The tale of the Tower of Babel, from Genesis 11: 1-9, is an "explanation" of why there are so many different languages. You can find the story in some of those languages by following the links below. Having a single text in a variety of languages is a good way to see similarities and differences between those languages.
The Tower of Babel did in fact exist: it was a seven-stage ziggurat (stepped pyramid) with a temple to the god Marduk at the top. It was called Etemenanki, or 'the temple of the platform between heaven and earth', and was built in the city of Babylon sometime during the 6th or 7th century BC.
Index by language | Index by language family
International Auxiliary Languages (IALs), Constructed languages, Alternative writing systems
Abua, Acehnese, Achang, Achi, Acholi, Achuar-Shiwiar, Adhola, Adi, Adyghe, Adzera, Afrikaans, Aguaruna, Akan (Twi/Fante), Akha, Albanian, Aleut, Alsatian, Altay, Alur, Alyawarr, Amganad Ifugao, Amarasi, Ambrym, Amele, Amharic, Amis, Angami, Anglo-Saxon / Old English, Aneityum, Anindilyakwa, Anuki, Ao Naga, Arabela, Arabic, Aragonese, Aramaic, Arawak, Are, Aringa, Armenian, Aromanian, Arrernte (Eastern), Aruamu, Ashéninka, Assamese, Asturian, Ata, Ata Manobo, Atayal, Avar, Awadhi, Awara, Awakatek, Aymara, Azeribaijani
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Baga, Bahnar, Baka, Balangao, Balinese, Bambam, Bandial, Banggai, Bangi, Bantoanon, Barai, Bariai, Bariba, Basa, Basari, Bashkir, Basque, Bassa, Batak Angkola, Batak Dairi, Batak Karo, Batak Simalungun, Batak Toba, Bavarian, Bawm, Beami, Belarusian, Bemba, Benga, Bengali, Berom, Beti, Biatah Bidayuh, Biete, Bikol, Bimin, Bininj Gun-Wok, Binumarien, Bislama, Blagar, Boko, Bola, Bontoc, Borana, Borong, Bosnian, Breton, Bribri, Bru, Bugis, Buhutu, Bulgarian, Bulu, Bunun, Burmese, Burum-Mindik, Buryat, Busa, Bwaidoka
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Candoshi-Shapra, Car (-Nicobarese), Caribbean Javanese, Carrier, Cashibo, Catalan, Cacua, Cebaara, Cebuano, Central Sinama, Chang, Cha'palaachi, Chayahuita, Chechen, Cheke Holo, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chichewa, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Classical), Chinese (Dungan), Chinese (Eastern Min), Chinese (Hakka), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Southern Min), Chinese (Taiwanese), Chin Falam, Chin Haka, Chin Tedim, Choctaw, Ch'ol of Tila, Ch'ol of Tumbalá, Chorti, Chumburung, Chuj of Ixtatán, Church Slavonic, Chuukese, Chuvash, Cofán, Coptic, Cornish, Corsican, Crimean Tatar, Croatian, Cubeo, Cumbric, Cuyono, Czech
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Dadibi, Dakota, Dangme, Danish, Dari, Dawan, Dawida, Desano, Dhao, Dholuo, Djinang, Dutch, Dyula
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East Bolivan Guaraní, Efik, Embera, English, Enlhet, Erzya, Estonian, Ewe, Ezaa
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Faiwol, Falam, Faroese, Fijian, Fijian Hindi, Finnish, Fioti, Fon, Frafra, French, Frisian (West), Fula(ni), Futunan
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Ga, Gagauz, Galela, Galician, Gangte, Gapapaiwa, Garifuna, Garo, Gbaya (Northwest), Ge'ez, German, Ghari, Gilaki, Gonja, Gorontalo, Gothic, Greek (Ancient), Greek (Modern), Greenlandic, Gronings, Guajajara, Guambiano, Guanano / Wanano, Guarani, Guarani (Western Bolivian), Guhu-Samane, Gujarati, Gumatj, Guugu Yalandji, Gwich’in
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Hadiyya, Haitian Creole, Hakha, Hanga, Hausa, Hawaiian, Hawaiian Pidgin, Haya, Hebrew, Helong, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hiri Motu, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Hmar, Hmong Daw (White Hmong), Hmong Njua (Blue Hmong), Hrangkhol, Huambisa, Huitoto, Huli, Hungarian
