Thanks to a record increase in the rate of Bible translation, for the first time in history more than half the world’s languages now have some Scripture.
More than 4,000 of the 7,396 known languages are now in translation, according to Wycliffe Bible Translator’s 2024 State of the Bible Report. This significant milestone has been reached due to a rapid growth in the number of Bible or New Testament translations begun this year – two were launched a week, compared to the previous year where one was started every 5.5 days. This is the fastest rate of translation in recent memory.
‘This year has been a landmark for the ministry of Bible translation,’ Executive Director of Wycliffe James Poole commented. ‘Together, we are witnessing God’s hand at work in a way that is changing lives.
‘Reflecting on another year of incredible progress, we are filled with hope for the future. Within the next 10–20 years, we could reach a landmark moment where 95% of people have the complete Bible in their own language, and almost everyone has the New Testament. This would be a monumental achievement in world history!’
With 108 Bibles or New Testaments launched last year, it is estimated that 6 billion people now have access to Scripture in their language. People from communities as far away from each other as the Nobonob people in Papua New Guinea, the Rangi people in Tanzania, and the Tlaxiaco Mixteca people in Mexico are just some of those who now have a Bible or a New Testament in printed or audio forms in their language.
Translating the Bible into another language is a commitment that can spread across years, involving teams of people. Work on the Rangi New Testament in Tanzania, for example, first began in 1997. They overcame several challenges and difficulties, such as a main translator called Maingu sadly dying, to finally finish the work on 30 August this year, 27 years on from when they started.
See also this article on Bible translation.
