Volunteers Translate YouVersion into Dutch

When people first learn about the Bible App™ from YouVersion, many reasonably assume that we probably offer at least a few versions of the Bible. But what most probably don’t realize is that the Bible App will allow them to immediately access 160 versions… in 51 languages… entirely free. Most new users also probably don’t know that they can experience all of YouVersion—not just the website, but relevant blog posts, complete technical support, email communications, and the entire mobile version (the Bible App), including all its menus, buttons, and controls—in any of ten different languages. How do we do it? By partnering with you.

The YouVersion community is only possible because of our global network of extraordinary volunteers. People just like you passionately contribute their gifts and talents to ensure that others will also get to know the joy of engaging with God’s Word in their own heart languages. Generous Bible publishers partner with YouVersion too, providing both up-to-date, popular translations and deeply loved “classic” versions. And we’re honored to serve in God’s kingdom alongside all of you. Your hard work through partnerships like these have given YouVersion to the world in English, Norwegian, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Russian, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and German, and now—in Dutch.

Partner Volunteers

Even with great design and engineering, if you couldn’t read the Bible App’s buttons and menus, how would you use it? Fortunately, because volunteers share our vision to make the Bible freely, easily accessible to as many people as possible, no matter what language they speak, many are willing to offer their abilities as translators. And because of their contributions, we’re now pleased to welcome Dutch users into the YouVersion family. Of course, we can always use more help. The Bible App and other YouVersion tools are constantly in development, as we strive to make them not only more useful, but easier to use. As just one example, Dutch speakers can now receive assistance and technical support entirely in Dutch, submitting their requests through email, Facebook, or Twitter. And volunteers are who make it happen.

If you can help with translation into Dutch or other languages, we’d love to hear from you. Serving other YouVersion users—all over the world—can literally change your life. But don’t just take our word for it. Read for yourself what some of our awesome Dutch language volunteers have to say about the reasons they serve:

Dutch Language Volunteer Joshua J.

“When the opportunity came to join in translating the YouVersion Bible App to Dutch, I jumped right in. A lot of Dutchmen are great with English, but it gives you a special feeling to use an application in your mother language. Through the work of Dutch volunteers, the Bible App can now be used as a full-fledged Bible in Dutch churches.”
—Joshua J., Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Dutch Language Volunteer Annemarieke R.

“A couple of years ago, I bought an iPod touch and got the YouVersion App. When a call for translators got out, I volunteered because I have done translating before. And translating into Dutch is easy for me—I am Dutch born and bred, and I studied Dutch language and literature, even though I now live in the U.S. with my family. I also volunteered because there can be no better cause than proclaiming God’s Word in every language to all people, and modern technology provides the perfect means. May God bless all our efforts!”
—Annemarieke R., Grand Rapids, MI, USA

 

Dutch Language Volunteer Yanick G.

“I was using YouVersion for some time, but I thought it was a shame that some of the youth in my church couldn’t use it because of the language barrier. But instead of complaining about it and waiting for someone else to start working on it, I decided to roll up my sleeves and get to work myself. And that’s how I joined YouVersion’s Volunteer team. It’s been a crazy ride, but now that the project is well on its way, I feel blessed to be a part of such a great international team that made it possible for Dutch-speaking people to engage in the Bible—thanks to the help of YouVersion.”
—Yanick G., Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Netherlands

Bible Publishing Partners

Of course, YouVersion is entirely centered around God’s inspired Word, the Bible. While volunteers partner with us to make things happen, our community also requires the generous support of Bible publishers and societies. In Dutch, while we already offer Het Boek (HTB) and Statenvertaling (SV1750), we’ve also been working hard to bring you additional modern, easy-to-read versions. Keep checking here on our blog for news about translations into Dutch, and watch the “Nederlands” space in the Bible App and on YouVersion.com’s versions page for new additions!

Brand New from Joyce Meyer and YouVersion: Promises for Your Everyday Life – a Daily Devotional

Joyce Meyer and the Bible App™
Today we’re thrilled to announce that YouVersion has teamed up with Joyce Meyer, internationally renowned Bible teacher and New York Times Bestselling author, to bring you a very special, exclusive reading plan from Joyce Meyer Ministries, called Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life – a Daily Devotional.

Joyce’s desire to make practical, biblical teaching accessible to people in all walks of life is a natural match for YouVersion’s simple mission: To make it easy for as many people as possible to freely connect with the Bible, no matter where they live.

The exclusive, 365-day Promises for Your Everyday Life plan is available right now, only from the Plans section inside the Bible App™ and from YouVersion.com’s Reading plans page. Each practical, inspirational message is designed to be completed in about 10 minutes, to help you make the most of your time in God’s Word every day. And all you’ll need to get started is the Bible App and a free YouVersion account.

