World Languages

The primary focus of the Translation-CAP team of the Canadian Bible Society is to provide translation and computer assisted publishing support to translation projects among the indigenous languages of Canada. However, since the Canadian Bible Society is part of the world fellowship of the United Bible Societies, this office also provides assistance upon request to translation projects in other parts of the world.

2009 Scripture Language Report

The Bible in eight new languages! The New Testament in 35! The statistics contained in the 2009 Scripture Language Report * show that the United Bible Societies and other organisations involved in Scripture translation continue to make significant progress with enabling people to engage with and understand God's Word in their own language.

Thanks to their efforts, Scriptures are now registered in 2,508 different languages and dialects. However, this still leaves over 4,000 languages without even one book of the Bible.

The beginning, not the end

On average, it takes 12 years to translate the entire Bible. The publication and launch of the completed translation do not mark the end of the process, however. Indeed, this is where the purpose of translation really begins: the translation becomes the community's vehicle for hearing and understanding God's Word.

So, while the statistics such as those in the Scripture Language Report are a useful measure of progress, the ultimate goal of Scripture translation is not numeric: it is about enabling people to engage with, and absorb, the Scripture, shaping Church life and the faith of individuals for generations to come.

* This report provides a statistical summary of Scripture publication languages of the world as of December 31, 2009. It includes all items registered for the first time by the United Bible Societies during 2009.