English is the home language of 3 673 203 people in South Africa – the majority of whom live in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The first translation of the complete Bible into English is associated with the name of John Wycliffe. Wycliffe organised a group of 'poor priests' to live simply and give the message of Christ to the people in a way that they could understand. He soon came to realise that they must have a Bible in English. How much of the translation he did himself is uncertain, but with the help of Nicholas de Hereford and some others an English Bible was completed in 1383, the year before John Wycliffe's death.
Important dates in the history of the English Bible:
| 1525 | First printed New Testament Cologne: Peter Quentell (printer) Translated by William Tyndale. |
| 1535 | First printed Bible Cologne?/Marburg?: E Cervicornus & J Soter? (printers) Translated by Miles Coverdale. He used Tyndale's translation of the New Testament |
| 1611 | First edition of the Authorised/King James Version London: Robert Barker (printer) Translated by six panels of translators, each consisting of forty-seven men. In spite of the many modern translations currently available, the KJV is still read by a large number of people throughout the English-speaking world. |
| 2004 | Contemporary English Version (CEV) New York: American Bible Society One of the more recent English translations published by the Bible Society. |