Translation Projects

Currently we have 3 Onging Translation Projects.

1. Oluluyia Bible Translation Project

2. Kalenjin Bible Revision

3. Kiembu Kimbeere Bible Translation Project

1. OluLuyia

The Oluluyia language group is fundamentally made up of seventeen dialects: As a group, Oluluyia speakers form the second largest community in Kenya. These dialects form a *continuum: the closer one dialect is to another on the continuum the more intelligible they will be.

The first translation work for a Union Bible for this group was started in 1942. The translators had to grapple with many issues such as the grammar and vocabulary: On which dialect was such to be based? A general standard format was agreed upon and in 1968 (twenty-six years later!)the first New Testament was published. Thirty-three years later, in 1975, the complete Union Bible was published.

However, due to the extreme differences in the dialectal spread, some dialects, especially the OluLogooli, OluBukusu, OluNyole, OluIsukha, OluIdakho, and OluTirichi had difficulties in reading this Bible. The AbaLogooli community went ahead to translate and publish its own first Bible in 1951. The OluBukusu speakers embarked on translating theirs in 1976 (still going on!). The Abanyole published their first Bible in 2002. The AbIsukha & AbIdakho (commonly known as Abakakamega) and AbaTirichi church leaders jointly resolved to embark on translating a common Bible known as the Lukakamega-Lutirichi Bible. Its New Testament was launched in April 2005. With this "split", it became apparent that the remaining Oluluyia speakers had a Bible that was not clear and natural to them. This Bible had taken more than thirty years to publish, implying that by the time of publishing, the way the dialects were expressed had changed (language expressions change after every 25-30 years). Therefore, in 1989, the Abaluyia church leaders met and resolved to start the translation of a new inter-confessional, meaning-based Oluluyia Bible to serve the following mutually intelligible dialects: Oluwanga, Olumarama, Olutsotso, Olushisa, Olumarachi, Olukhayo, Olukabras, Olunyala and Olutachoni. They selected the Oluwanga, Olumarama, Olushisa and Olutsotso dialects to be the focus on which the translation grammar and vocabulary was to be based. They also decided that the translators be selected from any of these four dialects, while the reviewers should come from the wider stated dialects. The actual translation started in the same year (1989). The New Testament was launched in May 2005. Translation of the Old Testament is in progress and is the purpose for this proposal, to ensure a full new Oluluyia Bible is made available to the stated Abaluyia people.

2. Kiembu Kimbeere

Kiembu-Kimbeere has hitherto hardly been used as a written or read language. It’s used extensively in speech and church services. The Gikuyu language has been the main dominant neighbouring language used for reading and writing. Though this language is fairly mutually intelligible with the Kiembu-Kimbeere, there are significant differences in the sound system, semantics and tone. The churches in Embu and Mbeere districts have a strong desire to fully express the Word of God in their own language using a Kiembu-Kimbeere Bible, which they do not have.

The Aembu-Ambeere people are a section of the Bantu group who live in Eastern Province of Kenya, in Embu and Mbeere districts. They neighbour the Agikuyu, Ameru, Achuka and Akamba communities. They are a distinct ethnic group with own language and culture. The population stands at over 500,000 people. Small-scale farming is the main preoccupation of the community, where crops such as coffee and tea are grown, mainly for subsistence. Small-scale livestock farming is also practised. The Christian religion dominates the area, with two-thirds of the people affiliated to some church denomination in one way or another, having been influenced by Christian Missionaries in the early 20^th century.

For many years, this community has used the Gikuyu language as a medium of communication especially in churches and schools. About 30% of the adults aged between 40 and 60 years are not literate in any language, but they speak Kiembu-Kimbeere. The other 70%, the younger group, can speak and read the Gikuyu Bible. The launch of the first Kiembu-Kimbeere New Testament print Scripture in September 2003 was received with a lot of enthusiasm. All the 2500 printed copies were immediately sold out. A demand for a full Bible (the Old and New Testaments combined) is strongly expressed by the churches.

3. Kalenjin

The Kalenjin community is made up of 14 mutually intelligible dialects, which can be grouped into four clusters: the Rift Valley, the Mt. Elgon, the Pokot and the Okiek.Initially, there was only one Bible for all the dialects, which was published in 1939 based entirely on the Nandi dialect. Most of the dialects could not understand this Bible. A new strategy saw to the publishing of the Kalenjin Union version in 1969. This version adequately caters for the Rift Valley dialects. The Pokot people have translated their own Bible and launched in 2009. The 1999 population census established that 79% of Kenyans are 29 years and below. This is true of the Kalenjin community.

After a series of lengthy meetings with all interested stakeholders, it was resolved there was need to undertake the revision of the Kalenjin Union Bible.

Early Church Missionaries introduced Christianity in this region. Though the Catholic Church has its presence in the region, the protestant churches dominate. They use the 1969 Kalenjin Union Bible, from which apparently the younger literate generation is encountering a lot of problems, thereby calling for its revision.

In 2002, a number of key Kalenjin church leaders approached the Bible Society of Kenya (BSK) with a request to have the Kalenjin Union Bible’s contents readdressed with a view to making them more understood by their people. They said that the current Bible has some archaic words besides some concepts not clearly understood. A series of meetings between the BSK and the church leaders resolved to undertake the revision of the Bible, in particular, to:

Use vocabulary as spoken today.

Remove literal idioms and replace them with meaning-based words that express the exact meaning of the original message in a way that is natural in the new receptor language of the users.

Remove words that have offensive meanings in some dialects.

Make the Bible Inter confessional

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