Birth-language Scripture roadmap (free & open)
Goal: Free and open Scripture available for every birth language that serves known peoples — toward full access for all, without royalties.
This page is the in-app summary. Full strategy: docs/design/birth-language-scripture-roadmap.md.
Honest framing
| Claim | Truth |
|---|---|
| “Top 20 languages = 100% of Earth” | False for mother tongue. Large languages cover many people; thousands of languages remain. |
| “Some Scripture for almost everyone” | Nearly true today: global access to some Scripture is reported >99% of language users (Wycliffe / ProgressBible-scale stats, mid-2020s). |
| “Full Bible in every heart language” | Not finished — only hundreds of full Bibles; ~1 in 5 people still lack a full Bible in the language that serves them best. |
| “ZVBible will translate every language alone” | Not the model. Churches and translation partners produce text; ZVBible distributes free texts. |
Approach (four tracks)
- Discover & catalog — Map language/people → Scripture status → open license → free URL.
- Adopt free texts — Ingest PD/CC/eBible free Bibles into ZVBible packs (
npm run data:fetch:langpacks→public/language-packs/). - Accelerate new translation — Partner field teams; optional AI draft assist only with human community + consultant gates; open license required.
- Distribute & preserve — Static host files; Globe install → IndexedDB; PWA never caches language packs in the install shell.
Principles
- Birth-language speakers lead.
- Open license (PD / CC0 / CC BY / free-use).
- No rewriting of verse text in the app (Scripture fidelity).
- Oral/audio Scripture counts as real access.
- Measure remaining need, not marketing percentages.
Phases (summary)
| Phase | Focus | Horizon |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Pipeline, fidelity, free pack catalog, partner one-pager | Now |
| 1 | Mega-languages missing free packs (Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, …) | 1–2 years |
| 2 | National/regional free NT/portions + audio | 2–5 years |
| 3 | Remaining peoples via global translation movement + free release into apps | Decades |
| 4 | Sustain, version, report coverage yearly | Ongoing |
ZVBible near-term priorities
- Keep shipping existing free packs (21+ languages).
- Gap-hunt open texts for top unspeaked mega-languages.
- Never put language packs in the PWA install cache.
- Offer free hosting/distribution for newly open-licensed translations.
- Document contribution path for open USFM.
Related
- Design:
docs/design/birth-language-scripture-roadmap.md - Recommended language packs
- Scripture fidelity
- Fellowship
- External: Wycliffe Global Scripture Access, eBible.org, Ethnologue / ProgressBible
Freely you have received; freely give (Matthew 10:8). The platform is a shelf; the Church and the Spirit carry the Word to every nation.