A mammoth project to translate the Bible into British Sign Language (BSL) is underway. So far, the team at the BSL Bible Translation Project has translated ten chapters of Mark’s Gospel, while another team has started work on parts of Genesis.
More than 400 sign languages are in use around the world, but just one has a full Bible in its own language: the Bible in American Sign Language was completed in 2020 by Wycliffe Bible Translators – after 39 years in the making.
In the UK, Christian volunteers are translating from the original Greek and Hebrew texts into a BSL video version. Gill Behenna is a trustee of the project, who works with the deaf community in Bristol. She told the BBC that the project uses signs that are already widely understood, rather than creating new ones.
She explained: ‘In Mark chapter 4, the English text reads: “A sower went out to sow.” In BSL this would be signed as “There is a person with a basket of seed”, followed by the signer creating a basket shape with their hands and then scattering seeds.’
She added: ‘BSL creates a picture. In English, the picture is created by words.’
The project will take many years but, said Janice Silo, also a trustee, ‘it will be worth the wait’. Janice is Deaf* and said: ‘Deaf people will be able to watch the Bible for themselves, instead of having to ask for explanation or relying on interpreters all the time.’
When someone isn't ready to call themselves disabled
For the first two articles in this series, see: "My church friend has become disabled: What do I do?" …