Translating the Scriptures
After the New Testament was written and Christianity began spreading, the work of translation started. The Bible appeared in Latin, Armenian, Gothic, Coptic, and other languages. People wanted to read the Bible in their own tongue. These translations were not produced on scrolls but in codes form. This was a step forward in Bible making and the growing work of translation. Today, the Bible has been translated in more than 1,700 languages and dialects.
Ancient Versions of the Bible
Common Version: Jerome is the first Bible translator known to us. his Latin translation, the Vulgate (or Common Version) was the standard Bible of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. A respected scholar, Jerome wrote his famous translation around AD 400.
Syriac Bible: Although Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic: (the language of Jesus) is no longer spoken, this fourth- century translation (known as the Peshitta)is still used in Syria, Iran, India and elsewhere.
Coptic Bible: A Coptic version was needed as Christianity spread south to Egypt and beyond. Translation began in the third century, and the Coptic Bible is still used today.
Gothic Version: When Christianity swept through the Roman Empire after Emperor Constantine’s conversion (AD 312), new Bible translations were needed. The Germanic Goths received almost the whole Bible in their language, Gothic, from the missionary translator Ulfilas.
Armenian Bible: Translated by St. Mesrop in the fifth century, this Bible is still the standard version used today in the ancient Armenian Church scattered throughout the world.
Old Slavonic Bible: St. Cyril invented the Cyrillic alphabet, and before long the entire Bible was translated in Old Slavonic. This version is the official Bible of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Middle Ages - English Translations
When the Roman Empire broke up, Christianity spread to northern and eastern Europe, and the need for new Bible translations increased. Early English translations were made from the Latin Bible, which was first read and taught in England by monks. It is believed that the first English translation was done by a seventh century monk named Caedmon. Another English churchman, named Bede, translated the Gospels into English. King Alfred the Great (who reigned AD 871 - 901), another translator, gave his people parts of Exodus, Psalms, and Acts in their own language. He even included parts of the Ten Commandments in the laws of the land! In the 1300s, William of Shoreham and Richard Rolle translated the Psalms into English.
John Wycliffe
This well-known Oxford theologian (c.1329-1384) was the first to translate the entire Bible from Latin into English. He believed that the Bible should be in the hands of every reader and not made the exclusive property of churches or church leaders. Wycliffe and his team of translators followed the Latin text closely -- even in its awkward order of words! By 1395, John Purvey revised Wycliffe’s work into more understandable English.
Some copies of the Bible had notes that expressed the controversial theological views of Wycliffe and his followers. The Pope even reproved Wycliffe, and banned his English versions from the popular market. But the popularity of the English Bible endured. Hundreds of copies continued to circulate even up to the time of printing -- more than 100 years later.
Printing, Guttenberg, and the Reformation
As Mainz in Germany, Johann Guttenberg pioneered the process of printing from movable type. The Bible, printed in Latin in 1456, was the first major work to emerge from his press. Ten years later, it was printed in Germany at Strasbourg. Following this, an Italian Bible and a French New Testament rolled off the press. Next, the first Dutch Scriptures appeared in 1477. Then in 1478, the entire Bible was produced in Catalan for Spain. All these printed versions were based on existing manuscripts and translated from the Latin.
Erasmus
In 1516, the renowned Dutch scholar Erasmus was the first to publish the Greek New Testament.
Martin Luther
While the young monk Martin Luther was studying his Latin Bible in Germany, he was struck by Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans. Luther’s life was transformed by his new understanding of God and salvation, and he became a Bible scholar in earnest. He decided to translate the Bible into plain, everyday German. Luther was determined that everyone should be able to read the Bible. The translation was completed in 1532, and has remained the most famous German Bible since then.
William Tyndale
William Tyndale, a Cambridge scholar and follower of Erasmus, went to Germany to complete his work of translating the New Testament into English. his first printed version appeared at Worms, Germany, in 1926. Copies soon arrived in England and were eagerly studied. However, the Bishop of London rejected this work and had the translation burnt in large quantities. Undaunted, Tyndale went on to produce a better version, and by 1366, his second revision had been printed 40 times!
