New Life Fellowship

Translate original Bible texts into Albanian: Make a REAL difference for millions!
 
We are raising money to fund the Albanian Bible Translation Project, the first keyed translation of the Bible into Albanian using original texts.  Any amount of donation can help translate from a few verses to an entire book.
 
Any amount is helpful and will go directly to this project.


Introduction to the Albanian Bible Translation Project
Përkthim i Ri nga Origjinali (PRO):

The Bible is God's revelation to man. It is the only book that gives us accurate information about God, man's need, and God's provision for that need. It provides us with guidance for life and tells us how to receive eternal life. The Bible can do these things because it is God's inspired Word, inerrant in the original manuscripts.  The Bible describes God's dealings with the ancient Jewish people and the early Christian church. It tells us about the great gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ, who fulfilled Jewish prophecies of the Messiah. It tells us about the salvation He accomplished through His death on the cross, His triumph over death in the resurrection, and His promised return to earth. It is the only book that gives us reliable information about the future, about what will happen to us when we die, and about eternal life.

Bible translation is both a science and an art. It is a bridge that brings God's Word from the ancient world to the world today. In dependence on God to accomplish this sacred task, we present the Albanian Bible Translation project, a new Albanian translation of God's Word, keyed to the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts.

Textual base of the (PRO)

The textual base for the New Testament [NT] will be the Critical Text. The text for the Old Testament will be the Masoretic Text (MT]. 
 

The Bibla PRO  will use traditional verse divisions found in most Bibles.

Why Another Translation?  Translations of the Bible in Albanian already exist, and so one might question the need for yet another translation. 

1.              The (PRO) will aim to fill the need for a version which can be used for careful study of God's Word.  Because it will be keyed to the original language texts, with parsing and lexical content, Albanian speaking students of God's Word will be able to gain valuable insights into the meaning of the text, even without knowing the original languages.  Also, being freely accessible to anyone online, pastors, teachers and even new believers will easily benefit from reading and studying this version. 

2.              Rapid advances in biblical research provide new data for Bible translators. This has been called the information age, a term that accurately describes the field of biblical research. Never before in history has there been as much information about the Bible as there is today, from archaeological discoveries, to analysis of ancient manuscripts, to years of study and statistical research on individual Bible books.  Translators will take into consideration as much of this new data as possible.

3.              Advances in computer technology have opened a new door for Bible translation.

This project will use computer technology and telecommunications in its creation perhaps more than any Albanian translation thus far.  With a team of computer programmers, translators and editors, a live, online collaboration will enable a thorough process of checking and cross-checking for accuracy.  An advanced Bible software program will be used to create and revise the translation at each step in its production.

Translation philosophy of Bibla PRO

Formal/Optimal Equivalence:
 
The principle of formal/optimal equivalence seeks as nearly as possible to preserve the structure of the original language. It seeks to represent each word of the original text with an exact equivalent word in the translation so that the reader can see word for word what the original human author wrote. The merits of this approach include its consistency with the conviction that the Holy Spirit did inspire the very words of Scripture in the original manuscripts. It also provides the Albanian Bible student some access to the structure of the text in the original language. Formal/optimal equivalence can achieve accuracy to the degree that Albanian has an exact equivalent for each word and that the grammatical patterns of the original language can be reproduced in understandable Albanian. Formal/optimal equivalence starts with an exhaustive analysis of the text at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence, discourse) in the original language to determine its original meaning and intention (or purpose). Then relying on the latest and best language tools and experts, the nearest corresponding semantic and linguistic equivalents are used to convey as much of the information and intention of the original text with as much clarity and readability as possible. This process assures the maximum transfer of both the words and thoughts contained in the original.

Goals of this translation

The goals of this translation are:

-        to provide Albanian-speaking people across the world with an accurate Bible translation in contemporary Albanian

-        to equip serious Bible students with a precise translation for personal study, private devotions, and memorization

-        to give those who love God’s Word a text that enables word and grammatical studies without the need of extra tools

-        to provide an all-Albanian study Bible, with all parsing and lexical content in Albanian

-        to make this easily and freely accessible to anyone in a well-designed online format

-        to affirm the authority of Scripture as God’s Word and to champion its absolute truth against social or cultural agendas that would compromise its accuracy

-        to enable future translators of Albanian versions produce more accurate, sound translations.