138 Sixth Street,
Barataria,
Trinidad & Tobago
West Indies
Tel: (868)675-4923
Fax: (868)675-4923
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Languages of the Caribbean and Bible Translation Many of the living languages of the Caribbean already have either the full Bible or at least the New Testament. All of the official languages, such as Dutch, English, French and Spanish have the whole Bible, and many versions and translations of these languages are readily available in the Caribbean countries where these languages are spoken (see BibleGateway.com). Several other Caribbean languages have translations or ongoing Bible translation programmes. These include indigenous Caribbean (Amerindian) languages dating back to pre-Colombian times, Caribbean creole languages born in early colonial times, and immigrant languages in the Caribbean originating in the mid-19th century. (See Faith Comes by Hearing (Hosanna) for Bible recordings, including online samples, in some of the languages below.) You can also watch Campus Crusade's Jesus Film (entirely based on the Gospel of Luke) in Aukan, Caribbean Hindi, Garífuna, Haitian, Caribbean Javanese, Papiamentu, Saramaccan and Sranan Tongo on the Jesus Film Project site. The following Amerindian languages have Bible translation projects completed or in progress: Arawakan languages Wapishana of Guyana Garífuna (Black Carib) NT of Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua (This language is related to Island Carib of Dominica, now extinct, as well as to Lokono/Arawak of Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela; to Paraujano of Venezuela, to Wayuu of Colomnbia, and to Taino of the Bahamas, extinct, but surviving in Spanish-Taino of the USA and the hispanophone Greater Antilles. It is also more distantly related to Wapishana of Guyana.) Carib languages Akawaio of Guyana Carib NT (of Suriname) Macushi of Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela There are over 86 creole languages spoken around the world today, of many different sociohistorical and linguistic origins. Over 30 creole languages are spoken in the West Indies alone (the island archipelago and the mainland), and these include over 18 varieties of English Creole, 3 varieties of Dutch Creole, mostly extinct, 10 varieties of French Creole and 3 creole languages of either Portuguese or Spanish origin or both, as in the case of Papiamentu, an Iberian Creole. The following Caribbean creole languages have translations of the Scriptures or translation projects in progress. Click here for SIL Caribbean creole language maps. English-lexicon creoles Antiguan Creole Aukan of Suriname NT - click here for more details Belize Kriol Islander Creole English of San Andrés, Colombia - click here for report Jamaican Patois/Patwa - click here for more information Gullah/Sea Island Creole of the USA Sranan Tongo NT Vincentian Creole French-lexicon creoles Guadeloupean Creole French Guianese Creole French Haitian Creole Bible, available at Bibles.com - click here for the Online Kreyol Bible; the Jesus film is available at JesusFilm.org Karipúna Creole French (Kheuól) of Brazil St. Lucia Kwéyòl NT Iberian-lexicon creoles (including Portuguese and Spanish origins) Papiamentu Bible of the ABC islands - click here for more Saramaccan NT (also considered an English creole) The following languages of Suriname both have the New Testament (see the Suriname Bible Society for more details): Suriname Javanese/Caribbean Javanese NT Sarnami Hindoestani NT |
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