New Testament Translation Begins in Latgalian Language

In Latvia, a team led by priest Jēkabs Rodions Doļa began translating the New Testament into modern Latgalian. The Latvian Bible Society initiated the project, building on an idea from the late theologian Valdis Tēraudkalns. This translation will be the first of the New Testament directly into the modern written form of Latgalian, as a previous translation appeared in the 1930s.

Translators Ilze Ziņģe and Māra Mortuzāne-Muravska, along with editor Edeite Laime, recently completed training for the project. Mortuzāne-Muravska noted the challenge of capturing nuanced meanings in Latgalian while avoiding a direct transfer from Latvian.

The Latvian Bible Society expects to complete the translation by 2031, providing a key religious text in a language spoken by a cultural and regional minority in Latvia. The project aims to create a natural and accessible version of the New Testament for Latgalian speakers.