Translate the Bible into mother tongue-Religious bodies urged
Report by: Ben LARYEA
The Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) has organised this year’s translation seminar with the call on religious bodies to translate and interpret the Bible into mother tongue for a deeper understanding and easy access to the scriptures.
Speaking on the theme, “Bible Translation and Mother Tongue Interpretation For Pulpit Ministry” in Accra, the Translation Manager of BSG Rev. Dr. Kennedy Kwame Owiredu recommended that the Church must intensify the translation of the Bible in the mother tongue and actively use them in their respective preaching and teaching.
“Theologizing in the mother tongue must become a compulsory aspect of seminary and Bible training schools”, adding that the Gospel must be translated into our mother tongue as it will take genuine roots in Ghana and Africa.
Translate the Bible into mother tongue-Religious bodies urged
He pointed out that theological bodies such as Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Seventh-Day Adventist among others will blame themselves for not addressing the rampant misapplication and misinterpretations of the scriptures in the media and church space.
According to him, many of the Ghanaian languages such as Ga, Dangme, Effutu-Senya, and Okere among others are becoming endangered and likely to be extinct in the next 50 years if nothing is done to arrest the situation therefore the works and operations of the BSG must be supported to effectively run the translation projects.
Rev. Dr. Kennedy Owiredu said the Coptic church in Egypt, Ethiopia survived because of the emphasis they placed on mother tongue interpretations and Bible translation despite the dominance of the Arabic language as well as the emergence of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D.
The Translation Manager explained that if the church ignores the translation of the Scriptures in the mother tongue then the Christian community has completely failed to propagate the Gospel to the less privileged in the society due to the language barrier.
“This is the time for Africa and the church in Ghana to promote their mother tongue”, he added, saying the reading and understanding of the Bible comes with different lenses.
“The dynamics and movements of languages have influenced and played important roles in the phenomena of scripture translation, interpretation, and accessibility throughout Bible history”, he said.
The Guest Speaker for the occasion, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Most Reverend Charles Palmer-Buckle commended the BSG for their Christian program series saying it is part of the effort to propagate the Gospel and strengthen the values and virtues of the Christian faith.
He however thanked the Society for the frantic efforts in translating the Bible into various Ghanaian languages and urged benevolent societies to support the good works of the Society.
For his part, General Secretary of the BSG, Very Rev. Dr. John K. Addo Jnr. said the Society is working fervently to make the Bible available to all Ghanaians in their respective languages and urged Christians to invest in the operations of the Society and be part of the membership drive.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
