Phonology workshop in Mbeya (Tanzania)"Translation is the church's birthmark as well as its missionary benchmark," say Lamin Sanneh, of Yale University. "The church would be unrecognizable or unsustainable without it... Translation is profoundly related to the original conception of the Gospel: God, who has no linguistic favorites, has determined that we should all have the Good News in our native tongue."
History documents the Bible's profoundly positive impact on individuals and societies. Its impact is greatest when written in the "heart language" of a people. Barriers to understanding the gospel are reduced. People have the opportunity to grow spiritually. Strong, healthy churches are the result. Strong churches reach out to their neighbours in acts of service, which can ultimately transform whole communities and bring glory to God.
For more information see our article on Statistics.