50% Now, Another 25% by 2025

You may be aware that one of DOOR's main ministries is sign language Bible translation. (For examples of some of that translation work, go to the Deaf Bibles website and select one of the sign languages there.) You may also be aware that there are estimated to be over 400 sign languages around the world, making translation work a huge task. What you may not know is that right now the translations through DOOR that are in process or starting this coming year will make God's Word available to over half of the estimated 70 million Deaf people around the world, and that by 2025, we may be able to widen that to over 75%!

How has DOOR done this?

One of the tensions with Bible translation is that you have many language groups that you want to provide translations for, but limited resources for the translation work.  Thus, it often feels like you have to choose between two difficult options:

• Providing translation work in a lot of different language groups, but only a little bit for each group (going "wide but not very deep"); or
• Providing translation work in just a few language groups, and giving them a lot of translation quickly (but missing many others who desperately need to hear God's Word).

One way that DOOR has partially overcome this tension is to identify some of the largest sign language groups, and begin translation work in those key countries. For example, India holds about 17% of the world's population (and thus, about 17% of the world's Deaf). Using this method, it is possible to reach over 50% of the sign language groups simply by working in the 15 or so countries that DOOR currently has projects starting in.

One added benefit of focusing on these key language groups is that many small sign language groups use sign that is similar to one of the key language groups that has translation work happening.  Like spoken languages, some sign languages are more closely related than others.  In the same way that an Italian can understand Spanish, some sign language users can understand other sign languages because they share a lot of overlap.  This means that while we're starting Bible translation work in an official capacity for over 50% of the world's Deaf, we are still providing usable resources for an even larger number who may need to wait to get an official translation in their own sign language.

Focusing on only a few sign languages also allows DOOR to work on training people in Bible translation work so that they can be a resource to future translations that will start in the coming years. This growth may allow DOOR to expand into enough countries in the next 11 years to be able to reach 75% of the Deaf by 2025!

Learn how you can support our family in this work here.