ALMATY, Kazakhstan—The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in Kazakh at a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses held September 26-28, 2014. All 3,721 in attendance were able to receive a copy of the new Bible.

Dr. Alexander Garkavets, a specialist in Turkic philology, commented on the New World Translation in Kazakh: “Despite the limited resources for translating holy texts into Kazakh, the Witness translators did a remarkable job. It is very commendable how they revealed new ways of expressing the source text ideas in Kazakh. The New World Translation reflects the current vernacular and is thus easily understood by all.”

The week following the convention, on October 3, the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazakhstan held an open house and featured the new Kazakh Bible. The Kazakhstan-based news agency Radio Azattyq reported on the event: “The center was visited by the officials of the Akimat (state regional administration) of the city of Almaty, led by the head of the Department of Religious Affairs, Mr. Nurzhan Zhaparkul, representatives of the foreign diplomatic missions, experts in religious studies, and others.” Mr. Zhaparkul observed, “Jehovah’s Witnesses welcomed us very openly for this event in their center in Almaty. This initiative is very commendable and helps us in our work very much.”

A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazakhstan, Polat Bekzhan, states: “We were very pleased with the response to our convention this year and how well the Kazakh Bible was received among the growing Kazakh-speaking community. Our goal in organizing the open house was also accomplished, offering government officials, the media, and our neighbors an opportunity to become more familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Kazakhstan: Polat Bekzhan, tel. +7 727 232 36 62