1

UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES Global Scripture Access Report

May 2014

| Page 2

1. Progress in 2013

In 2013 Bible Societies assisted in the completion of translations in 18 languages with the potential to impact over 15 million people. This was ‘a first’ for eleven languages! Seven of these eleven languages now have a full Bible, two have New Testaments and two have portions. The remaining seven languages into which translations were completed in 2013 received new translations or revisions to help communicate God’s Word in a way that is more easily understood for people today. (See Appendix A for further details.)

1

9.4

5.3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Revisions

New translations

First translations

Number of language speakers of completed translations (millions)

| Page 3

2. 100 Bibles in 1000 days

Hundreds of millions of people still don’t have access to a full Bible in their own language. And many people are waiting for new translations or revisions so they don’t have to struggle to understand translations that are decades, even centuries, old. In 2013 United Bible Societies identified 100 full Bibles that could be completed by the end of 2015. These included 43 First translations, 27 New translations and 30 Revisions. By May 2014 over half of these have completed the translation stage with 15 published and a further 43 in pre-production or printing.

42

37

6

15

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

In Translation

Pre-production

Printing

Published

Translation Progress of 100 Bibles in 1000 Days

| Page 4

3. Scripture Access Today

Scriptures Translated

United Bible Societies is committed to providing as many people as possible with the full Bible. Thankfully the number of full Bibles is increasing and digital technology is helping accelerate both the speed of translation and access to Scripture. There are now over 500 languages with the full Bible and nearly 1,300 with the New Testament. But with over 4,000 languages that have no Scripture in their language at all, much work still remains to be done. This graph shows the current state of Bible translation amongst the world’s languages.1

1 These figures have been compiled from physical copies held in the Bible Library in Brazil (as reported in the Scripture Language Report 2013 - see Appendix B) plus other Scriptures that have been published but not yet sent to the Library.

Bibles 511

Testaments 1295

Portions 844

No Scripture 4455

Number of languages with Scriptures

| Page 5

Scripture Access

Great strides have been made in the last year in the availability of Scriptures in electronic formats. The Digital Bible Library™ In 2011 United Bible Societies (UBS) launched The Digital Bible Library™ project in partnership with other Bible Agencies and with the support of the Every Tribe Every Nation alliance. As of May 2014 The Digital Bible Library™ includes 800 Bibles, Testaments and portions in 636 languages. Bible Search Bible Search is a search engine created by American Bible Society to take advantage of the growing global access to the internet to give people access to Scripture online. Bible Search now has 582 versions in 466 languages.

297

392

445

169

190

355

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

Bible Search - Languages (466 total)

Bible Search - Versions (582 total)

Digital Bible Library - Texts (800 total)

2013 Global Scripture Access Report 2014 Global Scripture Access Report

| Page 6

4. Scripture Language Report The Scripture Language Report details the contents of the physical Bible Library maintained in Sao Paulo by the Bible Society of Brazil. Translations that have been completed but have not been submitted to the library do not appear in the figures of the report. The library contains translations submitted by Bible Societies and by other Bible agencies.

Part A - Scripture Language Report 2013 Region Portions Testaments Bibles Bibles

with DC* Total

Africa 212 340 196 43 748

Asia 206 267 146 28 619

Oceania 135 273 40 10 448

Europe 110 41 63 51 214

North America 40 31 8 0 79

Caribbean, Central & South America

98 305 37 12 440

Constructed Languages

2 0 1 0 3

Total 2013 803 1257 491 144* 2551

Total 2012 810 1257 484 141* 2551

Change -7 - +7 +3 -

*Bibles with Deuterocanon included within the 491 Bibles total – this appears as a subcategory only

This table records the largest portion of Scripture for each language (Bible, Testament or Portion) that were received by the library in Brazil in 2013. While 7 full Bibles were received, the overall total remains unchanged from 2012 because no completely new languagues were received at the Bible Library last year. The figure for the number of languages with only portions is reduced by 7 because these languages now have the whole of the New Testament. The number of New Testaments remains unchanged overall because the 7 languages which now have the whole New Testament matches exactly the 7 languages which now have the full Bible (instead of just the New Testament). For the full report, please see Appendix B - Scripture Language Report 2013, prepared by the Bible Society of Brazil.

| Page 7

“We are delighted that our Bible Library received seven first complete Bibles and seven first New Testaments in 2013. We pray that these new Scriptures will have a lasting spiritual impact in the lives of individuals and communities alike. We are aware our physical Library is not complete. So we appeal to Bible Societies and our sister Bible translation agencies to send us new translations. Our mission is to preserve as complete a physical archive as possible of the book, which we believe, is the most significant book in the world.” - Erní Seibert, Communications & Social Outreach Secretary, Bible Society of Brazil

