The EasyEnglish Bible is a new translation of the Bible that uses a very limited vocabulary and simple sentence structures. Its purpose is to express the original text of the Bible in clear language that is easy to understand. It is particularly helpful for people who do not speak English as their first language and for people who struggle to unravel long or complex sentences.
Vocabulary
The transaction uses a basic vocabulary of about 1000 dictionary words that are in common use. In addition, it uses about 600 words that are less well known. These words are marked in the text and a brief definition for each word is provided in a glossary.
As far as possible, the use of glossary words is kept to a minimum. The translation uses the basic 1000 word vocabulary when these can express the meaning of the original text in a clear and accurate way.
Grammar
Sentences in the translation are limited in length, with a maximum of 20 words. There are usually no more than two main verbal expressions in a sentence. While this results in more sentences, explicit connections between sentences maintain a cohesive flow.
The following grammatical limitations apply to EasyEnglish:
- No passive constructions, except where any alternative is too complex.
- No rhetorical questions, except where the implied answer is clear.
- No idiomatic expressions.
Within those limitations, the translation seeks to express the content of the original text in natural, grammatical English.
The Base Text
The translators have referred to a range of English Bible translations, and to the original language text as a base, especially where English versions have different understandings of the original text. They have used the texts published and updated by United Bible Societies (UBS):
- Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica “Masoretic Text”
- New Testament: The Nestle-Aland “Novum Testamentum Graece”
Translation Methodology
The translation is a project of MissionAssist, a Christian charity based in the United Kingdom. MissionAssist is part of the Wycliffe Global Alliance and is a member of Global Connections.
Many volunteer members of MissionAssist have contributed their skills and experience to the translation. These include the initial drafting, linguistic checks, theological checks, style checks and proofreading. Comments from readers around the world have also contributed to the final result.
Translation Philosophy
The translators believe in the divine inspiration of the original Bible texts in the languages in which they were written. The words of the original texts are the means of expressing God’s message to humankind, and each word is there for a divine purpose. The content of that message is conveyed at many different levels of language. Words are the building blocks of sentences, paragraphs, discourses. The EasyEnglish Bible seeks to convey God’s communication in a clear way at all these levels.
Questions about the translation may be addressed to questions@easyenglish.bible