Sangu
Language
PROJECT UPDATE
TA NZAN IA
JUNE 2015
theseedcompany.org
Update From the Sangu People
Progress
Goals
Quick Facts
Team
2 Corinthians and Galatians drafted.
1 Peter team checked. Remainder of Acts
team checked and community tested. First
half of Acts reviewed by committee.
Genesis 12-25 published.
Full New Testament plus
Old Testament portions
Location: Tanzania
Number of Speakers: 75,000
Expected Completion: 2018
Translation advisor Andy
Translators Abedy, Yoram
and Matrida
Highlights
01 How many sins does love
cover? The translators used the
Sangu phrase “bind yourself to
forgive” when they translated
1 Peter 4:8.
02 When a village official saw
Scripture booklets written in
his language, his face was “like
someone who gets a surprise
from a friend.”
Bound to Forgive
While checking 1 Peter with the team, advisor Andy was interested
to see how they’d translated 1 Peter 4:8: “Most important of all,
continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a
multitude of sins” (NLT).
The literal English translation from Sangu reads, “In everything,
love with all your heart, because if you love a person then you will
bind yourself to forgive him, even if he sins against you very many
times” (1 Peter 4:8). Andy asked them to explain the phrase “bind
yourself to forgive.”
“It means you make sure you’ll forgive the one who has sinned
against you,” the translators answered. Andy had one word for
that — “Wow.”
“Mu goona, mugananaje kwa numbula yoona, kwa kiiva nda
umugane umuunu ndeeno usiive uyipinyile kimusaajila hata nda
akunanjiile uwunansi mala nyinshi mandu.” — 1 Peter 4:8 (Sangu)
‘Like a surprise from a friend’
Arriving in a Sangu village to test the translation of Acts 15-28,
the translators first went to the village officials. They introduced
themselves, explained their work and asked permission to read
03 Positive, helpful responses
from Sangu speakers
encouraged the team when they
“tested” the translation of Acts
15-28 with people in a village.
the translated passage to people and ask them comprehension
questions.
One official, a follower of another religion, challenged them. “From
my religious teaching, I know that the Holy Book must not be
translated into any other languages,” he said. “If your Bible is the
Word of God, why are you translating it into your mother tongue?
Don’t you know that blasphemes and dishonors your God?”
The translators answered, “Our God is the One who created
all languages. He understands and speaks them. He values all
people and their languages.” After discussing it further, the man
agreed their work is good. “If people read the Word of God in
their language,” he said, “they may understand it well and live
according to God’s will.”
When they gave him the booklets of Jonah and Ruth in Sangu,
his face was “like someone who gets a surprise from a friend,” the
translators said. “He told us he’d never seen anything written in his
mother tongue.”
Go online for more updates and to join the
community conversation!
theseedcompany.org/projects/mbeya-nt-cluster-sangu
Pray For Your People
01
02
Thank You, Lord, that the Sangu
translators had an encouraging,
helpful experience testing Acts in
the community. Draw the village
official to Your salvation through
Scripture in his heart language.
God, we lift up translators Abedy,
Matrida and Yoram, asking for
continued joy in their work and
for wisdom in how to clearly and
accurately translate difficult
Bible passages.
03
Dear Father, we pray that the
Sangu website will reach many
people with Your Word in their
heart language when it goes
live in the next few months.
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