© 1984 Urantia Foundation
We are pleased to report a number of developments which promise sure and solid progress in the dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book.
As you know one of the areas of major continuing interest is the rendering of The URANTIA Book into many of the different languages of the planet so as to enabe as many as possible to enjoy the book’s teachings. A most important step has been taken in that direction.
After a number of years of preparatory questioning and exploration as to the best manner in which to proceed in realizing a Spanish translation of The URANTIA Book, URANTIA Brotherhood in cooperation with URANTIA Foundation appointed a Translator Selection Committee to begin the search for a team of translators to accomplish the Job. After approximately one year. the Selection Committee identified a New York City company, Euramerica Translations. Inc., as the best candidate for the task.
URANTIA Foundation has now largely completed the contract negotiations with Euramerica, which plans to assign ten employees to the translation effort and which anticipates completing the actual translation work within an estimated period of fourteen to sixteen months once the work is commenced.
However, before the contract with Euramerica may be finalized and the translation work may begin, $350,000 must be raised to cover the cost of translating The URANTIA Book into Spanish and thereafter publishing approximately five thousand copIes of El libro de Urantia. As with raising the funds for future printings of The URANTIA Book In English. URANTIA Brotherhood, through its Finance Committee, has once again graciously agreed to assist with a fund drive to raise this $350.000. After publication, a portion of tile proceeds from the sale of El Libro de URANTIA will be placed in a sinking fund as a reserve for future printings.
Once the necessary funds have been raised. a contract can be signed between Andite Corporation. URANTIA Foundation’s SpanIsh translation subsidiary, and Euramerica.
The initial response from a number of large contributors has been exceedingly encouraging and if followed by the wide and generous participation we believe will be forthcoming, our goal will indeed be achieved. We do ask and need the participation of everyone. Please contribute what you can, making checks payable to “Andite Corporation.”
As an incentive to those who are willing to give larger sums, a free copy of El Libro de URANTIA will be given to the donor for each $500.00 contributed up to $2,500.00. Thereafter for each $1,000.00 given in excess of $2,500.00, a book will be placed in re·serve for donation to libraries by URANTIA Brotherhood.
Enclosed is more information on how to help make the teachings of The URANTIA Book available to a major segment of the world’s population whose native tongue is Spanish. This is an exciting time. Please join with us to the extent you can in helping with this Important translation effort.
Another important step in the spread of the teachings of The URANTIA Book has been the conclusion of a professional evaluation of the readiness of the Finnish translation for publication. Although further revision appears necessary despite the hard and selfless work of a number of dedicated readers/translators under the auspices of URANTIA Foundation. the revision work has been planned and enthusiastically undertaken with a final version anticipated to be ready for publication in the next five or six years.
Even while there are significant developments towards translating The URANTIA Book into other languages, the sales of the English and French versions continue apace with sales for the first part of 1984 paralleling those of the same period in 1983. It is anticipated that the 1984 combined sales for the French and English versions of The URANTIA Book should be in the range of 10,000 copies as was the case last year.
Insofar as the original English version is concerned, a recent study indicates that the following nations received 100 or more copies of The URANTIA Book as of December, 1983: Canada -6,032; Australia -1,388; Finland -647; United Kingdom -252; New Zealand -187; France -184; and the Netherlands -174. Lesser numbers of copies have been sent to a number of other nations. The URANTIA Brotherhood Bulletin will provide a more complete report on the international distribution of Le Livre d’Urantia and The URANTIA Book.
Because of the steady sales of The URANTIA Book, the eighth printing is now in progress with delivery scheduled for later this year. URANTIA Foundation has authorized the preparation of another 25,000 copies, bringing the total of English books printed to almost 160,000. (Sales with the exhaustion of the seventh printing inventory will approximate 135,000.)
With regard to a related matter, the Trustees had hoped to complete their review of suggested changes to the book’s dust jacket in time for the eighth printing: however, because of a number of other priorities, it simply was not possible to give this matter the attention it deserved in order to incorporate changes in time for the eighth printing. We thank those who expended time and effort in bringing their suggestions to the Trustees’ attention. The Trustees will, of course, continue to pursue this matter and welcome any and all suggestions you may have.
In the meantime, the Trustees were able to adopt one suggestion which provides for the elimination of the plastic shrink wrap which bookstores often have left on books on display and which has prevented a review of the contents of the book by potential buyers. We hope this change will prove a positive benefit.
The foregoing developments show a vigor and vitality that holds great promise for the future. With respect to the Spanish translation, we invite each of you to help as you can in the realization of this important effort.
“…Recentiy I was fortunate to run across a copy of The URANTIA Book. I spent some time reading it and am very well impressed by the message it brings to us about God and the meaning of our lives. I have been a different person since that time in my outlook on the future and what it holds for us. This is, I’m sure, a normal response that you are already familiar with.”
“…I would like you to send to me some material on the URANTIA Foundation, Brotherhood and any other material that you might have for someone who is investigating life and is desirous to know more about the message that you have. I also would like a price on The URANTIA Book so I may acquire one for my own personal use and study.”
“…I believe your organization may hold many of the answers that people are searching for. You may consider that my request for future membership will come from the heart and will reprcsent a sinccre effort to gain knowledge and experience from life. Thank you very much.”
“TO THE unbelieving materialist, man is simply an evolutionary accident. . . . Nameless despair is man’s only reward for living and toiling under the temporal sun of mortal existence. . . . But such is not man’s end and eternal destiny; such a vision is but the cry of despair uttered by some wandering soul who has become lost in spiritual darkness, and who bravely struggles on in the face of the mechanistic sophistries of a material philosophy, blinded by the confusion and distortion of a complex learning. And all this doom of darkness and all this destiny of despair are forever dispelled by one brave stretch of faith on the part of the most humble and unlearned of God’s children on earth.” UB 102:0.1-2
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