Jehovah’s Witnesses Promote The Isoko Language With New Translation Office In Oyede.
July 4, 2024.
By Warefa Pereke.
Iduwini Voice.
Oyede – On July 6, 2024, Jehovah’s witnesses will inaugurate a new office building dedicated to Isoko translation in Oyede, Delta State, Nigeria. This facility will benefit an estimated 700,000 speakers of Isoko Language.
The facility’s purpose is to overcome language barriers by providing people with educational and Bible-based publications in Isoko, making the Bible and other scriptural publications accessible to Isoko speakers.
A local spokesman for Jehovah’s witnesses, Endurance Eloge, while speaking to newsmen said: “This initiative of translating free publications benefits the entire area because it allows for information to be available in Isoko”. He further stated that “the initiative 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. 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-metres facility is expected to accommodate 12 translators. “This new translation facility will allow for greater collaboration and provide translators with the resources they need in a centralised location”, said Endurance Eloge, the local spokesman for Jehovah’s witnesses.
For more information about Jehovah’s witnesses, please visit jw.org, which features practical Bible-based content in over 1,070 languages.
