Bible Translation
Our Purpose
Unreached & Unengaged People Groups (UUPGs) are people groups that currently have no known full-time workers involved in evangelism and church-planting. This means there is no Scripture available for these communities and no initiatives to provide Scripture have yet taken place. God has given us a heart and burden to reach these people groups with HIS word on audio in their own heart language.
Unreached & Unengaged
People Groups Today
source: statistics from Finishing The Task
Why Audio Translations?
As we know, there are little chances that a church movement would survive if God’s Word was not available in a format the people can understand.
Part of our engagement with UUPG’s is providing audio translations of God’s Word in their own language. We focus on audio translations because a vast majority of UUPG’s are oral communities; they live and learn primarily through verbalization, such as storytelling. Many of these types of communities are actually not familiar with writing and print.
It makes a great difference in the peoples’ lives when Scripture is available in their own heart language. Many of these people are aware that God’s Word is available in their country’s main trade language, but they don’t believe that such a Big God would also speak their tribal language. When they finally hear God speaking their own language in audio form, there is a much greater response from the individuals as they immerse themselves into the stories.
What Do We Translate?
We translate the entire Old Testament and New Testament so that everyone can have access to God’s full love letter to us. As New and Old Testament translations are taking place, we also translate 50 Bible stories from Genesis to the Revelation.
We translate Bible Stories because oral cultures tend to preserve and transmit their culture through stories, proverbs, poems, songs, dance and other dramas. They love to hear the stories over and over again, memorizing them word-for-word, and sharing them with others. Rhema for the Nations and many of our partners have proved that Bible storying is effective for evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and even leadership training.
We also translate Scripture-based videos such as the Jesus Film, in partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ and Vernacular Media Services.
How Technology is Cutting Translation Time
Rhema for the Nations has developed BT App, a Bible translation app available on Android devices that shortens the translation process by years! This app allows our translators to reach linguistic consultants from anywhere and at anytime. It is no longer necessary for consultants to travel on-site to assist translators. If you are a Bible translation ministry that would benefit from using this app, please contact us.
