BIBLE HITS NEW HIGH
Yi, Lipo and Wa – spoken by more than a million people in China – are just
three of the 61 languages that gained their first partial Bible translations
during 2016, along with Tatar and Udmurt for use in Russia, and Cree and
Inupiaq for Canada, according to the latest Global Scripture Access Report from
the Swindon-based United Bible Societies (UBS).
Last year’s 61 new translations brought all or parts of the Bible to an
estimated 428 million people for the first time, including tribes in Burkina
Faso, Cameroon, Uganda and Zambia, as well as six separate ethnic groups in
India and seven in Myanmar.
The UBS report said that complete Bibles are now available in 648 languages.
However, with an estimated 6,880 “living languages” worldwide, much work
remains before “everyone can access the full Bible in the language of their
choice”.
Although 285 million people globally are visually impaired, including 40
million who are blind, only 44 languages have a full Bible in Braille to date,
usually running to 40 bulky volumes.
Founded in 1946, UBS has 146 member societies, working in more than 200
countries and territories.
-
From THE TABLET
London 6th.
May 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment