The Tonga and Bemba Bible Translation Projects

The  translators are James Silwamba, Obed Zulu, and Isaac Mazyopa.  James Silwamba made the following report. "We were so blessed by what we learned hearing and seeing the need for a dependable translation for the very first time in the way it was presented. We currently are collaborating and working on a Tonga and Bemba translation. We have given priority to start with Tonga because our dear beloved fellow Pastor Obed Zulu had been working on the translation for at least 2-3 three years now covering about 20 books of the New Testament even before we attended the conference. But since returning from the trip, he has shared that he is going through the translation using the tools and rules we were equipped with at the conference paying particular attention to Accuracy, Theology, Consistency and Readability. He has so far reviewed John, Romans and Galatians! He will soon have them printed out and sent to Pastor Isaac Mazyopa who attended the conference with us,who is also fluent in Tonga. Unfortunately, I don't know Tonga. However I'm helping in logistics, support, prayer and definitions of words especial from Greek and Hebrew. I know Bemba, which I'll be even more heavily involved, but now we are doing one translation at a time; thereby focussing only on Tonga. For Bemba, we are also researching more information because someone mentioned there could be a translation at Trinitarian. So that's where we are at and it gives us great joy to labor in this great work!"