Nouveau Testament Mbudum — Mbudum (Mbədam) New Testament (Cameroon)
Overview
Nouveau Testament Mbudum ("New Testament in Mbudum") is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Mbudum (Mbədam) language of Cameroon, published by the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4519). The community's autonym Mbədam (with the schwa vowel ə indicating a central vowel common in many Cameroonian languages) differs slightly from the French rendering Mbudum used in the publication title. Mbudum belongs to the Adamawa language family — one of the major branches of the Niger-Congo tree concentrated in northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. CABTAL is Cameroon's national Bible translation organization, working across the country's extraordinary linguistic diversity (Cameroon has approximately 270+ languages) to produce scripture in mother-tongue languages.
Language and People
Mbudum (ISO 639-3: xmd; autonym: Mbədam) is a Niger-Congo language: Niger-Congo → Atlantic-Congo → Adamawa branch (or possibly Ubangian-Adamawa). Cameroon's Adamawa Region contains multiple Adamawa-family language communities, making it one of the most linguistically diverse areas of central Africa alongside northeastern Nigeria. Mbudum/Mbədam is spoken in the Adamawa highlands region.
The Mbudum/Mbədam community inhabits:
- Adamawa Region (possibly Rey Bouba, Vina, or adjacent departments), northern Cameroon — in the Adamawa Plateau zone
- Savanna and highland terrain characteristic of the Adamawa Region, at approximately 900–1,500 m elevation
Estimated speakers: moderate-sized Adamawa community; precise speaker data for Mbudum specifically is limited in widely available sources.
Cultural Context
Cameroon is one of Africa's most linguistically rich countries, with approximately 270+ languages — giving it one of the highest language densities on the continent. The Adamawa Region of northern Cameroon hosts a large cluster of Niger-Congo Adamawa-family languages alongside the dominant Fulfulde language, which serves as a regional lingua franca. CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy) is a national organization founded in partnership with Wycliffe/SIL and now operating with increasing national leadership, producing translations for Cameroonian languages across the country's diverse language zones. The Mbudum NT represents CABTAL's work in the northern/Adamawa zone.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), a Cameroonian national Bible translation organization working in partnership with the broader Wycliffe Global Alliance network.