Bible Translation and Literacy: Can We Ethically Deprioritize the Latter?

Despite translating Scripture into many languages, many translations remain unread due to widespread illiteracy. UNESCO estimates that 754 million adults and 250 million children lack basic literacy skills. The World Bank reports that up to 70% of students in low—and middle-income countries cannot read a simple sentence. These individuals often speak minoritized languages served by Bible translation efforts.

In addition to these alarming statistics, one key challenge contributing to global illiteracy is the lack of education in learners' languages. While the need for first-language literacy and multilingual education is recognized globally, there is a critical shortage of expertise in local language education. The dominance of global languages in education impedes first-language multilingual efforts, making government-led programs insufficient for minoritized speakers.

Considering these challenges, an ethical gap exists among Bible translation organizations in addressing this learning poverty. While these organizations possess the tools and expertise to mediate the issue, an ethical responsibility arises: Are we deprioritizing the critical need for literacy to the detriment of the communities we aim to serve? Funders frequently show less willingness to support literacy activities than translation efforts, leading to marginalization, lack of access to education, linguistic discrimination, and leaving community needs unaddressed—each an ethical dilemma. Scripture encourages us to meet the felt needs of people and communities.

Given these concerns, our key questions are: How are Bible translations prioritizing literacy programs? What research into the state of literacy is considered when Bible translation programs are planned? How can we better address the global issue of illiteracy in our Bible translation programs? Are funders aware of the literacy crisis and its impact on scripture engagement? Addressing these challenges is essential for translated texts to fulfill their purpose.