Global Scripture Access Report 2015

United Bible Societies
Global Scripture Access Report
2015 Annual Progress
2015 – Significant Progress
In 2015 Bible Societies assisted in the
completion of translations in 50 languages
spoken by nearly 160 million people.
2015 Firsts:
2015 was ‘a first’ for no fewer than 28
languages, spoken by nearly 33 million people.
11 communities now have their very first full
Bible, 6 have a New Testament and 11
communities have their first, or additional,
portions of Scripture.
28
First translations
Languages are constantly developing so Bible
Societies are also committed to revising
existing translations and providing new
translations, when requested, to help as many
people as possible engage with the message of
the Bible today. In 2015 this resulted in a
further 20 new translations and revisions plus
2 study editions with the potential to reach over
127 million people.
The laws of the Lord are right,
and those who obey them are happy.
The commands of the Lord are just
and give understanding to the mind.
20 New/Revisions
7
Full Bibles
3
New Testaments
10
Portions
Psalm 19:8 GNT
For full details of the languages published in 2015 see the Appendix.
33
million speakers
11 Full Bibles
6 New Testaments
11 Portions
Sign Language Scriptures for
the Deaf Community
Sign Languages is the first or ‘heart’ language for 70
million deaf people worldwide and there are over 400
unique Sign Languages. The New Testament is only
available in American Sign Language and this is the largest
portion of Scripture currently available in Sign Language.
The UBS, in close partnership with other international
ministries, is seeking to meet this Scripture need for what
is now recognised as a major unreached people group.
Bible Societies are currently partners in 14 ongoing
projects and another 9 are just beginning or in the
planning stage.
Reaching Visually
Impaired People
285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired
worldwide, of whom 40 million are blind. A Braille Bible
usually consists of more than 40 bulky volumes making
the transcription and production of a complete Bible in
Braille a significant undertaking. Last year over 150,000
visually impaired people in Sri Lanka were given the
potential to read the Bible for themselves with the
completion of the Sinhala Braille Bible. This is the 44th
language to receive a full Bible in Braille. In Mexico
the first Braille portion in the Purepecha language was
produced. Additional Braille portions were also added
in Spanish and Armenian as well as a new Dutch Braille
Bible.
For full details of the languages published in 2015 see the Appendix.
In 2015 the Ceylon Bible Society published Sign Language
selections from Acts. Hungary and Lithuania produced the
first ever drafts of Mark’s gospel. Brazil produced 15 new
Bible stories in Sign Language and the Mexico team
completed Luke and Acts. The ViBi team in Japan has
completed Exodus, Titus and Ephesians and is aiming to
complete the whole Bible by 2033.
Alexander M. Schweitzer, United Bible Societies Head of Global Bible
Translation, commented:
“How encouraging it is to look back at 2015 to see that Bible Societies have
been involved in completing translations in no fewer than 50 languages
spoken by nearly 160 million people. We also take special joy to see the
progress being made with new Scriptures in Braille and Sign Language.
This progress inspires us to aim even higher so that the lives of many more
individuals and communities are enriched by the transforming power of
God’s Word.”
For full details of the languages published in 2015 see the Appendix.
Scripture Access Today1
Languages1
6,887
There are currently 6,887
languages in the world
spoken by over 7.3 billion
people.
7.3 billion
563
Bibles
100 Bibles in 1000 Days
In 2013 United Bible Societies identified 100 full
Bibles that could be translated by the end of 2015.
We are pleased to report that 90 have completed
the translation stage with 53 published and
encouraging their communities, and 37 in preproduction or printing.
Please pray for all those working on the remaining
10 translations that they will be able to complete their
work as soon as possible. Please also pray for two
confidential projects which have been completed but
need permission from the authorities before they can
be published.
563 languages (spoken by nearly 5.1 billion
people) now have a full Bible and a further
1,334 languages (spoken by 658 million
people) have a New Testament. This leaves
281 million people with only some portions
of the Bible and a further 497 million people
with no Scripture translated in their
language at all.
United Bible Societies is committed to
working towards the day when everyone can
access the full Bible – so much work still
remains to be done. Furthermore, languages
are constantly changing; therefore we are
committed to ensuring that existing
translations are regularly revised and new
translations undertaken to meet the needs of
the communities that use them. Bible Societies
is currently working on over 400 translation
projects around the world.
1334
New Testaments
1038
Portions
3952
No Scriptures
Number of
Speakers1
5.1 billion
Bibles
658 million
New Testaments
281 million
Portions
497 million
No Scriptures
Figures as at 31.12.2015. We thank Bible Societies, Wycliffe Global Alliance and other translation agencies for their help in compiling these statistics. The figures for the number of language speakers is based
on the best available data which currently totals 6.5 billion, less than the actual world population.
1
Scripture Access & Engagement
The increasing use of the internet offers people greater choice
in how and where they connect with the Bible.
The Digital Bible Library® (DBL) is central to our strategy to make the
Bible as widely and easily accessible as possible. By the end of 2015,
the DBL contained no fewer than 1,201 Bibles, Testaments and portions in 957 languages. These languages are spoken by over 4.6 billion people.