Myles Coverdale
In 1335, Myles Coverdale published the entire Bible in English. It was printed overseas but quickly found its way into England. At the request of the clergy, the Coverdale Bible (with a dedication to King Henry VIII included in its pages) was authorized by the king for circulation among the people.
Coverdale’s work was based on the scholarship of Tyndale, Luther, and the Latin version of the Bible. his translation of the psalms is still printed in the Book of Common Prayer. Coverdale is known for including chapter summaries (similar to the Authorized or King James Version), and for separating the Apocrypha from the Old Testament books in his version.
The Great Bible
This translation appeared in 1539 and contained a preface by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Crammer, encouraging everyone to read the Bible. The Great Bible was intended for use by churches, and all controversial notes were dropped from its pages.
Before King Henry VIII’s death in 1347, large numbers of Tyndale’s and Coverdale’s translations were destroyed, but the Great Bible remained in many churches (even though services were once more conducted in Latin).
The Geneva Bible
In 1560, English scholars working in Geneva, Switzerland, came out with a Bible revision dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I. The Geneva Bible, as it was called, tried to remain faithful to the style and phrasing of the Hebrew language gauge. It included the Apocrypha, with a note about the importance of these books.
The Geneva Bible became popular both in Britain and Switzerland, and was printed 70 times during Elizabeth’s reign. It also became the official Bible of the churches in Scotland. It has sometimes been called the Breeches Bible, because in its translation of Genesis 3:7, it notes that Adam and Eve made “breeches” (rather than loincloths) for themselves.
The Bishop’s Bible
The Great Bible, revised by Bishop Parker and others in 1568, became known as the Bishop’s Bible. The aim was to improve the text, remove offensive language, and avoid controversial notes and interpretations.
The King James or Authorized Version of 1611
When James I became King of England in 1603, he agreed to a new Bible revision. He helped organize the work, which was then handed to six groups of scholars. The revision was based on the Bishop’s Bible, but the original Bible languages were used. Margin notes explained Hebrew and Greek words, linked parallel passages, and new chapter summaries were included.
When it was published there was a dedication to King James and a long preface explaining how the work of revision and translation was done. This popular version (which in the beginning included the Apocrypha) enjoyed great status and authority for 350 years. People enjoyed the flow and dignity of its language. Since the early edition of the King James Version, the spelling has been updated, margin references expanded, and chapter summaries shortened. It is considered by many as one of the top three versions today.
The Douai Bible
A year before the King James Version, the first Roman Catholic Bible - the Douai Version - was published in France. Gregory Martin and others who worked on this project tried to translate the Vulgate word for word. They ended up with a version that was difficult to understand. Bishop Challoner, unhappy with their results, called for two revisions of the Old Testament -- and five of the New Testament.
Dutch, French, and Other European Languages
Besides English and German, the Reformation gave rise to Bible translations in many other languages. The first complete Dutch Bible was produced in 1525. During the following century other versions were published, including the standard Protestant Bible - the States General version of 1637. This is still used today along with other modern versions.
The French have produced many Bibles, the most popular among Protestants being The Segond Version of 1880, and the Synoldale of 1910.
The story of Bible translation in other western European countries is similar. However, in eastern Europe old versions were used for centuries. In Russia, the entire Bible was not translated into Russian until 1876. Today there is much Bible translation being done throughout Europe.
Major Modern English Versions
In 1870, the Church of England decided to make a revision of the King James Version. Talented teams of scholars were appointed and told to make as few changes in the text as possible. When the Revised Version New Testament emerged in 1881, it aroused great interest and speculation in England and America. In the revisions, many well-known words and verses had been left out because they were lacking any real manuscript authority. The entire Bible was issued in 1885, but because it was oriented toward British spelling and figures of speech, it lost support in the United States.
Revised Standard Version
An agency of the World Council of Churches began working on a revision of the American Standard Version in 1929, Based on the latest scholarly Greek texts, the New Testament section of the RSV was published in 1946, and the Old Testament came out in 1952. It was considered a more reliable and readable translation than most others up to this point, but it was criticized because of the new wording of some key passages.
New English Bible
Dr. C. H. Dodd, was the director of a new translation, suggested by the Church of Scotland in 1946. The New Testament was first published in 1961; the Old Testament appeared in 1970. This official interchurch translation in Britain was the first major version to move away from the Tyndale and Authorized Version tradition.
