Geoffrey Jackson, a member of the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, while speaking at the Witnesses’ release event in Florida, United States, said that one of the many milestones in their 2020 translation work was reached on February 15, when they completed the Bible in the American Sign Language. He said that as far as the Witnesses know, the organization is the first or group of persons to release the complete Bible in American Sign Language and that it probably means it is the first complete Bible in sign language in the world and in the history of mankind.
Another highlight came with the release of the New World Translation in Bislama, a language spoken by about 10,000 people on the remote Island of Vanuaty, some 1,100 miles north of Australia. Although Bible translations have been produced in Bislama before, the average cost of thirty dollars can seem steep to people whose jobs pay is fifteen dollars per day. But there is a new Bible translation available in Bislama, free of charge.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been producing and distributing Bibles since the early 20th century. Over time, they acquired printing rights to the King James and the American Standard Versions of the Scriptures, among others.
Regarding the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, that is the New Testament, British Bible critic, Alexander Thomson, wrote in 1952: “The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing’’. He concluded: It is expected that all our readers in possession of the New World version, will make it a valuable addition to their library.
Many scholars and linguists who examine the translations expressed deep appreciation. For example, the Bislama translation, released earlier in the year, won praise from Carol Aru, a linguist, formerly associated with the University of South Pacific, and now working as a consultant. After comparing the new world translation with some other English Bibles and other recognized Bible in Bislama, Carol said it is not easy to translate some of the old testament books such as Genesis to convey the actual meaning and not just a literal translation, but that the translation is a good job.
The New world translation is currently available in whole or in part in nine Nigerian Languages. There is an ongoing effort to translate and distribute those Bibles in many more languages, free of charge, in Nigeria. Beside hard copies, the JW.org website and the Jw library app, make the digital publications available without charge or advertisements in all the languages available.
The primary aim of the translation, according to the group, has been the restoration of the name of God, Jehovah, to more than 7,000 places in the Bible where other translators have substituted it with titles such as “Lord”.
The translation work is carried out by teams of volunteer translators who work in the areas where the target languages are spoken. The translation, publishing and printing work of the Witnesses are all supported by voluntary donations. This allows the Witnesses to make the New World Translation available worldwide, free of charge.
It is Jehovah’s Witnesses plan to release the Bible, New World Translation, in whole or in part in 36 more languages this year, 2021.
WRITTEN BY BROTHER OBINNA IGWE
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