[sword-devel] Japanese Bibles

[Troy A. Griffitts]

Would anyone be interested in heading this up?

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Excerpts from 3 emails
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Subject: Japanese Bibles
From: Suzie Perry
Date: 2/8/2007 03:36 AM
To: sword-feedback

Greetings!

Looking at the wonderful work you have done, providing Bible software in 
so many languages, I would like to commend you and express my thanks! 
It is a great work.

Today my question concerns the Japanese Bible.  I note that you have not 
yet been able to add one to your list.  I am a missionary, working in 
Japan.  For several years, my fellow missionaries and I have been 
searching for the Kogoyaku Version (口語訳) of the Japanese Bible in 
software that can be downloaded to Pocket PC’s.  Besides offering it for 
regular PC’s, one company made this software for Palm based machines, 
but it never got further than that.  I have contacted Pocket PC experts 
in Japan, but no one seems to know how to go about getting the Bible we 
need into software that we can use on our PPC’s.  Can you offer us any 
suggestions or help?  There are a goodly number of us who would use this 
software eagerly, if we could get it.  Thank you for any help you can 
offer.

Sincerely, Suzie Perry

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Subject: Japanese Bibles
From: Suzie Perry
Date: 2/9/2007 03:57 AM
To: Troy A. Griffitts

Hello, Troy,

Many thanks for your speedy reply.  AND for your wonderful offer to help 
us with this project!  We are THRILLED!

This morning, I checked online for a freely usable Japanese Bible 
electronic text.  What I found is supplied by the Japanese Bible 
Society.  So, I phoned them to ask about Copyrights and whatever else 
might be important to know.
They were very cordial.  They asked if you would kindly contact them, 
personally.  They said they will be happy to supply you with what is 
necessary, but they need to make sure of who you are.  In the past, some 
who were wanting to use the Bible for unscrupulous purposes, wanted 
their files... thus their policy to check everyone out carefully.  Could 
I ask you to be in touch with them, yourselves?  Thanks so much.

Their contact information is:

Japan Bible Society
5-1,Ginza 4-chome,Chuo-ku,Tokyo, 104-0061, Japan
Phone:+81-3-3567-0385
Fax:+81-3-3567-4451
E-mail: info at bible.or.jp
URL: http://www.bible.or.jp/e/index.html

If there is any way I can help in this, I would be most happy to do so.

If we can at last have the Bible we use, the Kogoyaku version (口語訳) 
of the Japanese Bible, on software for the Pocket PC, it will be a 
terrific help to us in our work.  You see, Japanese Bibles don't have 
concordances or references in them.  So, when we are out, it is not 
possible to look up references.  Instead, we try going through our 
English Bibles and then work back into Japanese.  This usually works, 
but it is not the best.  And, of course, it is not an option for those 
who don't know English well.

Thank you so much for your interest in helping!

Gratefully, Suzie Perry

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Subject: Japanese Bibles
From: Suzie Perry
Date: 2/9/2007 03:57 AM
To: Troy A. Griffitts

Hello again, Troy!

This morning I wrote to you about contacting the Japan Bible Society. 
Well, one of our missionaries just phoned to say they found a free 
version of the Japanese Bible online!  It can be found at: 
http://www.monoon.com/bible
Then you scroll down the page until you come to Japanese, and select the
first version on this list, which is JKUG 口語訳.  I don't know which
company is better for you to go through.  But I just wanted to offer you 
all the options we have found.

Many many thanks!

Gratefully, Suzie Perry