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After 39 years, the work of 53 translators is complete. A translation of the entire Bible into American Sign Language (ASL). Jehovah’s Witnesses are the first organization to write the Bible into ASL.
In the fall of 2020, 3.5 million deaf people will finally have the translation of the Bible into ASL. This project began in 1981, when Duane King, minister of the Independent Christian Church became aware of the difficulties faced by deaf people. Deaf people rely heavily on sight, they want everything to be tangible.
ASL translation is unique because everything is visual, not written. Nearly 100 volunteers support the translation of the Bible, being properly equipped with video recording technology to create compelling publications for the deaf community.
Instead of translating the biblical text word for word into meaningless literal signs, years of research have allowed translators to capture the real emotion of biblical passages. The result is a precise, clear, and meaningful translation into sign language.
Anyone anywhere in the world can download the Bible for free in ASL. Jehovah’s Witnesses provide the Bible in over 1,000 languages, including 100 sign languages.
If you want to find out about the Bible translation in other languages, check out our article on this topic: The Bible has been translated into over 700 languages.
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