All the latest biblical research was considered in putting together the New English Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls gave light to Old Testament texts, and newly discovered manuscripts revealed the meaning of some difficult words.
Living Bible
This highly popular Bible was written by Kenneth Taylor, who established his own publishing company (Tyndale House) in order to produce a paraphrase of the entire Bible written in everyday language. The New Testament was published in 1956, and the entire Bible came out in 1971. It also was criticized because of new wording on some key passages and not recommended by Bible teachers for serious Bible studies.
Good News Bible
This version was produced by the American Bible Society between 1966 - 1976. Its aim was to have reliable and accurate translation using the language of everyday speech. Based on a careful study of linguistics, it has provided a pattern for translations in many languages all over the world. It has been widely used by Military Chaplains.
Jerusalem Bible
In 1996, the Jerusalem Bible was published by Roman Catholic translators, Based on the original languages, the modern, lively version is widely used by both Catholics and Protestants. The Jerusalem Bible first translated into French includes the introduction and notes from the French Translation. The New Jerusalem Bible was published in 1986.
New International Version (NIV)
This translation was produced in 1973, (New Testament) and 1978, (Old Testament) by a team of Protestant evangelical scholars mainly from the United States. They used the best research to produce an updated, formal Bible in the tradition of earlier English versions. It too was considered by some a more reliable and readable translation than most others but it was by many criticized because of the new wording of some key passages and its appeal to Calvinistic thinking.
===========================================================================
Translation, Version, Revision --- What’s the Difference?
What type of Bible do you read? Is it a recent translation? An updated version? A revision of an older version? If this all seems a bit confusing, perhaps some definitions of those terms will help.
===========================================================================
New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Testament of the NKJV was published in 1979 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Based on the 1894 edition of the Textus Receptus, it both preserved the integrity of the text and eliminated archaic, difficult to read expressions. In 1982, the complete New King James Version was published by Thomas Nelson, and it became quite popular. Considered by many, to be one of the top three acceptable versions used today.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Responding to the need for a readable, accurate Bible -- with gender inclusive language -- this new work was developed from the most ancient Biblical texts available. Pioneered by Bruce M. Metzger and a stellar translation committee, the NRSV was published in 1989.
GOD’S WORD TRANSLATION
GOD‘S WORD, produced at the end of the 20th century by GOD’S WORD to the Nations Bible Society, filled a need that has remained unmet by English Bibles: to communicate clearly to contemporary Americans without compromising the Bible’s message. This new translation consciously combines scholarly fidelity with natural English.
GOD’S WORD looks and reads like contemporary American Literature. This is because it employed full time Bible scholars along with full time English editorial reviewers. It uses natural grammar, follows standard punctuation and capitalization rules, and is printed in a single column. Because of the involvement of scholars, GOD’S WORD is an accurate, trustworthy translation. It is the bible translation of choice with this author and used extensively in this book because of its simplicity and understandability without compromising the message.
Jewish Translations
The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, a new translation (put out in 1917), aimed to combine the heart of Jewish culture with the best of biblical scholarship. In 1953, the Jewish Publication Society appointed a committee to make a new translation of the Bible, the Tanakh. The New Jewish Version was published in 1962 and revised in 1973.
Besides Wycliffe Bible Translators and the United Bible Societies, there are several other translations at work today. However, there are still hundreds of language groups without an existing translation for their use. Clearly, there is plenty of work to be done. And Bible society scholars estimate that as languages keep changing a revision -- if not a new translation -- still will be needed every 30 years for each language. †
Ancient Versions of the Bible
Common Version: Jerome is the first Bible translator known to us. his Latin translation, the Vulgate (or Common Version) was the standard Bible of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. A respected scholar, Jerome wrote his famous translation around AD 400.
Syriac Bible: Although Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic: (the language of Jesus) is no longer spoken, this fourth- century translation (known as the Peshitta)is still used in Syria, Iran, India and elsewhere.
Coptic Bible: A Coptic version was needed as Christianity spread south to Egypt and beyond. Translation began in the third century, and the Coptic Bible is still used today.
Gothic Version: When Christianity swept through the Roman Empire after Emperor Constantine’s conversion (AD 312), new Bible translations were needed. The Germanic Goths received almost the whole Bible in their language, Gothic, from the missionary translator Ulfilas.
