By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Jehovah’s Witnesses will inaugurate a new office building dedicated to Isoko translation in Oyede, Delta State Nigeria.
The facility’s purpose is to overcome language barriers by providing people with educational and Bible-based publications in Isoko.
This initiative of translating free publications benefits the entire area because it allows for information to be available in Isoko,” said Endurance Ologe, Local Spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This contributes to the development and education of the approximately 700,000 Isoko speakers in Nigeria, as well as aiding in the preservation of the language. Jehovah’s Witnesses are excited about this linguistical contribution to society.”
The Isoko people are one of the ethnic groups in Nigeria. They are mainly settled in the Niger Delta part of the Country.
Of the more than 8,800,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, more than 400,000 reside in Nigeria.
Since 1958, the difficult work of Isoko translation has been carried out by an accomplished group of local volunteers—mostly all native speakers—to ensure the highest quality translation possible.
Unlike automatic translation software, the translators take into consideration all the nuanced aspects of the culture to achieve a clear and natural translation.
So far, the team has completed the translation of hundreds of printed books as well as the Isoko Bible, brochures and audio publications in addition to, digital and video publications that can be downloaded, at no cost, from the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website jw.org.
The new 3,926 square-meter facility is expected to accommodate 14 translators
“This new translation facility will allow for greater collaboration and provide translators with the resources they need in a centralized location,” said Endurance Ologe.
For more information on Jehovah’s Witnesses, please visit jw.org, which features practical Bible-based content in over 1,070 languages.