Converting minority language bibles into Logos from YouVersion?

not shure if this is the Tonga Bible [;)]

You can do it with copy past and put it into Word (plain Text) Better way is just call Wiclif and let them sent you a Text.

6320.Main Nɨ Ena.docx

http://gospelgo.com/a/unicode.htm#Tonga_Island

David I just have the Germans

https://wycliff.de/

I've always been wondering why in German Wycliffe is spelled without an e...

Here's the NZ website: http://www.wycliffe.org.nz/

They have a piece of software called "Toolbox" for their Bible translations. http://www-01.sil.org/computing/toolbox/

A couple of years ago I had a small project to convert native Toolbox files into MS Word. I focused on some basic formatting as a first step towards publishing. I guess I could dig the thing out again, to create a new version that generates PB friendly Word documents. (I guess I would need some more details on the PB process, and it would really only make sense if we know for sure that Wycliffe would share their files for such a purpose.)

Hi David:

I took the text from the link that Sascha provided and gave it a shot. When I compiled it, it had 30 or so warnings. A few of those I was able to fix, as they were some dumb things I did. But there are still some invalid milestones, which are probably related to a different verse map, or some variant versification made by the translator(s). See the tab on the Excel file "Log Warnings 2nd Run" and "Notes". I couldn't delve into the remaining invalid milestones, since I couldn't compare the verses to English bibles.

This is what I did:

1. Opened Sascha's link
2. Copied and pasted it all into Word
3. Ran a find and replace to make each verse a paragraph
4. Copied and pasted into Excel.
5. Built formulas to make the tagged verses
6. Copied and pasted into Word
7. Used special characters I put in Book names and Chapter headings to make them Heading 2 & Heading 3 using find and replace
8. Use find and replace to re-format verse numbers to bold and 2 pts smaller
9. Compiled as Bible (no language option for Tongan; there's a Tsonga, but I think that's related to an African area. My installation of Word didn't have Tongan, either)

NB.Mick is correct [:)]

I hope this is useful, or at least is something that gets you started. The zip file has the docx and the Excel work file. If someone knows how to identify and use a different verse map, changing the Excel formulas for that is probably not a huge undertaking.

EDIT: here's the link (I must have been halucinating last night):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wp7osme0gn37zek/Tongan%20Bible.zip?dl=0 

Robert M. Warren said:

EDIT: here's the link (I must have been halucinating last night):

Too much PB work gets you like that!!

Jan, I never heard of Toolbox being used for translation. I thought Toolbox is a database program for language and culture data. It can also be used to do text analysis, and interlinear work. For translation, SIL either uses Bibledit (freeware) or Paratext (license need). Both of these use the USFM Bible format (united standard format markers, developed by SIL and UBS I think). This formt cannot easily be converted into a DOCX for PB. However, I have successfully done so using http://freely-given.org/Software/BibleDropBox/ and then taking the XML output file and using https://github.com/schierlm/BibleMultiConverter to produce a HTML file which with LibreOffice can be converted into DOCX. However, Michael Schierl, the man behind the Bible Multi Converter is considering building a module that allows to import USFM Bibles right into his converter. Whether he gets to it, I don't know. Also, the Bible Multi Converter does help suggest which Logos Verse Map fits best with your Bible. But you need to have the Bible in a supported input format in order to use this converter.

However, I'm not with SIL. There are SIL members here on the forum that might chime in. 

As far as copyright of these Bibles, it depends on who made the translation. Not all YouVersion Bibles come from Wycliffe/SIL. Some are copyrighted by UBS etc. So one needs to ask and find out.

The original question could be implemented by a different route.  The Digital Bible Library (http://www.everytribeeverynation.org/library ) is the central repository where bible.com (YouVersion) subscribes as a 'card-holder' to the massive collection of digitised Bibles uploaded in USFM format by Bible Societies around the world.  I believe that subscription to this library by bible.com or Faithlife might be free of charge (although I could be wrong on this).  If Faithlife were able to easily convert Bibles from the Digital Bible Library into Logos or Vyrso formats, with a minimum of processing, it would allow users access to a wealth of new translations. 

A major issue, though, would be versification, since not all Bibles have the same versification e.g. e.g. Psalm 4:2 in some translations is the equivalent original text as Psalm 4:3 in others.  With my limited knowledge of the technical issues that would be required, I would imagine that if a versification cross-reference table were produced and double-checked by volunteers (at no cost to Faithlife) for each Bible version on the Digital Bible Library, to a Logos or Vyrso software standard, then maybe there wouldn't be such a big problem in converting such Bibles for use in Logos or Vyrso.  It might also enhance the marketing reach of Faithlife products to users who can only access some of those Bible translations using free software instead.  

I personally would like to see some of the Irish language (Gaeilge) publications recently made available through the Digital Bible Library become available on Logos (which I admit I've mentioned before), as well as other translations. But then, a project like this could be costly in employing Faithlife staff, even for a minimal degree of format conversion, and now doesn't seem to be a suitable time to suggest taking on more staff.  Yet, having such translations available on our favourite Bible software is nevertheless on my long term wishlist.

David Roberts said:

 féadfaidh an grásta Dé a bheith in éineacht leat

May God's grace be with you too, David. 

Yes, it's great to have so many translations available, but how much better would it be to have them in our favourite Bible software too, especially if it is your own 'heart' language!

Rath Dé ort 

David Roberts said:

Totally hear you on the heart languages thing. Years ago I found out that Celtic languages weren't just in Briton, but used to be in Asia minor.
The Galatians spoke a Celtic language. For us today, it would be a blast to go back in time and listen to them speaking ancient Celtic in the Church at Galatia. I found this quite interesting:
"In the 4th century St. Jerome (Hieronymus) wrote in a comment to Paul the Apostle's Epistle to the Galatians that "apart from the Greek language, which is spoken throughout the entire East, the Galatians have their own language, almost the same as the Treveri". The capital of the Treveri was Trier, where Jerome had settled briefly after studying in Rome)."
The Treveri link is fascinating.

Yeah, Celtic links to other people groups in Europe and even the Middle East are really interesting.  I think that we are all descended from people or people groups much further afield from where we live, in one way or another.  My main concern is from a mission or evangelism context, to have scriptures in Gaeilge easily available to those who love the language. It's great that we can access the Bible digitally so easily today, compared to decades or centuries ago.