Author: Simon Bartz, 22 June 2023
Bible Society teams around the world completed Scripture translations in 81 languages used by 723 million people in 2022, despite global disruptions caused by Covid, economic instability and the war in Ukraine.
This was achieved thanks to the kind giving of Bible Society supporters. Thank you!
From Brazil to Bangladesh, 57 language groups – a total of 100 million people – received first Scripture translations. This included 14 first full Bible translations.
Five million Ethiopians, who speak Arsi Oromo, and 6,000 Indonesians on the island of Tagulandang who speak Sangirese, are just two examples of communities who can now access the Bible in their heart language.
New or revised translations were completed in another 25 languages used by more than 623 million people. These are crucial as languages change over time and Scripture translations can become outdated and hard to understand, particularly for younger generations.
Last year, Bible Society teams also completed Scripture portions in 20 sign languages.
As of the start of 2023, the full Bible is available in 733 languages spoken by 5.9 billion people. Over 70 per cent of these were translated by Bible Society teams.
About 5.9 billion people now have the full Bible in their own language. But that leaves more than 1.5 billion without the full Bible in their heart languages. And 51 per cent of the world’s languages, most of them spoken by smallish groups of people, still have no Scripture at all.
With your support, Bible Society teams aim to make the Scriptures available in every language so that every single person in the world can more easily engage with the word of God.
Since 2018, Bible Society teams worldwide have been focused on a bold vision – to complete 1,200 Scripture translations by 2038. So far, thanks to the kind giving of Bible Society supporters, 133 translations have been completed and 333 are in progress.
You can drive forward a new translation of Scripture through Bible Twinning. Bring God's word to people yet to experience it in their own language and release the Bible's power for a whole community. Find out how you can twin your Bible today with a new translation today.
In the latest edition of Word in Action, Paul Williams, Bible Society's Chief Executive, wrote:
At Bible Society we always think of how a translated Bible will be used. Is there a community who want it or a group of people committed to missionary work who will use it? Both are good enough reasons for a translation. But what we don’t want are lots of shelves full of translated versions of the Bible that are not read.
The purpose of translation is always the connection with the audience. Going beyond a linguistic translation to become a cultural translation is crucial. This is when a community of disciples start to relate the words of the Bible into their life in a way that starts to change behaviour and transform lives.
This cultural translation needs to happen, even in societies where there are many linguistic translations, even here in England and Wales where many Bibles are unread and often poorly understood.
This is why linguistic translation alone is not an adequate goal. Our goal must be Bible engagement, of which, linguistic translation is a vital and necessary foundation.
Twin your Bible with a new translation by giving £60 to bring ten verses of Scripture into a new language. You’ll receive a bookplate sticker to put in your Bible.
You can also give any amount to support Bible translation without twinning your Bible.
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Read the latest edition of Word in Action
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