Kinyamulenge Bible & Language
Kinyamulenge Bible & Language was established in 2019 with the goal of making the Bible accessible for Kinyamulenge speakers.
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Mission
To translate the Bible into Kinyamulenge, empowering the Banyamulenge community to deepen their faith and spiritual understanding by engaging with God’s Word in their heart language.
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Vision
To see all Banyamulenge spiritually transformed through access to the Bible in their heart language.
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​Why It Was Necessary to Translate the Bible into Kinyamulenge
For many years, the Banyamulenge community struggled to fully understand the Bible because the translations available to them were in languages they couldn’t relate to, such as Swahili, Kirundi, Kifuliiru, Kinyarwanda, and French. These languages are different from Kinyamulenge, making it difficult for them to grasp the true message of Scripture. To understand the Bible more clearly, the community was required to study other languages, which was both challenging and limiting. This is why the Kinyamulenge Bible & Language project became essential—so the Banyamulenge people could engage with God’s Word in a language they truly understand.
Our Story
The Bible in Kinyamulenge began in the 1980s with a vision in the heart of Victor Mikebanyi. Recognizing the challenges faced by the Banyamulenge people in comprehending existing Bible translations, he laid the groundwork by developing Urufkabi, the grammar and phonetics of the Kinyamulenge language, in 1999. Despite political instability and numerous obstacles, the project gained momentum with the help of dedicated individuals like Philemon Rudaga, Robert Nubatseho, Tito Rungwangwa, and many others. What began as the vision of one man is now transforming the Banyamulenge community, helping them to connect deeply with God’s Word in their heart language.
Pioneer Bible Translators and Southeast Christian Church
By divine providence, Mikebanyi Victor met with missionaries from Pioneer Bible Translators in 2018. After preliminary survey work, Pioneer Bible decided to form the Kinyamulenge Bible & Language team. They sent Tim MacSaveny to launch the project in earnest. Using his extensive experience in Bible translation in Tanzania, Tim and Pioneer Bible Translators brought Victor's dream into reality.
Strategies and Methods
During the translation process, the team uses various methods to ensure accuracy.
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Rough Draft - The team reviews various translations in English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and other languages, then composes a translation draft of a book.
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Team Check - After working on a section of the book, the translators review each others’ work to ensure accuracy and smoothness between the draft sections.
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Exegetical Check - Tim MacSaveny, an expert in Greek and translation principles, works together with the team to check every verse for four major qualities - accuracy to the original languages of the Bible, clarity, naturalness, and acceptability to the Banyamulenge.
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Community Check - The team takes the exegetically checked work out to the Banyamulenge community, testing the book to find any errors and broadly checking for understanding among uninitiated native speakers.
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Consultant Check - Outside translation experts come to the office for the final verse-by-verse check of the book as one final test of the book before publication.