The purpose of this project is to make a Bible available in deaf-orientated English for deaf people in South Africa and Africa who use the Bible in English.

Background

Because people learn spoken language primarily through imitation and verbal communication, people who are born deaf have specific language and reading needs which often means they are excluded from opportunities.

For most deaf people, the Bible is closed book they cannot understand. Many schools for the Deaf in South Africa and Africa use English as the medium of instruction, but unfortunately the existing Bible translations are difficult for most deaf people to understand and this can easily cause confusion. Research shows that the reading proficiency of most deaf adults in South Africa is comparable to that of 8 to 10 year-old hearing children. Only a small percentage of deaf learners ever complete Grade 12.

For most deaf people, Sign Language is their mother tongue and they would no doubt prefer a visual Bible in the Sign Language they understand. Besides the expense involved in creating a visual Bible, there is not one Sign Language used by everyone. Twelve different Sign Languages have been documented in South Africa alone and at least a further 150 in Africa. Another problem is that the Bible text does not always lend itself to the use of Sign Language. It is therefore difficult to make the complete text accessible to the Deaf through the visual medium.

This proposed English Bible for the Deaf will be translated so that the majority of deaf people who receive their education in English will understand it. A limited vocabulary as well as many footnotes and illustrations will be used to explain certain concepts in the text for the Deaf.

Expected impact

• This translation will help make the Bible accessible for many deaf people in South Africa as well as Africa and put them in a position to better understand the biblical message.

Budget

R699 998 is needed for this translation to continue in 2012.

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Bank details
Bible Society of South Africa
Bank: ABSA
Account number: 550 220 288
Branch code: 632-005

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