The Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Africa have described the availability of the New Testament, also known as the Christian Greek Scriptures, in South African Sign Language (SASL) as a breakthrough for users of the language.
This rendition of the collection of scriptures was released towards the tail end of March, making it accessible to the approximately 450 000 people using this language.
Mzamo Goloda, national spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Africa, said the translation efforts had taken five years.
He confirmed that the team of language practitioners translated 27 books commonly known as the New Testament into SASL. These include the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John; also the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John; and the Book of Revelation.
Life changed for South African deaf people in 2018 when they gained access to a publication of the first Bible book translated into SASL: The Gospel of Matthew.
“For many years in South Africa, deaf people did not have access to a reliable translation of even a single chapter of the Bible, and thus could not benefit from learning the Bible,” said Goloda.
One of the translators expressed what they believed the value of the SASL version would be.
“With this translation the power and truthfulness of God’s word is felt even more now. This moulds my thinking and personality, because Jesus’ personality and Bible principles are presented with clarity.”
The New Testament in SASL is published in electronic form and is available, free of charge, on the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ website and through their sign language application, which can be downloaded onto smartphones and tablets. Each of the 7 929 verses can be played separately.
