Tobolsk, Russia, March 5, 2020
Photo: tobolsk-tds.ru
The Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) is continuing its blessed work of translating the Holy Scriptures into the languages of the indigenous peoples of Northern and Far Eastern Russia.
Following on the heels of the publication of the book of the Prophet Jonah in the Siberian Chukchi language in April 2018, and the Siberian Yakut language last May, the Prophet Jonah has been translated again, this time into the Siberian Tatar language, reports the IBT website.
This is the first Biblical book to be published in the Siberian Tatar language, which, according to Ethnologue, is spoken by 101,000 people in seven provinces. It is listed by UNESCO as one of the endangered languages of the Russian Federation.
The full-color hardcover publication comes with a parallel Russian text and original illustrations by Maria Adamova.
The book was initially sent to local libraries and cultural institutions at the end of last year, and on February 25, it was presented to participants in a dictation in the Siberian Tatar language at the Center of Siberian Tatar Culture in Tobolsk.
The book was also presented the next day at the Tobolsk Theological Seminary, with undergraduate and graduate students attending. The book was translated by Gulsifa Takiyullovna Bakieva, a candidate of historical sciences and associate professor and teacher of Siberian Tatar history and culture in the seminary’s master’s program.
The book of the Prophet Jonah in the Siberian Tatar language in PDF format can be found on the IBT website.
The books of Ruth and Esther and a collection of Gospel parables are also being prepared in the Siberian Tatar language.
