Instituto de Tradução e Alfabetização
ITA (Institute of Translation and Literacy) is a non-profit evangelical organisation in Guinea-Bissau.
ITA's mission is to translate the Holy Bible into all the mother tongues of Guinea-Bissau.
Our objectives are as follows.
Transformation
of the peoples of Guinea-Bissau through the Word of God, in their own languages and in the most appropriate format.
Growth
in number and maturity of newly planted churches.
Flourishing
of communities through Literacy and Scripture Engagement.
We have 14 translation and literacy teams working in different regions of the country, and an administrative team based at our office in Bissau.
The following people are responsible for managing and coordinating our activities.
Rev. Me. Miguel Indibe
ITA Director
Cutsau Nhuta
Translation Programme Coordinator and Consultant
Iabna Samba Tibna
Literacy and Scripture Engagement Manager, Trainee Consultant
Abrão Indibe
Research Manager, Trainee Consultant
What is involved in a Bible translation project?
1. A united team
A project begins with partnership and training of team members:
- The church that prays and sends workers
- Christians who are willing to train and go
- Ethnolinguistic communities that are involved at each stage and own decisions
2. Analysing the language
Some languages have no written form. Before beginning a translation, teams need to:
- Analyse the language and research its variants
- Collect data and create a dictionary
- Analyse sounds and decipher the grammar
3. Literacy, education and development
A writing system strengthens the community. For it to be effective, teams need to:
- Get community approval for proposed alphabets
- Hold literacy workshops
- Create booklets and educational and health materials
4. Translation and Scripture Engagement
Beyond simply translating a book, the goal of a project is to transform lives, communities and nations. This includes:
- Translating the Bible with a local team
- Testing and reviewing with consultants and the community
- Encouraging the use of Scripture through audio recordings, video, apps, Bible studies, etc.
