Overview
Bible Society Australia (BSA) is helping to coordinate the Auslan Bible Project, to make the Bible accessible to the Australian Deaf community in their primary language. Auslan (short for Australian Sign Language) is a distinct visual language with its own grammar and vocabulary used by over 16,000 people in Australia.
The Australia Census report (2021) indicates that just over 16,000 people use Auslan in Australia. This number includes both first language and second language users. Sign languages are unique languages with their own linguistic structures.
The Auslan Bible Project aims to translate the Bible into Auslan, allowing Deaf Australians to engage with Scripture in their primary language. This project addresses several crucial needs. Firstly, it enables direct access to God’s word for the Deaf community in Australia. Secondly, it recognises and affirms Auslan as a unique language, as well as acknowledging the cultural identity of the Deaf community in Australia.
Although in the past, the books of Jonah, Ruth, Mark and Luke were all completed, the material is no longer viable due to technology advancements over the last few decades. To date, 4% of the Old Testament and 37% of the New Testament has been translated into Auslan, though the only two books we currently have full translations of are John and Acts.
Statistics:
- > 16,000 people in Australia use Auslan at home (2021 Australian census)
- 2 complete Bible books only (John and Acts) translated in Auslan
- 4% of the Old Testament translated, 37% of the New Testament translated
If the appeal is oversubscribed or the project changes due to unforeseen reasons, we will reallocate remaining funds to similar projects.
