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“Gamechanger” App Advances Bible Translation in West Africa

by | Fri, Aug 7 2020

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A smartphone keyboard is helping people in West Africa interact with the Bible.

People in a remote area of Benin can now access Scripture in their native dialect.

Mbelime is a minority language spoken in a remote area of northwestern Benin.

Johannes Merz with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Benin says smartphones have become a part of life for many people there, and are used instead of computers.

ASSIST News reports, until now there hasn’t been a keyboard available in their own language, so Bible translation was impossible.

That changed when Keyboard App Builder released a new free app.

Mr Merz described the app as a ‘gamechanger’.

Translated Scripture is now being made available to all, with people able to pass it on directly from phone to phone.

As the translation team completes books of the Bible, people will be able to listen to the Bible text and read it on-screen at the same time.