Ifè 2009 Edition (IFEWBT)

Overview

The Ife New Testament was dedicated in October 2009, with nearly 2,000 people celebrating its arrival [1]. The translation project began in 1981 when Helene Boethius from Sweden and Anna Kohler from Switzerland started researching the Ife language area in southern Togo, at a time when no written form of the language existed [1][2]. After years of language learning and linguistic analysis, Luke's Gospel was the first book translated and printed, completed by 1992 [1]. In 1991, Pat Devine from the United States and Mary Gardner from Scotland joined the team, and in 1999, Komi Sena was recruited as a translator and later became a translation consultant [1]. Mary Gardner dedicated 20 years of her life to Bible translation and literacy among the Ife people before she was killed by a bomb in Jerusalem in March 2011 while studying Hebrew in preparation for Old Testament translation work [2]. An Ife-French dictionary, edited by Mary Gardner and Elizabeth Graveling, was produced in 2000 [1]. The New Testament required reprinting due to overwhelming demand, and the Old Testament translation is over two-thirds complete with the team aiming to finish the full Bible by 2026 [3].

Ifè: Ìwé-Ɔ̀ɖáyé Ìmↄl̀ɛ̀-Ìk̀ã́ã̀nyì (New Testament)

Language and People

Ifè (ISO 639-3: ife) is spoken by approximately 170,600 people in Benin. [Glottolog: ifee1241]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Translation type: New.

References