Armenian Bible: Translated by St. Mesrop in the fifth century, this Bible is still the standard version used today in the ancient Armenian Church scattered throughout the world.
Old Slavonic Bible: St. Cyril invented the Cyrillic alphabet, and before long the entire Bible was translated in Old Slavonic. This version is the official Bible of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Middle Ages - English Translations
When the Roman Empire broke up, Christianity spread to northern and eastern Europe, and the need for new Bible translations increased. Early English translations were made from the Latin Bible, which was first read and taught in England by monks. It is believed that the first English translation was done by a seventh century monk named Caedmon. Another English churchman, named Bede, translated the Gospels into English. King Alfred the Great (who reigned AD 871 - 901), another translator, gave his people parts of Exodus, Psalms, and Acts in their own language. He even included parts of the Ten Commandments in the laws of the land! In the 1300s, William of Shoreham and Richard Rolle translated the Psalms into English.
John Wycliffe
This well-known Oxford theologian (c.1329-1384) was the first to translate the entire Bible from Latin into English. He believed that the Bible should be in the hands of every reader and not made the exclusive property of churches or church leaders. Wycliffe and his team of translators followed the Latin text closely -- even in its awkward order of words! By 1395, John Purvey revised Wycliffe’s work into more understandable English.
Some copies of the Bible had notes that expressed the controversial theological views of Wycliffe and his followers. The Pope even reproved Wycliffe, and banned his English versions from the popular market. But the popularity of the English Bible endured. Hundreds of copies continued to circulate even up to the time of printing -- more than 100 years later.
Printing, Guttenberg, and the Reformation
As Mainz in Germany, Johann Guttenberg pioneered the process of printing from movable type. The Bible, printed in Latin in 1456, was the first major work to emerge from his press. Ten years later, it was printed in Germany at Strasbourg. Following this, an Italian Bible and a French New Testament rolled off the press. Next, the first Dutch Scriptures appeared in 1477. Then in 1478, the entire Bible was produced in Catalan for Spain. All these printed versions were based on existing manuscripts and translated from the Latin.
Erasmus
In 1516, the renowned Dutch scholar Erasmus was the first to publish the Greek New Testament.
Martin Luther
While the young monk Martin Luther was studying his Latin Bible in Germany, he was struck by Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans. Luther’s life was transformed by his new understanding of God and salvation, and he became a Bible scholar in earnest. He decided to translate the Bible into plain, everyday German. Luther was determined that everyone should be able to read the Bible. The translation was completed in 1532, and has remained the most famous German Bible since then.
William Tyndale
William Tyndale, a Cambridge scholar and follower of Erasmus, went to Germany to complete his work of translating the New Testament into English. his first printed version appeared at Worms, Germany, in 1926. Copies soon arrived in England and were eagerly studied. However, the Bishop of London rejected this work and had the translation burnt in large quantities. Undaunted, Tyndale went on to produce a better version, and by 1366, his second revision had been printed 40 times!
Myles Coverdale
In 1335, Myles Coverdale published the entire Bible in English. It was printed overseas but quickly found its way into England. At the request of the clergy, the Coverdale Bible (with a dedication to King Henry VIII included in its pages) was authorized by the king for circulation among the people.
Coverdale’s work was based on the scholarship of Tyndale, Luther, and the Latin version of the Bible. his translation of the psalms is still printed in the Book of Common Prayer. Coverdale is known for including chapter summaries (similar to the Authorized or King James Version), and for separating the Apocrypha from the Old Testament books in his version.
The Great Bible
This translation appeared in 1539 and contained a preface by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Crammer, encouraging everyone to read the Bible. The Great Bible was intended for use by churches, and all controversial notes were dropped from its pages.
Before King Henry VIII’s death in 1347, large numbers of Tyndale’s and Coverdale’s translations were destroyed, but the Great Bible remained in many churches (even though services were once more conducted in Latin).
The Geneva Bible
In 1560, English scholars working in Geneva, Switzerland, came out with a Bible revision dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I. The Geneva Bible, as it was called, tried to remain faithful to the style and phrasing of the Hebrew language gauge. It included the Apocrypha, with a note about the importance of these books.
