Bible society leaders last year oversaw translations to 1.25 billion people speaking 106 languages. Faith Today intern Jaidyn Bremer went to Toronto to meet three key leaders and reports what they said.
I’ve never worried about when I can read the Bible next. I’ve never faced a day without at least one Bible on my shelf. Or in my pocket. Since I could read, God’s word has existed in my language. In hundreds of translations. It’s something I’ve taken for granted.
Since attending the United Bible Societies (UBS) Fellowship Event hosted by the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) in Toronto at the beginning of October, I’ve held my Bible differently.
The event gathered about 300 leaders from 150 different Bible societies, united in their mission of providing Bible access and engagement resources to all who ask. They collaborated on upcoming endeavours, strengthened their partnerships and built relationships with other Bible societies across the 240 countries and territories with operations.
Prior to this event, the world of Bible translation was foreign to me. I knew the KJV spoke with thees and thous, and I knew my Bible was an NIV, but that was it. Thankfully, I found myself in the most ideal setting to learn.
Not only was I with the most knowledgable people, but I also saw a compelling exhibit featuring Bibles, New Testaments and scriptural resources translated in over 100 languages. It was a physical testimony of the work of the UBS, and a call to action to keep the momentum.
Of the hundreds of leaders present, I had the privilege of speaking with Rupen Das, president of the CBS, Dirk Gevers, UBS secretary general and Elaine Duncan, chair of the Fellowship Council. These three wells of wisdom exceeded in answering every question I had on Bible translation and engagement.
We started at the root. “Why is Bible translation important?” I asked.
Elaine Duncan took the floor and shared how she’s continually moved by the two things people say when receiving the Bible in their heart language for the first time. “The first thing they say is, ‘God now speaks my language.’ And then they speak about how much it does for their self-esteem,” she says. “The fact that God speaks their language is something that actually deeply impacts people in their inner being and their sense of worth and value.”
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In 2023, the UBS brought Bible translations to 1.25 billion people speaking 106 languages. Of those 1.25 billion people, 100 million received their first translation. This encompasses physical, digital, audio, braille and sign language translations.
Those numbers are big, but they don’t mean as much without knowing the details and time poured into producing even one translation. It’s like hearing your friend ran a marathon. It means less until you realize they ran for hours, and you can’t remember the last time you wore running shoes.
“So, where do you start?” I asked, unaware of how loaded this question was.
Within a few moments of Dirk Gevers talking, I knew this was his wheelhouse. And after ten minutes, he apologized for running so far with my question. No apology was needed. I was captivated.
He explained that each project is intricately woven, created and completed. He says, “A lot of the process depends on the needs within a community. Do we need to get a gospel quickly through, or is it actually okay to take a slightly longer-term approach?”
He also shared some logistics and taught me the many resources required to complete a project. From the initial assessment of need to the final copy, the average cost per full translation is US$1 million with a timeline of 10 years. With technology, that timeline is decreasing.
Now, I’m a writer, not a mathematician, but that price tag, given the number of translations completed, points to how much work goes into these projects. They’re no small feat.
I brought up some statistics next. “How do you remain optimistic in your goal of achieving 1,200 translations by 2038 despite the estimation that half of the 7,000 languages spoken today will cease to exist by the end of the century?” I asked, knowing these numbers would be no stranger to the group.
The three of them elaborated on how, in many ways, Bible translations preserve languages.
Gevers estimates thousands of languages don’t have a written form, so translating the Bible is also a linguistic development process. “Bible translation then becomes the door through which that community enters into the world of literature,” he says.
My greatest takeaway is this – the UBS cares about the communities it serves. “Our objective is not just handing out the Bible, but that people would encounter the God of the Bible,” says Rupen Das.
When Das became president of the CBS, the ministry was focused on Bible translation and distribution. He began asking crucial questions of why they translate and what’s the end goal they’re seeking.
“We ended up with two statements. First, we want people to encounter the living Word through the written word. And the second is that we want people to hear God speak through the Scriptures in their heart language,” Das says.
Enter in a new emphasis on Bible engagement resources.
Das gave an example based on the research estimate that only 35% of Canadian Christians can articulate their faith. Knowing that, the CBS offers The Bible Course which provides an overview of the 66 Protestant books of Bible, resources on how all the books work together and the narrative running through.
The clock was ticking, so to wrap up, I asked Das to share any tangible ways Canadians can help. He smiled, and said he would love to see more Canadians partnering with agencies like the CBS and getting excited about sending Scripture out into the world.
Duncan, speaking on behalf of the global fellowship, added on, “All our Bible societies in all our different countries just need fellow Christians to stand with us in solidarity, with a kind of passion, to help people encounter Jesus through the Bible, to pray for the work, as well as to give us support financially,”
Rupen and Gevers nodded in agreement.
“Now, you do realize we could sit here and talk all day,” Duncan joked. “We’re a wee bit passionate about what we do. Do you think you’ve got enough?”
So, there we concluded our time after nearly an hour because surely I had enough information. But mostly because it was breakfast time.
Yes. This all happened before 8 a.m.
In addition to global Bible translation and engagement, the UBS Fellowship Event also focused on the topics of distribution, diaspora, creation care, digital and mission resilience. Read more on the development of these themes and how you can partner with the CBS at UnitedBibleSocieties.org and more about CBS at BibleSociety.ca. Provided photo from the UBS gathering shows the recent Mohawk Bible translation demonstrated by Jonathan Maracle of Broken Walls, a band based in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Have you heard our podcast episode from Dec. 2023 about the Mohawk translation?