Translate Ellen G. White

Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 is the global Spirit of Prophecy translation initiative for 2025–2030, designed to make Ellen G. White’s writings accessible to every believer in their own language. Developed by the Spirit of Prophecy Committee in partnership with the Ellen G. White Estate and the world divisions, this plan outlines a coordinated effort to translate, publish, and promote the writings across hundreds of languages. The initiative includes detailed language categories, book lists, subsidy guidelines, translation workflows, and training systems that support both translators and local fields.

Translate
Provide a platform to manage the translation of Ellen G. White’s writings.
Edit
Allow easy editing of Ellen G. White’s translations.
Publish
Approved Ellen G. White’s translations will be made available on egwwritings.org and associated apps and websites.

About

Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0

Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 is a five-year initiative of the Spirit of Prophecy Committee and the Ellen G. White Estate to make the inspired writings of Ellen G. White available to every believer and seeker in their own language. This plan builds upon previous efforts and introduces new strategies for translation, accessibility, and global engagement with Ellen White's writings.

Purpose

The Gift of Prophecy is essential to the identity and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This translation plan seeks to expand access to the writings of Ellen G. White by providing accurate and high-quality translations in a growing number of languages. Through this initiative, the White Estate—in collaboration with world divisions and publishing partners—aims to make the Spirit of Prophecy more accessible for reading, study, and sharing around the world.

Main Goal

The goal of this initiative is to translate and promote Ellen G. White's writings globally, ensuring that members and communities everywhere can engage with her inspired messages in multi-media. Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 continues the work of previous translation initiatives while expanding the number of books and languages involved, with a particular focus on mission languages that have not yet been reached.

Objectives

To accomplish this mission, the plan sets clear and measurable goals for 2025–2030:

Translate Ellen G. White's writings according to language categories.
Complete 67 books in 6 major global languages (See list of 67 books in pages 3-4 of the Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 booklet)
Complete 35 books in 9 secondary languages
Complete 16 core books in regional languages
Translate 3 key books (Steps to Christ, The Desire of Ages, The Great Controversy) into mission languages (see list of mission languages in pages 6-8 of the Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 booklet)
Translate up to four Spirit of Prophecy educational resources into major global and secondary global languages, supporting curriculum, discipleship, and training needs across the world field.

16 Core Books

The Translation Projects

Sharing the Gift of Light 2.0 aims to make Ellen G. White’s inspired writings available in more languages than ever before, providing spiritual guidance and encouragement to believers around the world. By 2030, this plan envisions a global church where every member, regardless of language, can read and share the light of truth found in the Spirit of Prophecy writings.

This global initiative of translating Ellen G. White books into all major languages has been divided into four categories.

Major Global Languages (67 Books)

The plan focuses first on six major world languages—Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. The first phase includes translating the 16 core books, followed by an additional 51 books from the extended list. This effort ensures that the major language groups of the Adventist world church have full access to Ellen G. White’s most essential writings.

Secondary Global Languages (35 Books)

The next category includes nine secondary languages—German, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Malagasy, Romanian, Filipino, and Ukrainian. These languages represent large Seventh-day Adventist populations and strong publishing networks. The focus is to expand the availability of Ellen G. White’s books in both multi-media forms to strengthen local ministry and discipleship.

Major Regional Languages (16 Core Books)

The regional language category includes 56 additional languages where Adventist presence is growing rapidly. Each of these languages will receive translations of the 16 core Ellen G. White books that provide a comprehensive overview of the Adventist message and mission.

Mission Languages (3 Books)

Mission languages are those spoken in areas where the church’s presence is still emerging. For these, the plan prioritizes three foundational titles—Steps to Christ, The Desire of Ages, and The Great Controversy. These books present the heart of the gospel and the Adventist message and will be key to outreach and evangelism in new territories.

Global Reading Plan

The Sharing the Gift of Light initiative goes beyond translation. It encourages active reading and engagement. A Global Reading Plan promotes the study of Ellen G. White’s writings through annual “Book of the Year” campaigns, church reading programs, and digital access initiatives, all designed to foster personal and collective spiritual growth.

Partnerships and Collaboration

This initiative depends on strong collaboration between various church entities. The project is guided by the Spirit of Prophecy Committee and implemented through the Ellen G. White Estate, in partnership with world Divisions, Unions, Publishing Houses, and White Estate Research Centers. Translator recruitment and coordination are supported by Vivid Faith and regional Spirit of Prophecy coordinators.

Support Systems

To accomplish these translation goals, the plan includes several key support systems:

Subsidy Program: Financial assistance provided through the Spirit of Prophecy Committee to support translation, printing, and distribution, following the GC Working Policy.
Translation Software (TEGW): A digital platform that ensures consistency, facilitates collaboration, and allows real-time monitoring of translation progress.
Training and Orientation: Translators, editors, and coordinators will receive guidance and ongoing orientation on how to use the platform effectively.
Central Database: A global system to track translations, translators, language coverage, and production status.