individuals who are comfortable taking initiative A heart for the Deaf community Conversational in American Sign Language is beneficial (level 3 ASL ideal) Background in sign language, Biblical understanding and experience with different cultures is beneficial Flexible and adaptable Team player
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Internship
The Deaf Research and Sign Language Translation internship is an exciting opportunity for individuals passionate about exploration and interpretation of data within the realm of Deaf culture, sign language, language deprivation, and modality. This internship places a strong emphasis on research and its application in improving the translation of God’s Word into sign language for the global Deaf community. It is designed to offer interns a comprehensive understanding of these critical areas and foster a holistic approach to addressing the challenges faced by Deaf individuals. Through this program, interns will not only develop valuable skills but also contribute to making the Bible more accessible and meaningful for the Deaf community around the world. Focus: Data exploration, research, analysis and interpretation, Deaf community engagement, and American Sign Language and Deaf culture studies What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Disciple makers Self-directed individuals who are comfortable taking initiative A heart for the Deaf community Background and specific skills in research and data analysis are beneficial Conversational in American Sign Language beneficial Flexible and adaptable Team player
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Internship
People in this area of the world want a deeper understanding of the Bible in the language they know best. This goes beyond the Bible translation in the language of wider communication (LWC). We have seen numerous times where someone reads one of our mother tongue translations and says something like, “I never understood that verse until now.” We also see that our translations are a cultural bridge to peoples of a neighboring faith. Many of those of the neighboring faith wouldn’t be compelled to read the Bible available to them in the LWC, but when they see their mother tongue written they want to interact with it. Without finance workers, we would have no financial resources and accountability to fund Bible translation projects. This opportunity is for an intern who has some experience and interest in finance on the mission field. They will have the opportunity to see what day to day finance work looks like on the field. This intern will be based in the main office and will not travel a lot around the country. Focus Finance, language and culture learning, discipleship What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Interest and experience in […]
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Internship
Language barriers hinder human flourishing. Where language barriers exist, whether between individuals or between an individual and critical information, there is also a barrier to flourishing. In partnership with one of our sister organizations, you could be part of creating language technology that overcomes these language barriers for the most overlooked communities on Earth. This internship will be held remotely from intern’s homes. There may be a few in-person meetings for those who live locally in Dallas, TX. Focus: Data collection, preparation, and post-processing, interacting with AI-agents, may assist in app development for speakers of low-resource languages What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Self-starters Experience programming in Python required, preferably having completed a degree in computer science Some undergraduate and/or graduate training in linguistics required Self-starters, flexible, adaptive
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Internship
When technology breaks in today’s world, translation is unable to move forward. The IT Department of Pioneer Bible Translators offers crucial support to our missionaries around the world. They keep computers running and do a lot of behind the scenes work to enable our field workers to succeed in their ministries, while communicating with loved ones and partners back home. As an intern in our IT Department, you will receive hands on experience in: Understanding how IT functions in a non-profit organization Supporting teammates across the globe using remote management software Working with IT teammates in different time zones Troubleshooting a wide range of technology issues IT service management Networking at the International Conference on Computing and Mission What kind of interns are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders People who can communicate well with others Problem solvers Those possessing a mind for computers A team player
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Internship
People in this area of the world want a deeper understanding of the Bible in the language they know best. This goes beyond the Bible translation in the language of wider communication (LWC). We have seen numerous times where someone reads one of our mother tongue translations and says something like, “I never understood that verse until now.” We also see that our translations are a cultural bridge to peoples of a neighboring faith. Many of those of the neighboring faith wouldn’t be compelled to read the Bible available to them in the LWC, but when they see their mother tongue written they want to interact with it. Information Technology (I.T.) is vital in keeping Bible translation efforts moving forward. An I.T. intern will have the opportunity to see what this work looks like on the mission field. Ideally, this intern will already have some experience and interest in I.T. and could travel to multiple translation offices doing repairs and updates to computers. This would also include the opportunity to assist with I.T. repairs and infrastructure at our main office in country. Focus Information Technology, language and culture learning, discipleship What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant […]
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Internship
This region is home to some of the most unique languages on Earth. This internship will provide an opportunity to experience Eurasia and learn about the many opportunities available there. Interns will participate in language learning, as well as have opportunities to visit different parts of the area, learning about the languages there. Activities could include supporting the local team through desktop publishing, linguistic data management, practical support for field personnel, and prayer. There are very few believers among the minority groups in this area of the world, so all activities, including translation, are considered secondary to building relationships and discipleship. Focus: Language learning, building relationships, discipleship, working as part of a multiethnic team, supporting literacy and translation efforts What kind of interns are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Individuals who love people and want to make disciples Individuals who are open to developing strategies for how to impact communities with Scripture and to work alongside the majority language church Flexible and adaptable Previous linguistic experience is helpful but not necessary
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Internship
