A new translation of the Bible is making waves among young Christians in the Philippines.
The “Pinoy Version” of the Bible uses “heterogenous language” which is a mix of the top two most used languages in the Asian country: Filipino and English, reports UCA News.
[We] believe that the language used in the Bible translation should be similar to the way people speak. —Dr. Anicia del Corro, a translation consultant from the Philippine Bible Society
According to Dr. Anicia del Corro, a translation consultant from the Philippine Bible Society, “[We] believe that the language used in the Bible translation should be similar to the way people speak.” She described that the new Bible translation is close to how young Filipinos, or Millennials, talk today.
Despite the use of two languages in the Pinoy Version of the Bible, Dr. del Corro affirmed that it still has “respect for the Word of God.”
She added that, “There is a new variety of the Filipino language that is emerging, and is used by the young urbanite, usually educated, and very much a user of the Internet. But this language is easy to use, simple, and nevertheless communicative.”
The project to translate the Bible, which targets the young generation, started in 2008. “We had our audience in mind as we did the translation—their level of understanding, range of experiences, and specific words they use in conversations,” said one of the translators.
Pastor Alvin Molito said, “Although it’s not the traditional Bible that we read, God’s Word has impact and power once understood by its readers.”
Years of hard work finally paid off with the launch of the Pinoy Version of the Bible in September 2018. Of the 5,000 initial copies, half were sold during the annual Manila International Book Fair.
The Philippine Bible Society said the Millennials welcomed the new Bible translation. “They said that they are connecting to the Word because they could now understand it.”
