How Many Languages is the Bible Translated Into? 
The Bible has been translated into at least 310 different languages, with the New Testament being translated into even more. Those numbers are staggering. With at least one book translated into 902 different languages, 97 percent of the world’s population is now able to read the Bible. Most of the translations have taken place in the past thirty years.
7,097 languages
According to Wycliffe Associates, an international translation ministry, there are approximately 7,097 languages in the world. There are currently approximately 670 languages with full Bibles and about 400 with only parts of Scripture. That means that there is a significant need for Bible translation in these languages. In 2016, Wycliffe expects to reach its goal of 3,000 languages with Scripture.
Bible translations are not always easy to achieve. However, there are still many people who want the Bible to be translated into their native tongue. In fact, there are more than 180 million people around the world who have not yet heard the words of the Bible. There are currently translation projects ongoing in 2,300 languages in 130 countries, and there are approximately 1,800 languages that are still in need of translation.
1,500 languages
The Bible is the most widely translated book in the world. As of 31 December 2007, the complete Bible was available in 438 languages, including 123 languages of the deuterocanonical material. There were also 168 languages for the New Testament and Tanakh. Bible translations are now available in many different formats, including interlinear morpheme-by-morpheme translations and parallel Bibles.
The Reformation movement in the sixteenth century increased the number of translations of the Bible. European missionaries felt that it was vital for “ordinary people” to have access to God’s Word. This was made possible by the invention of the printing press, which made copies of the Bible affordable to common people. Martin Luther translated the German Bible in 1522, and his example was soon followed by others throughout Europe.
270 languages
Over the past five years, Scripture has been translated into 270 languages, making it available to 1.7 billion people. Bible Societies exist in 240 countries, and are committed to providing Scripture in every language. In 2015, they released 90 Bible translations, reaching 617 million people. Those translations included fifty first-time Bible translations. Until 2015, only 511 languages had complete Bibles, and more than 20% of the world’s population had no access to God’s living Word.
Bible translation is expensive, especially for smaller language groups. Hundreds of small Pacific islands remain unreached. Papua New Guinea alone has 837 languages, and 270 potential Bible translation needs. Likewise, Indonesia has 684 languages, with 280 of them needing Bible translation. In addition, Vanuatu, a tiny cluster of islands northeast of Australia, has 108 languages and needs Bible translation.
50 languages
There are currently over 50 languages that the Bible has been translated into, and more are being added every day. The United Bible Societies, a fellowship of Bible Societies, has worked with more than 240 nations to produce new translations. They have distributed over 1.8 billion Bibles in the last five years alone. They have completed Scripture translations in 270 languages, including 50 that have never before been published, giving 57 million people access to God’s Word in their own language.
A majority of these translations are based on the Hebrew and Greek text, but there are also some that are based on common language standards. The New English Translation, for example, has extensive notes and interpretive insights. Another common language version is the Holman Christian Standard Bible, produced by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as an alternative to the NIV. This version was recently revised as the Christian Standard Bible. Another version is the Common English Bible, a translation developed by a committee of laypeople.
First ever translations
The Hebrew Bible is one of the most important foundational texts in both Jewish and Anglo-American tradition. The translations of the Hebrew Bible are the first single-author scholarly versions of the Bible. Many of them were based on the Greek Vulgate, but this was not the only translation that was published in the Middle Ages.
Alter’s book was an unexpected hit, opening up the text to a new audience. His approach challenged the dominant view of ancient texts in the 1970s, which was that they were just a mess of documents. They were useful for linguists, for instance, to count the number of Semitic verb forms, or for historians to study ancient cultic practices.
New Testament translations
The New Testament has been translated into many different languages. Many of these translations are in Latin, but some are in other languages. In addition, there are a few different versions of the Old Testament. Some are in Greek, while others are in Latin. In addition to Latin and Greek, there are several versions in other languages, including Hungarian, Hebrew, and Catalan.
While translating a New Testament, translation teams must consider the cultural context of the original language. They must ensure that they convey the message of the book while also allowing the target audience to follow literary devices. It is crucial that the written Word of God is accessible to people of different cultures.