Swahili Bible Translation

Swahili is a lingua franca that is chiefly spoken in the countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda,
South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. A somewhat different form of Swahili, with a French base, is spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As reported last year, the Society rejoiced to commence a Swahili Bible translation project, starting with the Gospel according to John. The work is being undertaken directly from the Greek Received Text by a suitably qualified Swahili speaker, supported by five other Swahili speakers: three based in Kenya and three in Tanzania. In recent months the team has faced some severe challenges. One translator, only in his thirties, was bereaved of his wife, and another translator has only just recovered from being hospitalised in intensive care.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the team are currently finalising the text of John, after which it will be examined by the Society. Once approved for publication we plan for it first to be published online as a trial edition for feedback. This interim step is being taken because there is considerable regional variation in the Swahili spoken across East Africa and we would like our text to be widely accepted. A Swahili translation of the Society’s article The
Lord gave the Word is also being prepared.