Endagano Eensha omu Chiziinza (ZINEBL)

Overview

Endagano Eensha omu Chiziinza is the New Testament in the Zinza language (ISO 639-3: zin), a Bantu language spoken by an estimated 140,000 to 200,000 people in the Geita District of northwestern Tanzania, on the southwestern shores and islands of Lake Victoria [1][2]. The language, known to its speakers as Echizinza, has four dialects: Zinza, Subi, Longo, and Kula [1]. Bible translation work among the Zinza began with a sociolinguistic survey in 1987, and formal translation started in 1991 when two Wycliffe families were assigned to the project [1]. Earlier Catholic translation efforts in the 1920s had produced biblical texts and a catechism, but these used a mixed orthography that was not easily understandable and remained archived in the Vatican [1]. The modern translation project adopted a more accessible orthographic system to support community literacy. The New Testament was published in 2025 by Wycliffe Bible Translators.

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