At times a simple innovation can make the Bible more accessible to everyone, even very small ethnic groups. This is the case in Sabah, Malaysia, where an audio version of the sacred text has now been produced in Kadazan, the official tribal language of the state.
In presenting the new edition, Archbishop Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, defined it as a significant event for the Church in Kota Kinabalu, saying, “This audio instrument will give many more people access to the Bible, which is the source of the story of salvation. It is the font of our life as Church, which goes forth as a missionary to the world.”
The translation project, which took a year-and-a-half to complete, is the fruit of research conducted by the faithful of Kota Kinabalu, who realized that there was still no translation of the New Testament in the two predominant local languages, Kadazan and Dusun. Coordinated by Louise Rose of Faith Comes By Hearing (an association that produces audio Bibles), the project produced 10,000 texts of the Gospels in Kadazan, read and dramatized by 30 people. The taping of the Bible in Dusun is still in progress but it is hoped that it will be completed by the end of 2016.