To ensure the Bible Library has records of all languages, please send two copies of all new Bibles, New Testaments and portions to the address below (reprints of previous editions are not needed). Please include the description of the publication e.g. first, new or revised translation and the email address of a contact person for any queries. Erní Walter Seibert, Sociedade Bíblica do Brasil, Av. Ceci, 706 Tamboré Barueri, SP 06460-120 Brazil

| Page 8

Part B – Progress in the New Millennium

Since the turn of the new millennium, the Scripture Language Report shows global Bible Agencies’ progress in publications submitted to archives between 2000 and 2013:

108 Bibles

270 Testaments

290 Languages with Scripture for the first time

For further analysis of the Scripture Language Report 2000-2013, see Appendix C. For further information please contact: Sarah Starrenburg sstarrenburg@biblesocieties.org or Graham Baxter gbaxter@biblesocieties.org United Bible Societies May 2014 The fellowship is incorporated as United Bible Societies, a corporation registered in the state of Delaware, USA, in 1946. The affairs of the fellowship are administered on its behalf by the United Bible Societies Association (UBSA) from its registered office at UBS UK Hub, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7PJ, England. UBSA is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 2264875. Registered charity no. 800058

383 491

987 1257

891

803

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

2000 2013

Portions

Testaments

Bibles

Appendix A In 2013 United Bible Societies assisted in the completion of Scriptures with the potential to reach over 15 million people

LANGUAGE COUNTRY TYPE SCOPE N0 OF SPEAKERS

Toba Argentina First Bible 25,000

Krio Sierra Leone First Bible 495,000

Mandinka Gambia First Bible 1,346,000

Udmurt Russia First Bible 750,000

Kok Borok India First Bible 762,000

Shilluk South Sudan First Bible + DC 600,000

Murut Timugon Malaysia First Bible + DC 8,000

Chadian Arabic Chad First NT 1,139,100

Aimol India First NT 5,000

Altai Russia First Portion - Genesis 75,000

Tojolabal Mexico First Portion - Ruth & Esther 45,000

Fijian New Version Bible (Itaukei) Fiji New Bible 450,000

Sango Central African Rep. New Bible 404,000

Khualsim (Chin:Falam) Myanmar New NT 107,000

Mongolian China New NT (trial edition) 6,500,000

Slovenian Slovenia New Portions - Acts, 1 Pet, 2&3 John - pilot ed 1,900,000

Quechua de Ayacucho Peru Revision Bible 900,000

Zeme North Naga India Revision Bible 61,492

15,572,592

Appendix B: Scripture Language Report 2013 – prepared by Bible Society of Brazil for United Bible Societies

TABLE I: Summary

Continent or Region Portions Testaments Bibles Bibles+DC* Total

Africa 212 340 196 (43) 748

Asia 206 267 146 (28) 619 Australia/New

Zealand/Pacific Islands 135 273 40 (10) 448

Europe 110 41 63 (51) 214

North America/Mexico 40 31 8 (0) 79

Caribbean Islands/Central America/South America 98 305 37 (12) 440

Constructed Languages 2 0 1 (0) 3

TOTAL 803 1257 491 144 2551

*Bibles with Deuterocanon

TABLE III: ADDITIONAL BOOKS IN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED LANGUAGES

A. Complete Bibles first reported

LANGUAGE PORTIONS COUNTRY BOOKS VERSION PUBLISHER DATE

Obolo NT: 1991 Nigeria Bible WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2012

Ndebele NT:1986 South Africa Bible BSSA Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Anuak NT:1965 Ethiopia Bible BSE Bible Society of Ethiopia (UBS) 2013

Krio NT:1992 Sierra Leone Bible BSSL Bible Society in Sierra Leone (UBS) 2013

Mambwe-Lungu NT :1991 Zambia Bible BSZ Bible Society of Zambia (UBS) 2013

Fon NT: 1994 Benin Bible ABB L'Alliance Biblique du Benin (UBS) 2013

Dioula (Jula) NT: 1997 Cote d'Ivoire Bible WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

B. New Testament first reported

LANGUAGE PORTIONS COUNTRY BOOKS VERSION PUBLISHER DATE

Oku Portions:1999 Cameroon New Testament OneBook OneBook 2012

Quechua,Eastern Apurimac Portions: 1974 Peru New Testament WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

Hdi Portions: 2005 Cameroon New Testament WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

Wapishana Portions: 1998 Guyana New Testament Suriname Bible Society Suriname Bible Society (UBS) 2012

Muyang (Muy) Portions: 2009 Cameroon New Testament WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

Belize Kriol Portions: 1999 Belize New Testament WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2012

Mwani (Kimwani) Portions: 2006 Mozambique New Testament WBT Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

C. Bibles with Deuterocanon

LANGUAGE COUNTRY BOOKS VERSION PUBLISHER DATE

Afrikaans Bible: 2000 South Africa Bible+ DC Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2013

Aymara Bible : Bolivia Bible+ DC Bible Society of Bolivia Bible Society of Bolivia (UBS) 2013

Fon NT: 1994 Benin Bible + DC L'Alliance Biblique du Benin L'Alliance Biblique du Benin (UBS) 2013