The Geneva Bible became popular both in Britain and Switzerland, and was printed 70 times during Elizabeth’s reign. It also became the official Bible of the churches in Scotland. It has sometimes been called the Breeches Bible, because in its translation of Genesis 3:7, it notes that Adam and Eve made “breeches” (rather than loincloths) for themselves.
The Bishop’s Bible
The Great Bible, revised by Bishop Parker and others in 1568, became known as the Bishop’s Bible. The aim was to improve the text, remove offensive language, and avoid controversial notes and interpretations.
The King James or Authorized Version of 1611
When James I became King of England in 1603, he agreed to a new Bible revision. He helped organize the work, which was then handed to six groups of scholars. The revision was based on the Bishop’s Bible, but the original Bible languages were used. Margin notes explained Hebrew and Greek words, linked parallel passages, and new chapter summaries were included.
When it was published there was a dedication to King James and a long preface explaining how the work of revision and translation was done. This popular version (which in the beginning included the Apocrypha) enjoyed great status and authority for 350 years. People enjoyed the flow and dignity of its language. Since the early edition of the King James Version, the spelling has been updated, margin references expanded, and chapter summaries shortened. It is considered by many as one of the top three versions today.
The Douai Bible
A year before the King James Version, the first Roman Catholic Bible - the Douai Version - was published in France. Gregory Martin and others who worked on this project tried to translate the Vulgate word for word. They ended up with a version that was difficult to understand. Bishop Challoner, unhappy with their results, called for two revisions of the Old Testament -- and five of the New Testament.
Dutch, French, and Other European Languages
Besides English and German, the Reformation gave rise to Bible translations in many other languages. The first complete Dutch Bible was produced in 1525. During the following century other versions were published, including the standard Protestant Bible - the States General version of 1637. This is still used today along with other modern versions.
The French have produced many Bibles, the most popular among Protestants being The Segond Version of 1880, and the Synoldale of 1910.
The story of Bible translation in other western European countries is similar. However, in eastern Europe old versions were used for centuries. In Russia, the entire Bible was not translated into Russian until 1876. Today there is much Bible translation being done throughout Europe.
Major Modern English Versions
In 1870, the Church of England decided to make a revision of the King James Version. Talented teams of scholars were appointed and told to make as few changes in the text as possible. When the Revised Version New Testament emerged in 1881, it aroused great interest and speculation in England and America. In the revisions, many well-known words and verses had been left out because they were lacking any real manuscript authority. The entire Bible was issued in 1885, but because it was oriented toward British spelling and figures of speech, it lost support in the United States.
Revised Standard Version
An agency of the World Council of Churches began working on a revision of the American Standard Version in 1929, Based on the latest scholarly Greek texts, the New Testament section of the RSV was published in 1946, and the Old Testament came out in 1952. It was considered a more reliable and readable translation than most others up to this point, but it was criticized because of the new wording of some key passages.
New English Bible
Dr. C. H. Dodd, was the director of a new translation, suggested by the Church of Scotland in 1946. The New Testament was first published in 1961; the Old Testament appeared in 1970. This official interchurch translation in Britain was the first major version to move away from the Tyndale and Authorized Version tradition.
All the latest biblical research was considered in putting together the New English Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls gave light to Old Testament texts, and newly discovered manuscripts revealed the meaning of some difficult words.
Living Bible
This highly popular Bible was written by Kenneth Taylor, who established his own publishing company (Tyndale House) in order to produce a paraphrase of the entire Bible written in everyday language. The New Testament was published in 1956, and the entire Bible came out in 1971. It also was criticized because of new wording on some key passages and not recommended by Bible teachers for serious Bible studies.
Good News Bible
This version was produced by the American Bible Society between 1966 - 1976. Its aim was to have reliable and accurate translation using the language of everyday speech. Based on a careful study of linguistics, it has provided a pattern for translations in many languages all over the world. It has been widely used by Military Chaplains.
Jerusalem Bible
In 1996, the Jerusalem Bible was published by Roman Catholic translators, Based on the original languages, the modern, lively version is widely used by both Catholics and Protestants. The Jerusalem Bible first translated into French includes the introduction and notes from the French Translation. The New Jerusalem Bible was published in 1986.
