You are currently viewing Meet Salem Egoh, the inspired man who translated the Bible into the Pidgin language
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Salem Egoh, from Delta State, is the editor and translator of the Pidgin Bible. He is a writer, musician, painter, music producer, teacher, and ICT professional. He says this about his skills and competencies: “ I am a multi-talented person and a polymath because I do a lot of things perfectly. I love to learn new things and ideas. One word that bests describe me is that I am a learner”. He spoke to Ademola Akinbola. Excerpts …

What motivated you to translate the English Bible into pidgin? When was this done and how?

I believe this project was inspired by God because the Bible has a lot of messages for us. So I was inspired to give my all to this project. I was initially writing a pidgin dictionary when my uncle, Pastor Jacobs Egoh, came up with the idea that we should translate the bible into Pidgin English. This was in 2019. I thought about it and then we started the translation.

I initially thought it wasn’t possible and that I couldn’t find enough words in Pidgin to translate the bible. However, when we started, I realized I was called for this purpose, so I gave my full attention and focus to the project. I am a multi-talented person, so the Pidgin Bible gave me an avenue to express my talents and gifts, from writing to marketing, editing, etc.

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What has been the public acceptance, especially in the church?

The public and the church have fully accepted the Pidgin Bible. They find it interesting, funny, and exciting. They understand the Bible better now. King James’ version, which is the favorite version, is very hard to understand because of the hard language. Pidgin Bible is easier to understand. You don’t need to stress yourself to read and understand it. More so, it has a Pidgin Dictionary with over 1000 words. The Pidgin Bible is becoming the most popular bible now, especially in Nigeria and Africa. Everyone wants a copy.

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As you know, Pidgin English is a funny and interesting language.  Most Nigerians and even most people across West Africa and even the world are impressed with the translation. Over 300 million people speak Pidgin in Nigeria, Ghana, Africa, and across the world. In Nigeria, Pidgin is the most spoken language. People appreciate the Pidgin Bible. They love it.

Have you produced the Bible in commercial quantities, and how much is one sold?

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We initially published the New Testament, Psalms, and proverbs. It is available in the most popular bookshop nationwide, and people can make an order from all over the world. However, the complete bible is already in the press, and people are already making orders for the complete bible. The New Testament is N3500 but the complete bible will cost less than N5000. We hope to bring down the price as we continue to print in large commercial quantities. The goal is to make it as cheap as possible so that everyone can get a copy.

Is it available on Amazon, Kindle, etc?

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Yes, the Pidgin Bible is available on Amazon Kindle. You can Google it. It’s very popular. It is the bible with a black cover and a pigeon bird on a cross. We are working so hard to make it available on more platforms.

What’s your next project?

 My next project is to make the Pidgin Bible App ready as soon as possible. However, I have other projects apart from the Pidgin Bible. My goal is to make the Pidgin language an official language. I am translating a lot of public domain books to the Pidgin language. I am also translating a lot of textbooks to Pidgin, like Economics, Agricultural Science, Government, Biology, etc.

Most people in Nigeria and West Africa understand Pidgin better; translating these books into the Pidgin language will make information and knowledge available to our people. This will empower our people with relevant information that will inspire them into creativity, production, and evolution.

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Do you have an important success story, news, or opinion article to share with with us? Get in touch with us at publisher@thepodiummedia.com or ademolaakinbola@gmail.com Whatsapp +1 317 665 2180

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