Since 2015, Italy has been at the forefront of the European refugee crisis, receiving asylum seekers from around the world who have travelled through North Africa in order to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The Diaspora team in Milan works alongside the Italian Church to respond to both the challenge and opportunity presented by new reality. With asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants coming from across the world, many come from places that are difficult for missionaries to access, providing an amazing opportunity to see them impacted by the Gospel. Working in collaboration with Italian refugee ministries our team seeks to be a catalyst in outreach to these language communities. This work can range from building relationships in the immigrant and refugee community, to doing survey work to develop a richer picture of the linguistic diversity now in Milan, to supporting the programming of our refugee ministry center partners. Focus: Refugee outreach, promoting access to and engagement with translated Bibles and Scripture portions, community development, multicultural ministry collaboration, language survey and mapping, relationship building, language and culture learning Potential Opportunities: In addition to the aforementioned internship, the team is open to hosting an intern with interest in the Bible Translation process and […]
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Internship
People in this area of the world want a deeper understanding of the Bible in the language they know best. This goes beyond the Bible translation in the language of wider communication (LWC). We have seen numerous times where someone reads one of our mother tongue translations and says something like, “I never understood that verse until now.” We also see that our translations are a cultural bridge to peoples of a neighboring faith. Many of those of the neighboring faith wouldn’t be compelled to read the Bible available to them in the LWC, but when they see their mother tongue written they want to interact with it. Scripture Impact is all about discipleship – coming alongside others to help them engage with Scripture and impact lives. A Scripture Impact intern will have the opportunity to come alongside our missionaries and learn from them first-hand about this discipleship. This involves work in Discipleship Making Movements on the field. Focus Scripture Impact, language and culture learning, discipleship What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Interest in Scripture Impact Individual who loves people and wants to make disciples Flexible Willing to do whatever is needed Self-sufficient
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Internship
What if you could use your passion and skills this summer to have a global, Kingdom impact? What if at the end of the day you could rest knowing that the code you wrote, tested, and deployed to production was now helping hundreds of missionaries around the world? What if the website you worked on helped mobilize generations of God-chasers to see how every individual has a part to play in reaching the unreached peoples of the world? Through this unique internship opportunity, you will have the ability to get hands-on experience working alongside our software development team as they design, build, and maintain numerous websites, applications, internal tools, and automations to not only support, but accelerate the mission of Pioneer Bible Translators. What kind of interns are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Individuals who are willing to work in a collaborative structure Those who are flexible, open to new and challenging situations Gifted with some experience in one or more of the following: Fronted Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript – bonus if you have experience with React, TypeScript, responsive design) Object-Oriented Programming RESTful Web Services Database (MySql/NoSql) WordPress Server Administration This is a stateside internship located in Dallas, […]
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Internship
The Vickery Meadow program, implemented by our partner organization, works to equip refugees for their new lives in America with English as a Second Language (ESL), interpretation services, literacy, and Human Language Technology (HLT) development. An intern with this department would come alongside the team in Dallas to assist with current projects in which they are involved in partnership with the refugee community. This is not an evangelistic program; however, this internship is an opportunity to acquire fundamental skills for learning how to communicate valuable information to others in another cultural context. It is also an opportunity to build relationships and support people with tangible needs through furthering the work of our partner organization toward goals of enduring, holistic transformation. Focus: Teaching ESL/literacy, language documentation and linguistic analysis What kind of students are we looking for? Humble, teachable, servant leaders Linguists, ESL teachers and educators A heart for refugees Out-of-the-box thinkers Flexible and adaptable
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are overseas internships like?
Our teams usually consist of 3-4 students (generally college-aged) and a team coach, who serves as a facilitator, leader and guide. Since we want students to see a broad range of ministry and cultural learning activities, intern teams typically visit multiple locations in the country where they are serving. They also get to interact with many missionaries and their families, and they have opportunities to observe the behind-the-scenes activities that are at the heart of what it takes to be a missionary.
On any given day, an intern might:
- Participate in a literacy workshop with veteran missionaries
- Assist in a back translation or village check of a passage of Scripture
- Work alongside national translators as they edit, revise and discuss word usage in translation
- Practice language learning in an open market
- Go on a prayer walk
- Show the Jesus Film
- Worship in a village church
- Distribute Scripture in villages
- Observe how the local people incorporate their art forms into their worship
- Learn about the local culture and bond with nationals through hunting, fishing, drinking tea, picking peanuts, cooking, fixing thatched roofs, or whatever other adventure God takes you on
Although we do not require potential interns to know they definitely want to be long-term missionaries, we do ask every applicant to be open to the idea of serving overseas as a vocational missionary. Applicants who are just looking for a fun experience or a great short-term mission trip are not a good fit for our internship.
Can I get school credit?
How much do internships cost?
Can I raise support for my internship?
Absolutely. In fact, we highly encourage interns to get the full experience of being a missionary by going through the process of raising both financial and prayer support.
What kinds of interns are you looking for?
We are praying for God to send us teachable, humble and servant-hearted followers of Jesus who are investigating how God may want to use them to impact and build His Kingdom.
How do I apply?
You can apply for an internship by contacting one of our recruiters. After dialoguing with you about which internship is the best fit for your interests, they will send you an information packet that includes:
- An electronic application
- Electronic reference forms
- Sample budgets
Click here to send us a message. (Be sure to select the ‘internship’ option.) Or call the recruitment department at (214) 699-4221.