Bible Translation Efforts Achieving Unprecedented Milestones
An ambitious global initiative to translate the Bible into every language is making remarkable strides, according to recent figures released on International Translation Day. The latest data underscores significant progress in overcoming one of the major challenges facing Christian missions — the lack of Scripture in native languages.
Wycliffe Bible Translators reported an impressive feat for the past year, with 118 new Bible and New Testament translations completed—averaging one every three days. This includes 23 complete Bibles and 95 New Testaments, marking the highest number of translations ever achieved in a single year.
These advancements are rapidly bringing closer the goal of providing every community with access to the Bible in their own language. The number of languages identified for translation but lacking any Bible portion has dramatically dropped from 985 to 550 within a year, a 44% decrease. This represents a significant decline from the 1,892 languages identified in 2021.
James Poole, Executive Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, highlighted the historical significance of these developments, stating, “For centuries, billions of people have lived without a single verse of the Bible in their language. The absence of God’s word in people’s own language is one of the greatest barriers to the good news reaching all people. But that story is changing.”
“In recent years, we have seen an extraordinary surge in Bible translation. Progress is happening at a pace and scale not witnessed before, and whole communities are beginning to receive the Scriptures far sooner than we could once have imagined. This is a remarkable moment in world mission. God is at work, and we have the privilege of being part of it.”
For the first time, 197 million people now have access to the entire Bible in their native tongue—a figure comparable to Brazil’s population. Additionally, 54 million individuals gained access to the New Testament in the past year.
Translation efforts have been initiated in 461 new languages, averaging a new project every 19 hours. Scripture portions were newly published in 174 languages, allowing entire communities to experience the Bible in their own language for the first time.
The impact of these translations is profound for many communities. In Togo and Benin, the late Kaleb Edoh, who led the Ifè translation project, emphasized the Old Testament’s significance: “There are many stories in the Old Testament which help us understand the New Testament. The sacrifices written about in the Old Testament are very similar to the animist sacrifices done in traditional Ifè life. Reading what Leviticus has to say about sacrifices will help our people to understand what they were before coming to Christ, and how they have changed since. So it is very important for our people to have all of the Bible translated into Ifè.”
In Papua New Guinea, the Nobonob people celebrated the launch of their full Bible in June, having received the New Testament in 1990. Translator Ulys remarked on the dedication, “In 1990 the Nobonob New Testament was dedicated, but the Nobonob leaders wanted the entire Bible. But all that was not just so it can be said, ‘The Bible is translated into the Nobonob language.’ No, it was done so the Nobonob people, and others who can read it, get its meaning and follow it. God’s word is not for us to see casually. No, it’s to give us guidance.”
Beyond spiritual enrichment, translation efforts have had unexpected benefits, such as language preservation. In Papua New Guinea, the Label community saw their language thrive, thanks in part to Scripture translation. In Uganda, educational programs like “Let’s Read Together” have fostered literacy and yielded social improvements alongside deeper faith engagement.
James Poole further underscored the transformative power of these translations: “As people come to understand clearly the depth of God’s love and the greatness of Christ’s work for them, lives and communities will be transformed. What a privilege it is to see this happening in our lifetime.”
Despite these advancements, Wycliffe has highlighted that approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide still lack the Bible in their language, underscoring the need for ongoing support to achieve comprehensive translation coverage.
This article was originally published by Christian Today.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
