‘This work is “starting to fly”’, says Robert Tompi, leader of the Standard Romani Bible translation programme.
A Roma men’s group read the Scriptures in Standard Romani ‘I’ve been surprised to see how Romani speakers are hungry for the word of God in their language.’
The first translated books to be published and released on an app were Mark, John and Acts, towards the end of 2024. Robert says, ‘There is a growing demand. We’re receiving more requests for books from all over Romania. Churches are starting to use the materials more and more, especially the audio materials.’
He continues: ‘I have been encouraged to see that the Roma are very interested in their language and in the Bible in their language. Even though the alphabet is a bit difficult, still their desire to read it and to hear God is great. With the QR codes on our publications, it is very easy for people to listen to the translation.’
Reading the Gospel of John in Standard Romani Translation work continues steadily, with the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and the book of Romans being the current focus. Most of the translation team have full-time jobs. As a result, they end up working late into the evenings and even nights to move the translation forward.
For translator Florian, working this late is helpful and enables him to engage his community in the work.
He says:
‘Usually I work on the translation from 10pm until about 2–3am, because it’s quieter at night and I can think. When I come across a hard word, I go out on the street. In our community people walk around at night, because it’s cooler. I go to the gate and talk to anybody who passes by. I don’t tell them what word I was looking for, but I create a context so they tell me the word. That is how I find words in the community that I need to use.’
Demonstrating the Standard Romani Bible app While the translation work progresses, Robert and others regularly visit churches to tell the good news of God’s word in Standard Romani.
Wherever they go, churches welcome them and ‘rejoice to receive copies of the translation.’
‘Many kiss the Scriptures they were given.’
Robert recalls one church visit to a Pentecostal Roma church:
‘The pastor was quite reticent about our translation.
‘After we made a presentation in the church about the translation process and all the steps and hands it goes through, the pastor tearfully told us that he loves the translated books of Mark, John, and Acts and wants to read them and study them. In his church all the sermons are in Romanian [the national language] but the songs are in Romani [the language of the Roma people]. In front of the church, he raised the book in his hand.
‘Then he said: “Now we have something to preach from in the Roma language!”’
Roma schoolchildren read the Standard Romani Scriptures Another church leader, Pastor Petru, stood up in front of his church, the book in his hand. Then he said to his congregation, ‘You have no more excuse not to read the Bible! Now it’s in your language.’
That sort of story is being repeated wherever the team goes. The Roma people are embracing God’s word in their language.
In June, Robert and his colleagues attended a conference where a number of Roma church leaders were present. They showed these leaders some materials to help with teaching, preaching, and Bible study group leading in Standard Romani.
It was eye-opening for several leaders, who suddenly recognised the need to embrace their Roma identity in themselves and in their churches.
Most of them had only been using the Romani language in songs, but now, as a result of the conference, they want to use the new Standard Romani translation and the Bible studies.
Roma schoolchildren with the Standard Romani Scriptures The significance of this cannot be underestimated. As Rafael, from the Bahnea region of Romania, says:
‘Our identity is in our language. To understand God, we need to read his word and to study it in our language. Reading the Bible will change our minds, our lives, and the destinies of us Roma people.’
As God’s word is being unlocked for the Roma people, so too is their sense of identity – as a people group and as followers of Jesus.
