|TOP|With an addition of four language groups receiving the full Bible in their mother tongue for the first time, the number of languages in which the complete Old and New Testament exists is now 426.

The latest Scripture Language Report published by the United Bible Societies in Reading, England, also reveals that the New Testament was made available for the first time in a further 39 languages, making a total of 1,115.

Along with the 826 languages in which Bible portions exist, at least some part of God’s Word is now available to speakers of 2,403 languages.

Some of the new translations will bring the Bible to relatively large communities. Gulmancema, for example, is spoken in West Africa by approximately 600,000 people in Burkina Faso and a further 200,000 in Benin, Togo and Niger. |AD|

Recently, the International Bible Society (IBS) recently released its Shona Bible translation at the Celebration Centre in Harare City, Zimbabwe, Africa.

More than 3,000 church and government leaders welcomed the translation of the Bible in their contemporary language, which will allow 10 million people in Zimbabwe to gain access to the Word of God.

Experts estimate that there are around 6,500 languages in all. So there are still more than 4,000 translations to complete.