Population
1.5 million in Romania (10–12 million in Europe)
The community
For centuries, the Roma people have been denied a voice. Often viewed with suspicion and assumed to be nomadic, communities have faced marginalisation and persecution. Many Roma live in Romania, but Roma populations are found across Europe.
In the last couple of decades, there has been a move for the Roma in Romania to be given the same opportunities as other ethnic groups and for Roma culture to be fully included in society. Hand-in-hand with this has come the opportunity for a rebirth of the Romani language.
The need
Romani has many dialects – 17 in Romania alone – but since 1999, Roma children in Romania have been taught in Standard Romani, so a new generation is growing up with a shared version. Standard Romani is set to become a common language and bring different Roma communities together.
Roma Christians do not have God’s words in their language. Efforts were underway to create translations with different Roma communities, but Standard Romani presents an incredible opportunity to reach Roma people with the gospel message and for the Bible to become a Romani language-teaching tool.
The project
In October 2021, a Standard Romani Bible translation team came together. From different Christian denominations and speaking different dialects, they will standardise the language for the Bible, so every Romani speaker will be able to understand it.
The translation will enable Roma people to hear God speak to them in their language, energise Roma churches and build their sense of identity.
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