Religion Today: Endangered Indigenous Languages Find a Home on the World’s Most Translated Website
The most translated website in the world — jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses — includes content in more than 1,030 languages, including many Indigenous languages considered at risk of dying out.
Among them are Central Alaskan Yupik, spoken by some 10,000 in Alaska, as well as Blackfoot, Cherokee, Choctaw, Hopi and Navajo.
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For Mary Beebe, who grew up speaking Yupik in her hometown of Bethel, Alaska, the Yupik publications on jw.org have helped her embrace her culture while deepening her faith.
“God is showing his love for our people, with our language being translated for them to understand,” said Beebe, a volunteer assisting with the Yupik translation work.
The official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses – the most translated website in the world – includes content in more than 1,030 languages, including many Indigenous languages considered at risk of dying out. Jehovah’s Witnesses photo
“Translating Indigenous languages is a labor of love for all those involved and for our organization,” said Robert Hendriks, the U.S. spokesman of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The work is challenging and time-consuming. But our goal isn’t to make a profit; it’s to provide the Bible’s comforting message clearly and accurately to as many people as possible.”
Sharing the Bible’s message of hope and comfort in the local Yupik community has been a powerful experience for Beebe.
“In this world where it’s so divided with people because of their race,” Beebe said, “it just makes you think how God views everyone, not this one race or that, but every one the same.”
Jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, publishes encouraging content in more than 1,030 languages, including many Indigenous languages.
Submitted by Jehovah’s Witnesses – Public Information Desk
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Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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