The Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT) is an organisation involved in literacy, education and development projects in

minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...

communities in Ghana, as well as Bible translation work.

History

GILLBT grew out of work begun by linguists from Wycliffe Bible Translators, who began working with the Institute of African Studies at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

in 1962. In 1980, a new organisation was established to continue the work, the Ghana Institute of Linguistics (GIL). In 1982, its name was changed to the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT).

Associations

GILLBT has continued its original connection with the University of Ghana, mainly with the Institute of African Studies (IAS), but also with the Institute of Adult Education, the Department of Linguistics, and the Language Centre. Linguistic and anthropological research conducted by GILLBT members is often published by IAS. GILLBT is also a member organisation of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.

Funding

GILLBT is funded from a variety of sources, including individual donors and other organisations. It has also generated income from running guesthouses in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

and

Tamale A tamale, in Spanish language, Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalization, nixtamalized maize, corn, which is steaming, steamed in a corn husk or Banana leaf, banana leaves. The wrapping ...

and operating a printing press.

Work

Literacy and education

GILLBT has partnered with other organisations to run a

Complementary Basic Education Complement may refer to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Complement (music)#Aggregate complementation, Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-class collections into compleme ...

programme, which offers nine months of classes in mother tongue literacy for unschooled children.

Translation

GILLBT is one of three main organisations involved in Bible translation in Ghana, alongside the Bible Society of Ghana and the International Bible Society. In addition to its involvement in Bible translation, GILLBT collaborated with National Commission for Civic Education to translate an abridged version of the 1992

Constitution of Ghana The Constitution of Ghana is the supreme law of the Republic of Ghana. It was approved on 28 April 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support. It defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, pow ...

into 30 Ghanaian languages, and with the

International Federation of Women Lawyers The International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL), in Spanish (FIDA), is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that enhances the status of women and children by providing legal aid, legal literacy and education programs, and th ...

to translate the "Rights of Ghanaian Women" into minority languages.

References

{{Authority control 1980 establishments in Ghana Linguistics organizations Christianity in Ghana Civic and political organisations of Ghana Educational institutions established in 1980