[3139] New Hakka Bible may just be what’s needed to revitalize Hakka language

New Hakka Bible may just be what’s needed to revitalize Hakka language

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

Written by Lydia Ma

An evangelistic meeting was held on April 21, 2012 at Shuanglien Presbyterian Church to celebrate the publication of the Hakka Bible by the Bible Society in Taiwan. The meeting also included a sermon by Rev. Paul MacLean, a pastor and missionary who has been involved in the translation of the Hakka Bible. MacLean said during his sermon that the number of Christians among Hakkas is lower than other ethnic groups in Taiwan. Now that this Bible has been published, he hopes that other Christians from other ethnic groups will also use it to learn the Hakka language and then share the gospel with their Hakka friends.

The Bible Society in Taiwan began to work on the translation of the Bible into Hakka in the 1980s when Rev. Tsai Jen-li was its General Secretary. Reminiscing on the efforts many people have poured into this project over the past 30 years, Tsai said that it was very worthwhile because nothing compares to hearing God’s word in one’s own language. This new Bible will greatly help local churches in sharing the gospel with Hakka communities.

Shuanglien Church’s senior pastor, Rev. Peng Te-kuei is a member of the committee that worked on the translation of this Bible and he also serves as the committee’s liaison. Commenting on this new Bible, he said: “This version is very readable and it’s definitely the best curriculum in Taiwan for learning Hakka.”

But he also expressed worry that the Hakka language has been declining rapidly in the past few years and it may be in danger of dying out. Peng said that one of the main reasons that explains this trend is Hakka people’s low self-esteem. Another important factor is that they feel compelled to learn and speak Taiwanese instead of Hakka for employment purposes. For these reasons and for lack of practice, many of them have forgotten their mother language.

Peng said that the new Hakka Bible contains many Hakka phrases and words that are still used in everyday life in modern day Taiwan. Hence, the Bible may be an useful tool for the revitalization of the Hakka language. For this reason, he hopes that the Ministry of Education will also join churches in promoting this new Bible. With the publication of a modern day Hakka Bible, Peng is optimistic that it will help boost membership among Hakka churches.