Veneer / A/B, first cuting
Wonderful veneer and sawing German oak parcel.
Black Walnut/Hard Maple/Red Oak Veneer Logs, 12\"+ BIBLE FOR THE DEAF / BYBEL VIR DOWES | National Institute for the Deaf
The very popular Bybel vir almal (also known as the ABA), have a very interesting history which a lot of the users of the Bible have no knowledge of; although it is a history that everybody should be informed about.
Deaf people all over the world and specifically Afrikaans speaking Deaf people in South Africa had the need for a Bible that was easy to understand. Many concepts in the Bible are abstract and difficult to understand. In the early 1980’s the De la Bat congregation in Bellville started to translate/rewrite the books of the Bible in easy to read and understandable Afrikaans.
This led to the decision of the Bible Society of South Africa to publish The Bible for the Deaf in 2007. It was officially launched on 3 February 2008 by the Congregation for the Deaf and the National Institute for the Deaf in Worcester. This edition was instantly very popular with Deaf people, people with hearing disabilities, family of Deaf people and hearing people who have a lot of contact with Deaf people. It was easy to understand and therefor a lot of hearing people also acquired it. Dr. Rocco Hough of the congregation in Bellville and Elmien Roux, a retired Afrikaans teacher of De la Bat School on Worcester, was directly involved with the translation. The illustration in the Bible was done by a Deaf graphic designer, Karin le Roux.
The Bible was so popular that a second edition was printed in 2008. This Bible was so easy to understand that many hearing people also bought it and farmers also bought it for their farm workers. The Bible Society of South Africa therefore decided to publish the Bible with a name change as the Afrikaanse Bybel vir almal (ABA) in 2008. It sold out so fast that a further edition had to be printed in 2009! It is the Bible with the beautiful grain on the cover page.
A lot of Deaf people (and hearing people) did not know about this name change. When they inquired at bookshops about the Bible for the Deaf, they were informed that the Bible was out of print.
This process is a beautiful illustration of the big contribution by Deaf people to create a more understandable Afrikaans version of the Bible specifically for the Afrikaans community. It shows that Deaf people are a core part of the broad community who powerfully contributes to it. Hearing Afrikaans people want to thank Deaf people for their contribution as Deaf people made the Bible more understanding and opened it for them.
An English edition, which focusses on Deaf people, will be published in 2018. It will make provision for Deaf people of Southern Africa. We can only imagine what this will also mean for English speaking hearing people.
Note that the ABA can also be downloaded electronically (app) and can be read on your phone.
Lastly we want to encourage existing users of the ABA to print out this piece of “history” and put it in the Bible.
Die baie gewilde Bybel vir Almal (of die ABA Bybel soos dit genoem word), het ‘n baie interessante geskiedenis waarvan min gebruikers van die Bybel bewus is, ‘n geskiedenis waarvan hulle en ons almal moet weet.
Dowes die wêreld deur, en veral ook die Afrikaansprekende Dowes in Suid-Afrika, het baie lank al die behoefte gehad aan ‘n Bybel wat makliker was om te verstaan. Baie begrippe is abstrak en is vir baie mense moeilik om te verstaan. In die vroeë 1980’s is by die De la Bat Gemeente vir Dowes in Bellville begin om boeke van die Bybel, beginnende by die Evangelies, te vertaal in maklik leesbare en verstaanbare Afrikaans.
Dit het gelei tot die eerste druk van die Bybel vir Dowes in 2007 wat amptelik deur die Bybelgenootskap van Suid-Afrika bekend gestel is op 3 Februarie 2008 by die Gemeente vir Dowes en die Nasionale Instituut vir Dowes op Worcester. Hierdie weergawe was onmiddelik baie gewild by Dowes, persone met gehoorverlies en familie van Dowes, asook horendes wat baie kontak met Dowes het. Dr. Rocco Hough, van die gemeente in Bellville en mej. Elmien Roux, ’n afgetrede Afrikaanse onderwyseres van die De la Bat Skool op Worcester, was direk betrokke by hierdie vertaling. Die illustrasies in die Bybel is gedoen deur ‘n Dowe grafiese ontwerper, Karin le Roux.
So gewild was hierdie Bybel vir Dowes dat die tweede oplaag reeds in 2008 die lig gesien het. Aangesien hierdie uitgawe maklik en duidelik was om te verstaan, het baie horende persone hierdie Bybel vir hulself aangeskaf en groot hoeveelhede is deur boere vir hul werkers aangekoop. Weens die feit dat selfs horendes hierdie Afrikaanse weergawe verkies het bo ander vertalings, het dit gelei tot die Bybelgenootskap se besluit om hierdie Bybel voortaan as die Afrikaanse Bybel vir Almal (ABA) te laat druk. Die eerste uitgawe het so vroeg as 2008 die lig gesien en ‘n tweede uitgawe kort daarna in 2009! Dit is die Bybel met die mooi koringare op die voorblad.
Baie Dowes (en horendes) het nie geweet van hierdie naamsverandering nie. Wanneer hulle navraag gedoen het by boekwinkels oor die Bybel vir Dowes, is hulle altyd meegedeel dat die Bybel “uit druk” is.
Hierdie gebeure is ‘n pragtige voorbeeld van Dowes se groot bydrae tot ‘n meer verstaanbare Afrikaanse weergawe van die Bybel vir die hele Afrikaanse gemeenskap. Dit bevestig dat Dowes nie net ’n kerndeel is van die breë gemeenskappe nie, maar kragdadig daartoe bydra. Horende Afrikaansprekendes is daarom dankbaar teenoor die Dowe gemeenskap. Dowes se bydrae het die Bybel meer oop en verstaanbaar gemaak.
‘n Engelse weergawe, met die fokus vir Dowes, behoort vroeg in 2018 die lig te sien. Dit maak veral voorsiening vir Dowes in Suider Afrika. Mens kan net dink wat ook dit vir die horende wêreld sal beteken.
Neem kennis dat die ABA Bybel gratis elektronies beskikbaar is (app) en op jou foon gelees kan word.
Laastens wil NID graag bestaande gebruikers van die ABA Bybel aanmoedig om hierdié stukkie “geskiedenis” uit te druk en voor in hul ABA Bybel te plak.