Tanzania Projects

In Tanzania Wycliffe is presently working in 26 languages across the country. The personnel working in these programs are sharing their expertise and experience with local citizens. They are fluent in Swahili and are involved in training more Tanzanians for the task of Bible Translation.

Among the languages in which we are working, there is a language cluster project in the Mbeya-Iringa Regions and one in infancy in the Mara Region. Within a cluster project local citizens will need to be trained and coached in all aspects of a language program in order to involve and serve several languages simultaneously. Learn more in our Bantu language cluster section.

Explore the exciting work that is going on in our language projects:

1. Alagwa
2. Burunge
3. Mara Cluster
4. Mbeya-Iringa Cluster
5. Mbugwe
6. Rangi
7. Sandawe
8. Sukuma
9. Temi
   

To learn more about the languages of Tanzania check out the People and Languages section. To learn more about the languages of Tanzania visit the Ethnologue.

Feb 25, 2010 Nautical terms for a land-locked people? Written by Paul H. In Acts 27-28, the apostle Paul sails for Italy and encounters trouble at sea. The two Burunge (Tanzania) translators had done an excellent job of translating this passage, but when the translation consultant asked them to describe the scenes in their own words it became apparent that maritime terms-lifeboats, running aground, taking soundings-were foreign. But so were more ‘common' concepts like ocean (a body of water too big to see across), island, or harbor. Thanks to some creative drawings on the white board and internet photos, the concepts became understandable to the translators. As a result, a clear explanation and a few supporting illustrations should help the Burunge readers better understand this part of Paul's journey.

Feb 25, 2010 Zinza! Start at the beginning Written by Chris G. In a world that often assumes that everyone has access to the Bible, the Zinza people of Tanzania have only just begun. They recently received and dedicated Echitabu cho Kubanza "The Book of the Beginning," or the book of Genesis.  And they celebrated!  Read more...

Jan 28, 2010 We can’t have two Josephs Written by Misha S. To give a good idea of some of the issues that can come up when checking a Bible translation, here are some examples of what a translation consultant (Patrick) experienced while checking Luke 1-2 in both the Zanaki and Ikizu languages. The translators are Tanzanians working full-time as mother tongue Bible translators, and a Wycliffe missionary (Michelle) is the translation advisor. Read more...

Jan 27, 2010 Remotely Viable Written by Dave B Earlier this week the Mara Cluster Project conducted a Bible translation consultant check of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22 in the Simbiti language. Nothing unusual, right? Well, not really. The consultant was in Holland and the translation team in a small town in Tanzania.  Read more...

Jan 6, 2010 Tea for Two Chapters Written by Alison C. The Mara Cluster project recently published the Christmas Story in nine languages--a welcome Christmas gift for the two million people of the Mara Region. Pastor Waynse is a Simbiti Bible translator and he shared this testimony about the distribution of the Christmas story (Luke 1-2). Read more...