Joyce Meyer Ministries provides practical, biblical teaching about subjects relevant to everyday life. She has authored 90 books, and her Enjoying Everyday Life® TV and radio programs are broadcast worldwide, sharing biblically based, inspirational messages that help people discover true fulfillment and joy. We’re so grateful that Joyce has chosen to make this exceptional daily resource available exclusively to our YouVersion community.

With Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life – a Daily Devotional, YouVersion now offers almost 200 reading plans in 10 languages for you to choose from. And with 160 Bible versions in 51 languages, and more than 30 million installs so far, YouVersion.com and the Bible App truly have something for everyone.

Special Webcast on November 30


Please mark your calendar and join us for a special live webcast:

Wednesday, November 30, at 12:00 PM
Central Time U.S. (noon) (GMT -6)

We’ll be sharing what’s going on in the global YouVersion community, and we’ll visit about some developments coming soon to YouVersion and the Bible App™. (Check our Facebook event or the webcast page for details.) And we’ll be setting aside a substantial part of our time for your questions, so think ahead about what you’d like to ask. You just might win a fantastic package: a set of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones with an iPad 2.

We’d love to see as many people there as possible, so please be sure to tell all your friends, and come connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. When you’re sharing about the webcast on Twitter—both leading up to and during the webcast—please remember to use the hashtag #YouVersion.

Here’s the official web page where the webcast will take place: http://www.youversion.com/webcast

Worldwide, Dutch Readers, Speakers Now Enjoy All YouVersion Has to Offer

The Bible App™ and YouVersion.com Now in DutchIf you read or speak Dutch, the Bible App™ and the YouVersion.com website are excited to welcome you to the YouVersion family, no matter where you live in the world. While we currently offer Het Boek (HTB) and Statenvertaling (SV1750) both on the YouVersion versions page and inside the Bible App™ (look under “Nederlands”), we’re working to secure agreements to bring you additional excellent translations in Dutch in the near future.

YouVersion’s simple mission has always been to make the Bible freely available to as many people as possible, no matter where they live or what language they prefer. But Bibles in your heart language are just one small part of that vision. Just as important are all the many ways you use YouVersion’s tools and engage with its community—the entire user interface (buttons, menus, and controls), interactions on social networks (like Facebook and Twitter), email exchanges, reading plans—even full technical support! It’s a worldwide community of passionate volunteers who make it all possible, recently completing the massive undertaking of translating the entire YouVersion experience into easy-to-understand, everyday Dutch, now equally suited for any of the following:

Dutch Speakers “at Home” in the Netherlands. The World Factbook describes the Netherlands as the 60th most populous nation in the world, with 16.8 million people, 96% of whom claim Dutch as their mother tongue. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Dutch is a first language to some 23 million people—as well as a second language to another 5 million.

Dutch Speakers Around the Globe. The YouVersion community is constantly adding more Dutch speakers, with the Bible App installed on devices that list Dutch as their default language from literally all over the world. Besides the Netherlands, Dutch is also the native language of Belgium and Suriname, two neighbors which, together with the Netherlands, make up the three states of the Dutch Language Union. And as many as half a million more native speakers of Dutch are dispersed throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. YouVersion truly comprises a global community, and Dutch speakers everywhere are important members of that family.

Now, for the first time, you can engage with God’s Word every day entirely in Dutch. Just imagine: no matter where you happen to be, the Bible is literally as close as your mobile device. And it’s always 100% free, with no hidden charges or in-app add-ons to pay for later. Simply download it and set your device’s default language to Dutch or, on some platforms, even specify Dutch directly within the Bible App!

If you speak or read Dutch, we’re excited to welcome you into our YouVersion family! Whether you already love the Bible or you’re just exploring it for the very first time, your language of choice shouldn’t be a barrier that makes it hard for you to enjoy. We’re looking forward to sharing in your journey and discoveries in God’s Word!

Get Bible App for Android Update Now: Improved Search, Bookmark Label View

Bookmarks Screen in the Bible App™ for Android v. 3.6Get the most out of the Bible App for Android. Release 3.6* is available for download in the Android App Market right now. In this update, we’ve added two great new features you’ll want to check out:

Improved Bible Search. For the first time on Android, now you can filter your Bible searches, limiting them to just the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Apocrypha, or to a single book. You can even sort your results to help you more easily find what you’re looking for (displaying them in book order, for example).

Label View. Bookmarks were always great for marking verses you want to quickly jump back to later, and labels made them even more useful. Now label view makes this feature handier than ever. You can see all your labels in one place, then tap a label to see which verses you applied it to. This great tool will help you organize your bookmarked verses for Bible studies, memory lists, or even sharing to encourage others. Check out the Android section of YouVersion’s Technical Support website to learn how to add your own labels.

Please share! It’s easy to start a conversation about the Bible App with your friends. Just tell them what you’re studying in the Bible right now. And if they have an Android device, maybe they’ll let you show them how it works—or even let you help them install it on their mobile. However you decide to use the Bible App, please come and tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter.


*This release supports Android version 1.6 and higher, as well as App2SD.