Christians in PNG
Like many small, remote communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Gogodala people have been waiting a long time to have the whole Bible in their language. 25,000 Gogodala live across several villages in the Balimo-Aramia River area in PNG’s west. Ninety per cent are Christian. While a Gogodala New Testament is currently available, the language needs to be made more contemporary, and there’s a deep yearning to have the Old Testament books translated as well. With more than 800 languages spoken in some of the most remote communities in the world, PNG presents a unique challenge when it comes to translation work.
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The Motu people who live in and around the capital, Port Moresby, are also still waiting for a full Bible translation. The need is urgent, and an estimated 100,000 Motu speakers would love the privilege of holding and reading the Bible in their own language, just as those in the English speaking world do. The Bible Society is working with local churches to coordinate the translation of the Gogodala and Motu Bibles. The best translation work always gets the local community involved. This caters for language accuracy and cultural nuances, and also gives the community a sense of “ownership ” of the finished product.