D. Additional portions reported for the first time

LANGUAGE PORTIONS COUNTRY BOOKS VERSION PUBLISHER DATE

Tabassaran NT : 2010 Russia Ruth, Jonah IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2013

Kalmyk NT:2002; Gn+Ru:2005; Ps:2006 Russian Proverbs IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2013

Calon Chibi Portions:1837 Brazil Ruth Bible Society of Brazil Bible Society of Brazil (UBS) 2013

Dargwa (Dargin) Mk:2002; Lk 2011 Russian Matthew IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2013

TABLE IV: NEW OR REVISED VERSIONS IN PREVIOUSLY RECORDED LANGUAGES

LANGUAGE NOTE COUNTRY BOOKS VERSION PUBLISHER DATE

Spanish Bible: 1553 Spain Bible Reina Valera Contemporánea United Bible Societies 2013

Tswana Bible : 1993 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Sotho,Southern Bible: 1989 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Samoan Bible :1970 New Zealand Bible New Zealand Bible Society New Zealand Bible Society (UBS) 2013

English Bible : 1382 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Lao Bible: 1932 Laos New Testament United Bible Societies United Bible Societies 2013

Tsonga Bible : 1907 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Northern Sotho Bible : 2000 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Yoruba Bible :2006 Nigeria Bible Bible Society of Nigeria Bible Society of Nigeria (UBS) 2013

Khmer Bible : 1998 Cambodia Bible Bible Society in Cambodia Bible Society in Cambodia (UBS) 2012

Ewondo NT: 1962 Cameroon New Testament L'Alliance Biblique du Cameroon

L'Alliance Biblique du Cameroon (UBS) 2012

Dimasa NT: 2005 India NT,Psalms & Proverbs Bible Society of India Bible Society of India (USB) 2011

Molsom India New Testament Bible Society of India Bible Society of India (USB) 2012

Naga,Poumai NT: 1992 India New Testament Bible Society of India Bible Society of India (USB) 2012

Gangte Bible : 1991 India Bible Bible Society of India Bible Society of India (USB) 2012

Zulu Bible: 1959 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2012

Spanish Bible: 1553 Spain Bible: contemporary Spanish edition Bible Society in Spain Bible Society in Spain (UBS) 2009

Quechua de Ayacucho Bible: 2011 Peru Bible Sociedad Bíblica Peruana Sociedad Bíblica Peruana (UBS) 2012

Tumbuka Bible: 1980 Zambia Bible Bible Society of Zambia Bible Society of Zambia (UBS) 2013

Nafaanra NT: 1984 Ghana New Testament Wycliffe Bible Translators Wycliffe Bible Translators 2013

Dagbani Bible: 2007 Ghana Bible Bible Society of Ghana Bible Society of Ghana (UBS) 2013

Aymara Bible : Bolivia Bible Bible Society of Bolivia Bible Society of Bolivia (UBS) 2013

English Bible : 2002 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2013

Sepedi Bible : 1904 South Africa Bible Bible Society of South Africa Bible Society of South Africa (UBS) 2013

Arabic Egypt Bible NVI Zondervan Zondervan 2013

Arabic Egypt Bible Tyndale House Publishers Tyndale House Publishers 2013

Bomu Bible : 2005 Mali Bible Alliance Biblique au Mali Alliance Biblique au Mali (UBS) 2013

French France Bible Universal Biblical Covenant Universal Biblical Covenant 2013

Arabic Chadian NT: 1991 Chad New Testament Alliance Biblique du Chad Alliance Biblique du Chad (UBS) 2012

Asante Twi ( Akan) Bible : 1964 Ghana Bible Bible Society of Ghana Bible Society of Ghana (UBS) 2013

Ga Bible : 1997 Ghana Bible Bible Society of Ghana Bible Society of Ghana (UBS) 2012

New Ewe Bible : 2011 Ghana Bible Bible Society of Ghana Bible Society of Ghana (UBS) 2013

Sar NT: 1986 Chad Bible L'Alliance Biblique du Chad Alliance Biblique du Chad (UBS)

Nanai and Russian Portions : 2002 Russia Portions IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2012

Chechen NT: 2007 Russia Bible IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2012

Itelmen and Russian Russia Luke IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2013

Evenki and Russian Portions : 2002 Russia Luke IBT Institute for Bible Translation 2013

Appendix C: Scripture Language Report Statistics in Review 2000 - 2013

383 392

405 414

422 426 429 438

451 459

469 475 484

491

350

400

450

500

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Bibles

987 1012

1034 1069 1079

1115 1146 1150

1185 1213

1231 1240 1257 1257

900

950

1000

1050

1100

1150

1200

1250

1300

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Testaments

2261 2287

2303

2355 2377

2403 2426

2454 2479

2508 2527 2538

2551 2551

2200

2250

2300

2350

2400

2450

2500

2550

2600

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Languages with Scripture