Low German Bible planned

WINNIPEG, MAN.

In January, 1988, Kindred Productions, the Mennonite Brethren book publisher, released the first printing of the New Testament in Plautdietsch (Low German, a dialect spoken by many Mennonites); 9600 copies have been printed so far. The translation project was a joint effort of MB Communications (an agency of the Manitoba MB Conference) and Wycliffe Bible Translators, with its sister organization, the Summer Institute of Linguistics.

J.J. Neufeld, the speaker for the Low German broadcasts of MB Communications at that time, did much of the translation work, which included writing a phonetic alphabet and an orthography checker. He was assisted by Peter Fast and others from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

At the time the New Testament was released, there were 80,000 Mennonites whose mother tongue was Plautdietsch. Some of these people were in Canada and the United States, but the vast majority lived in Mexico, Paraguay, Belize and Bolivia. The primary audience today, which continues to grow, remains in Mexico, Paraguay, Belize, Bolivia and Brazil. For many of these people, the Word of God only becomes understandable when read in Low German.

Since 1988, only the book of Psalms has been added to the New Testament. Realizing the need for the complete Bible in Low German, Ed Zacharias, an Evangelical Mennonite Missions Conference missionary in Mexico, started translating the Old Testament. Over the last number of years, he has translated Genesis, Exodus, Ruth, Esther, Daniel and Jonah. In the summer of 1998, Zacharias resigned from his missionary position to devote all of his time to the translation project.

An association called the Friends of Plautdietsch has been formed in Winnipeg, consisting of MB Communications, Kindred Productions, EMMC Missions, MCC Canada and several interested individuals. This group works alongside the United Bible Society, the Canadian Bible Society, Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics.

The present New Testament is being revised, and the Old Testament translated. Once the New Testament revision and Old Testament translation are completed, the whole Bible will be read for consistency in style, spelling, use of vocabulary and readability.

The United Bible Society is funding a major portion of the revision and translation work. The Friends of Plautdietsch are responsible for Ed Zacharias's salary, as well as other costs that arise during the testing and review periods. The Friends of Plautdietsch are looking at a minimum investment of $30,000 a year for three years. Kindred Productions has committed to raising $8000 of this. For more information, contact Kindred Productions, 169 Riverton Ave., Winnipeg Man. R2L 2E5, phone 1-800-545-7322, e-mail <kindred@mbconf.ca>. Kindred Productions news release.

Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 38, No. 3 Home Page