New International Version (NIV)
This translation was produced in 1973, (New Testament) and 1978, (Old Testament) by a team of Protestant evangelical scholars mainly from the United States. They used the best research to produce an updated, formal Bible in the tradition of earlier English versions. It too was considered by some a more reliable and readable translation than most others but it was by many criticized because of the new wording of some key passages and its appeal to Calvinistic thinking.
===========================================================================
Translation, Version, Revision --- What’s the Difference?
What type of Bible do you read? Is it a recent translation? An updated version? A revision of an older version? If this all seems a bit confusing, perhaps some definitions of those terms will help.
- Translation: There are two different types of translations. In one instance, the translator tries to render the exact words of the original language into the receptor language. -- for example English. Using another approach, the translator takes the words or terms of the original language and tries to find the closest natural meaning in the receptor language. In this second method, the translator should have the same impact on the modern reader as the original had upon its audience.
- Version: A translation from the original texts that is prepared by a committee of scholars.
- Revision: A revised edition of an existing translation.
===========================================================================
New King James Version (NKJV)
The New Testament of the NKJV was published in 1979 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Based on the 1894 edition of the Textus Receptus, it both preserved the integrity of the text and eliminated archaic, difficult to read expressions. In 1982, the complete New King James Version was published by Thomas Nelson, and it became quite popular. Considered by many, to be one of the top three acceptable versions used today.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Responding to the need for a readable, accurate Bible -- with gender inclusive language -- this new work was developed from the most ancient Biblical texts available. Pioneered by Bruce M. Metzger and a stellar translation committee, the NRSV was published in 1989.
GOD’S WORD TRANSLATION
GOD‘S WORD, produced at the end of the 20th century by GOD’S WORD to the Nations Bible Society, filled a need that has remained unmet by English Bibles: to communicate clearly to contemporary Americans without compromising the Bible’s message. This new translation consciously combines scholarly fidelity with natural English.
GOD’S WORD looks and reads like contemporary American Literature. This is because it employed full time Bible scholars along with full time English editorial reviewers. It uses natural grammar, follows standard punctuation and capitalization rules, and is printed in a single column. Because of the involvement of scholars, GOD’S WORD is an accurate, trustworthy translation. It is the bible translation of choice with this author and used extensively in this book because of its simplicity and understandability without compromising the message.
Jewish Translations
The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, a new translation (put out in 1917), aimed to combine the heart of Jewish culture with the best of biblical scholarship. In 1953, the Jewish Publication Society appointed a committee to make a new translation of the Bible, the Tanakh. The New Jewish Version was published in 1962 and revised in 1973.
Besides Wycliffe Bible Translators and the United Bible Societies, there are several other translations at work today. However, there are still hundreds of language groups without an existing translation for their use. Clearly, there is plenty of work to be done. And Bible society scholars estimate that as languages keep changing a revision -- if not a new translation -- still will be needed every 30 years for each language. †
===========================================================================
Statistics of Modern Bible Translations
Today, more than 5,440 languages & dialects are known to be spoken throughout the world. The work of Bible translation involves about 1,745 of these languages. However, of these, the entire Bible (or the New Testament) has been translated in under 600 languages.
Europe and the Middle East-------------46 languages
Asia - Pacific----------------------------------285 languages
Africa-------------------------------------------249 languages
Americas and the Caribbean-------------6 languages
There are another 1,159 translations and revisions presently in progress:
Europe and the Middle East-------------12 languages
Asia - Pacific---------------------------------- 465 languages
Africa------------------------------------------- 402 languages
Americas and the Caribbean--------- 280 languages
===========================================================================
Statistics of Modern Bible Translations
Today, more than 5,440 languages & dialects are known to be spoken throughout the world. The work of Bible translation involves about 1,745 of these languages. However, of these, the entire Bible (or the New Testament) has been translated in under 600 languages.
Europe and the Middle East-------------46 languages
Asia - Pacific----------------------------------285 languages
Africa-------------------------------------------249 languages
Americas and the Caribbean-------------6 languages
There are another 1,159 translations and revisions presently in progress:
Europe and the Middle East-------------12 languages
Asia - Pacific---------------------------------- 465 languages
Africa------------------------------------------- 402 languages
Americas and the Caribbean--------- 280 languages
===========================================================================