The DBL is owned and maintained by United Bible Societies in
partnership with other Bible agencies and with the support of the
Every Tribe Every Nation alliance. It makes the Bible accessible by
providing Scripture texts to the public through partners such as
BibleSearch and YouVersion.
“Today God speaks our language,”
said one joyful recipient of a Kim Bible.
(A language spoken in southern Chad)
Appendix
In 2015 United Bible Societies assisted
in the completion of Scriptures in 50 languages
spoken by nearly 160 million people.
Country/Territory
Language
Scope
Type
Speakers
Ethiopia
Tigrigna
Bible
New1
4,320,000
Nigeria
Hausa Common
Language Bible
Bible
New1
41,929,000
United Kingdom
Welsh
Bible
New
562,000
Mozambique
Changana (Xitsonga)
New Testament
New
1,710,000
Mozambique
CiSena
New Testament
New
1,807,319
Country/Territory Language
Scope
Type
Chad
Kim
Bible
First
15,400
Ethiopia
Sidama
Bible
1
First
2,980,000
Greece
Greek
Portion - Psalms
New
13,000,000
Indonesia
Mentawai
Bible
First1
58,000
Guatemala
Achi de Cubulco
Portion - John
New
62,192
Mali
Bomu
Bible
First
158,000
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz
4,568,480
Myanmar
Ngawn Chin
Bible
First
20,000
Portions - Ruth, Jonah,
Esther
New
1
Myanmar
Khumi Chin
Bible
First1
7,700
Liberia
Mann
Portions - Ruth, Jonah
New
315,000
Seychelles
Kreol Seselwa
Bible
First1
74,600
Liberia
Dan
New
320,000
Togo/Ghana
Bassar / Bassam /
Ntcham
Bible
First1
217,000
Portions - Ruth, Jonah,
Mark
Poland
Polish
New
38,500,000
Uganda
Lusoga Bible
Bible
First1
2,060,000
Portions - Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Vietnam
Rade
Bible
First1
177,000
Slovenia
Slovenian
Portion - Mark
New
2,074,170
United States
Yupik
Bible
First
10,000
Sweden
Swedish
Portion - Galatians
New
9,197,090
China
White Yi (Bai Yi)
New Testament
First
67,000
Chad
Ngambay
Bible
Revision1
1,377,000
Indonesia
Sahu
New Testament
First
7,500
India
Biate Revision
Bible
Revision1
30,000
Indonesia
Behoa
New Testament
First
10,000
India
KomRem Revision
Bible
Revision
1
15,000
Morocco
Moroccan Arabic
New Testament
First3
Zambia
Bemba
Bible
Revision1
4,110,000
Nepal
Chamling
New Testament
First
76,800
French Polynesia
Marquesan
New Testament & Psalms
Revision
25,000
Philippines
Majukayong / Kalinga New Testament
First
1,500
Philippines
Portion - Mark
Revision
2,300,000
Argentina
Toba del Oeste
Portions - Ruth, Esther,
Jonah
First2
5,000
Standard Waray
(Western)
Papua New
Guinea
Tok Pisin
Portions - Ruth, Jonah,
Philippians
Revision
120,000
1
1
Speakers
23,060,100
Botswana
Shekgalagadi
Portion - Luke
First
40,100
Burkina Faso
Lyele
Portion - Leviticus
First2
213,000
India
Sajolang (Miji)
Portion - Gospels
First
18,000
Morocco
Moroccan Arabic
Portion - Genesis
First2
23,060,100
Mozambique
Elomwe
Portions - Isaiah & Proverbs
First2
1,269,527
Philippines
Tinggian
Portion - Mark
First2
Philippines
Eastern Waray (dialect)
Portion - Mark
First
Philippines
Northern Waray
(dialect)
Portion - Mark
First
589,000
Tanzania
Kiha
Portion - Genesis
First2
990,000
Togo
Ikposso
Portion - Matthew
First
162,500
Russia
Karelian Olonets
Portion - Isaiah
First2
31,000
Study Editions
China
West Lisu
Study Bible
Study Edition
600,000
Argentina
Toba Qom
Study New Testament
Study Edition
70,000
Braille Editions
9,000
429,000
Sri Lanka
Sinhala
Bible
First
Mexico
Purepecha
Portion - Luke
First
Armenia
Armenian (Etchmiadzin) Portion - Sirach
First2
Costa Rica
Spanish (Dios Habla Hoy) Portion - Acts
First2
Netherlands
Dutch (Plain Dutch)
New
Bible
150,000
21,944,690
Part of the 100 Bibles in 1000 Days Campaign
First translations of these portions – other books of the Bible have been translated in these languages
3
A North African Arabic New Testament was first published in 1932. This is the first printed edition of a specific
Moroccan Arabic New Testament. It has been available in audio and electric format since 2012.
1
2
The fellowship is incorporated as United Bible Societies, a corporation registered
in the state of Delaware, USA, in 1946. The affairs of the fellowship are administered on its behalf
by the United Bible Societies Association (UBSA) from its registered office at UBS UK Hub, Stonehill
Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7PJ, England. UBSA is a company limited by guarantee, registered in
England and Wales no. 2264875. Registered charity no. 800058
www.unitedbiblesocieties.org Tel: +44(0)1189 500 200 [email protected]