A husband-wife duo in Singapore wants to boost the global reach of Christian content with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

Joel Jerome and Sandy Samuel Jerome recently launched Niitive (pronounced “native”), an AI-powered video translation mobile application, which aims to enable non-English-speakers to access English Christian videos in their native language.

Niitive currently supports translations into 70 languages, with 30 more ready next year.

Unlike other video translation applications in the market, Niitive focuses on fine-tuning the translation of Christian content so that it is accurate and specific to its original meaning, Joel told Salt&Light.

He added that the team hopes to train the AI on biblical content for at least the top 25 languages, which are spoken by 95% of the world’s population.

“Our mission is to break down language barriers and help users deepen their understanding of spiritual teachings in their native tongue,” said Joel, a fintech sales director for the Asia-Pacific region.

The need for quality Christian content

The inspiration for Niitive happened in July 2023 when Joel and Sandy, who are lay pastors at Cornerstone Community Church, attended their church’s Vision Sunday at the Singapore Expo.

As Senior Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong preached to an audience of pastors from 28 countries, his message was simultaneously translated into different languages by various interpreters.

That was when Joel thought: Why not use AI for real-time speech translation?

His idea resonated with Sandy. Like her husband, the journalist is a strong believer that technology can be wielded to address challenges in discipleship and evangelism.

As the daughter of parents who have planted more than 140 churches in South India and the Middle East, she too knew the need for effective language translation in spreading the Gospel.

As it would take some work to develop a real-time speech translation software, Joel decided to start with one that could do video translations. 

A search for business partners led them to a pair of church members, Andrea and Priscilla Laiso, who as children’s pastors from Europe saw a need for quality Christian content in their sphere of influence.

When the Laisos prayed about joining in this endeavour, they saw a vision similar to the biblical miracle of how Jesus multiplied a boy’s five loaves and two fish to feed thousands.

“The vision symbolised how a small investment could lead to the broad dissemination of the Gospel,” said Joel.

This inspired the company’s logo, which incorporates the Roman numerals II and V, representing the numbers two and five respectively.

Reach a broader audience

Joel believes that Niitive has the potential to transform evangelism and discipleship, not just in Singapore but globally.

Noting that 70% of the world’s population operates in non-English languages, Joel said: “Niitive empowers (English-speaking) users to pre-record and translate videos into native languages, enhancing outreach efforts and fostering spiritual growth in region that are often underserved.”

He added that the application’s download and share functions make it convenient to disseminate translated videos through commonly used channels like WhatsApp and email.

While Niitive is open for secular use, Joel said that the business is rooted in Christian values and primarily aims to serve the Kingdom.

“We plan to invest profits from secular users into church translation projects, providing free translation minutes to those in need,” he explained.

He added that they have intentionally priced Niitive to make it affordable for churches and missions organisations. Their prices start from S$9 a month, a quarter of that of other solutions in the market, he said.

Break down language barriers

Come 2025, Joel and Sandy plan to partner with like-minded Christian investors to enhance Niitive.

Some potential additions include audio translation, video generation with voice cloning, lip syncing, transcript editing and real-time speech translation. They also hope to develop a desktop version of the app.

Niitive was designed to be intuitive and accessible for everyone, regardless of technical know-how, said Joel.

“Our ultimate aim is for Niitive to become the foremost solution for translating Christian content across audio, video, and live sermons worldwide,” said Joel.

“By refining our AI to ensure precise and meaningful translations, we hope to maintain the integrity of biblical teachings in every translation.

“Through this approach, we aspire to break down language barriers and unify believers globally, amplifying the reach of the Gospel.”

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