Guinea (MNN) — The Maninka translation project of SIM International is making progress in Guinea. Four new books of the Bible have been completed in this tedious process but not yet published.
Jerry Page is the manager of the Maninka Bible Translation Project. He says he met with two of their new Maninka translators to review the new translations of Deuteronomy, Mark, Philippians, and James. The two were captivated by what they read, and one even returned to ask for a copy of his own.
After those checks, Page met with a consultant for the final check and approval of the new translations for publication. Exodus will soon be published, with Jonah following in the near future.
The process of translation requires that the text be translated to
Roman script which only some Maninka can read, and then into the local
N'Ko alphabet which more people can read. It is difficult since it is
read left to right like Arabic, and vowels require proper markings to
indicate the right tone.
According to SIM, the majority Muslim Maninka people are largely resistant to the Gospel, but they are open to talking about spiritual things. After 90 years of Christian influence, there are still only 30 Maninka believers.
Having the foundation of God's Word will help them better understand God's love for them so they can grow in a relationship with Him. Page says about 23 percent of the Bible is ready to be submitted to the translation consultant.
Helping the Maninka understand God's love will take more than just the translation, however, since just 15 percent of the people are literate. They rely mainly on oral tradition, but getting the Scripture into the hands of the literate will help spread God's Word. Pray that new translations build a strong foundation that draws many to Christ.
