The Bible in Pennsylvania Dutch (PDCWBT)

Overview

Di Heilich Shrift is the complete Bible in Pennsylvania Deitsh (Pennsylvania Dutch/Pennsylvania German), the heart language spoken by over 200,000 Amish and related communities in North America [1][2]. The translation was produced by Hank Hershberger, a native speaker of Pennsylvania Deitsh and long-time member of Wycliffe Bible Translators, together with a committee of four other speakers of the dialect [1][2]. Hershberger began the translation work while still serving with Wycliffe on a field assignment among an Aboriginal people group in Australia, working on his own language translation during his spare time and then full-time afterward [1]. The Pennsylvania Deitsh text was translated from the Masoretic Hebrew Old Testament text and the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament, following the United Bible Societies' Translator Handbook series and Wycliffe Bible Translators' Translator's Workplace notes [3]. A New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, titled Es Nei Teshtament Mitt Di Psaltah un Shpricha, was first published in 2002 by the Bible League [4], and the complete Bible was published in 2013 by TGS International in Berlin, Ohio, with 5,000 copies printed in the first edition [3]. While Amish church leaders have been slow to adopt the translation, many Amish families use it for home devotions [1].

Language and People

Pennsylvania German (ISO 639-3: pdc) is spoken by approximately 148,000 people. [Glottolog: penn1240]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

References