SURAM Cameroon: Report and Evaluation

Mike Kuhn was the data analyst for the SURAM Cameroon research, carried out from 2022 to 2024. This report provides additional analysis and should be read together with the research team’s SURAM report.

ABSTRACT
This report examines the use and impact of vernacular Scripture in Cameroon, addressing a long-standing challenge in Bible translation: how to ensure that newly translated Scriptures are widely used and produce meaningful impacts among individuals, congregations, and the community at large. The SURAM Cameroon project was conceived to shed light on this issue by surveying 25 language communities (from an initial target of 28) where Scripture translations or revisions were completed between 2007 and 2017. It seeks to determine 1) the degree to which these vernacular Scriptures are being used, 2) the kinds of impacts that these Scriptures are producing in these communities and the degree to which each community is experiencing them, and 3) the factors influencing Scripture use and impact in each context.

A multi-faceted, mixed-methods approach was employed. Researchers conducted ~ 200 one-on-one surveys in each community, as well as surveys of congregational groups (men, women, youth), denominational leaders, and project staff. These instruments provided quantitative indicators as well as qualitative insights. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics (to calculate Scripture ownership, usage, and impact rates) and inferential analyses. The research design was rigorously reviewed and refined in consultation with stakeholders to ensure robust findings.

The study found, among other things, that:

• High individual literacy levels were the single strongest predictor of Scripture ownership and linked to more frequent Scripture reading.
• A sense of local ownership in the project – manifested by prayer, donations, and volunteerism – predicted higher personal Scripture ownership and use.
• Respondents’ trust in the moral integrity of translators and the naturalness/clarity of the translation correlated with greater personal spiritual growth and community well-being.
• Appreciation of the writing system (orthography) was uniquely influential – communities satisfied with their orthography reported higher rates of Scripture ownership, usage, and impact across the board, highlighting the importance of linguistic factors.

This research contributes valuable empirical evidence for Bible translation and Scripture engagement strategies. Practically, the findings inform actionable recommendations for translation organizations, such as investing in local partnerships, integrating literacy programs with Scripture promotion efforts, ensuring intelligible and accepted translations through thorough dialect research and orthography development, and ways to deliberately cultivate a sense of community ownership of projects.

In sum, SURAM Cameroon provides a data-driven assessment of what helps or hinders vernacular Scripture engagement, equipping practitioners with insights to “aim at impact” more effectively and informing future efforts to see translated Scriptures widely used with the goal of positively influencing the communities and the individuals who live in them.

Access the SURAM reports here
You can read Mike Kuhn’s research report on the CanIL Completed Theses website.
You can read the research team’s SURAM report here, available in English and French.

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