Map showing Bantu region in yellows.
Africa (MNN) ― Swahili is among the most widely spoken languages of the eastern part of sub-Saharan Africa.
World Bible Translation Center's Gary Bishop says it's for this reason that they're focusing on it in their next translation project. "For many of the tribal groups, there is a need for a translation in their heart language. That's why the Swahili has really come about. We are going to do that in a Kenyan dialect of Swahili, so it should be applicable to many of the countries in the eastern part of the continent."
Bishop says Swahili touches a lot of Africans at their heart language level. An Easy-to-Read Bible will impact a lot of ministries in a positive way. How soon? "We're going to start the translation in the first of 2007. So, we would hope to see a New Testament within about three, three and a half years, and then a complete Bible in about four years after that."
The Easy-to-Read Version is translated on a third grade level, so that anyone with basic literacy skills or with little or no Christian background can understand. WBTC works to provide the Easy-to-Read Bible to help people understand makes up the church and how the church is to work.
That said, the first prayer need for the Swahili project is to find the translation team. Funding is also needed. Click here if you want to help put this project on the fast track.
