After double majoring in Classics and Linguistics, Vitaly Voinov studied Linguistics and Biblical Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. From 1998 to 2011 he worked with the Institute for Bible Translation in Russia as an exegetical editor in the Tuvan and Gagauz Bible translation projects, living on-site in south Siberia and south Moldova. After receiving a Ph.D. in linguisitics from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2013, he returned with his family to Russia and the Institute for Bible Translation, where he is now the director. His scholarly publications include a book on politeness devices in the Tuvan language and a co-editied collection of articles on Bible translation and minority languages.