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Iaai, Iban, Icelandic, Ifugao, Igbo, Ikwo, Iloko, Indonesian, Ingush, Interslavic, Inuktitut, Irish, Isnag, Italian, Itawis, Iu Mien, Ivatan, Izi
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Japanese, Jarai, Javanese, Jingpho
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Kabardian, Kadazandusun, Kagayanen, Kahua, Kakabai, Kala Lagaw Ya, Kalenjin, Kalmyk, Kam, Kamasau, Kamba, Kambaata, Kambera, Kamono, Kamula, Kanasi, Kaninuwa, Kanite, Kankanaey, Kannada, Kapampangan, Kapingamarangi, Kaqchikel, Karakalpak, Karen, Kashinawa, Kazakh, Q'eqchi', Keley-i, Kenyah, Ketengban, Khasi, Khmer, Khoekhoe, Khiamniungan, Khumi, K’iche’, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kim, Kinaray-a, Kinyarwanda, Kiribati, Kirundi, Kissi, Kokborok, Kom, Komba, Kongo, Konkani, Konkomba, Konyak, Korean, Koreguaje, Kosena, Kosraean, Kosarek, Koti, Kpelle, Kriol, Kuki, Kumam, Kumyk, Kuna, Kupang, Kurdish, Kurti, Kwanyama, Kwara’ae, Kyaka, Kyrgyz
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Ladakhi, Ladino, Lahu, Lamba, Lango, Lao, Lashi, Lhao Vo, Latin, Latvian, Lenje, Liangmai Naga, Lingala, Lipo, Lisu, Lithuanian, Lole, Lotha, Low Saxon / Low German, Lozi, Luang, Luba-Katanga, Luganda, Lukpa, Lun Bawang, Luragooli
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Maale, Macedonian, Machiguenga, Madurese, Mafa, Maia, Makassar, Malagasy, Malaweg, Malay, Malayalam, Maldivian, Maltese, Mam, Mampruli, Maninka, Mankanya, Manx, Māori, Mara Chin, Maranao, Marathi, Marba, Maring, Marshallese, Martu Wangka, Massa, Massachusett, Matigsalug Manobo, Maya (Yucatec), Mbay, Mbyá Guaraní, Mbula, Mbunda, Mentawai, Midland Mixe, Míkmaq, Misima-Paneati, Miskito, Mixifore, Mizo, Mnong, Moba, Mocoví, Mohawk, Moksha, Mongolian, Mortlockese, Mossi, Motu, Mpongwe, Mundang, Murrinh-Patha, Musey
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Nahuatl (Central Huasteca), Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca), Nahuatl (Guerrero), Nahuatl (Western Huasteca), Nali, Namia, Nanti, Narak, Navajo, Ndebele (Northern), Ndebele (Southern), Ndonga, Neo-Black Speech, Nepali, Ngaanyatjarra, Ngaing, Ngaju, Ngambay, Ngawn, Nigerian Pidgin, Nkore, Nias, Niuean, Nivaclé, Nogai, North Efate, Norwegian, Northern Pwo, Northern Sotho, Northwest Gbaya, Nuer, Numanggang, Nunggubuyu, Nyakyusa, Nyindrou, Nzema
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Obolo, Odia (Oriya), Ojibwe, Okinawan, Old Church Slavonic, Orejón, Ossetian
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Paama, Paite Chin, Palatine German, Palawano, Pamona, Pangasinan, Pangutaran Sama, Papiamentu, Pashto, Pennsylvania German, Pijin, Persian (Farsi), Phom (Naga), Pilagá, Pochuri, Pohnpeian, Polish, Poqomchi', Portuguese, Poumei (Naga), Psikye, Punjabi
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Q'anjob'al, Quechua (Ayacucho), Quechua (Cañar Highland), Quichua (Chimborazo), Quechua (Cuzco), Quechua (Huallaga), Quichua (Imbabura Highland), Quechua (South Bolivian)
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Rade, Rampi, Rarotongan, Riang, Riffian, Ringgou, Romani, Romanian, Romániço, Romansh, Rotuman, Roviana, Rukai, Russian, (Old) Ruthenian
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Sakao, Saluan, Samberigi, Sami, Samoan, Sangirese, Sango, Sangtam, Sanskrit, Santali, Sar, Sarangani Blaan, Sarangani Manobo, Sarnámi Hindustani, Saveeng Tuam, Scottish Gaelic, Selaru, Sena, Serbian, Seychelles Creole, Southern Sotho, Shan, Sharanahua, Shipibo, Shona, Sicilian, Sidama, Sierra Leone Creole, Sinhala, Siroi, Siyin, Slovak, Slovenian, Soga, Somali, Soninke, Sorbian, South Giziga, Southern Kalinga, Spanish, Sranan Tongo, Suau, Sukuma, Sumo/Mayangna, Sundanese, Sunuwar, Supyire, Susu, Swahili, Swabian, Swati, Swedish, Swiss German, Syriac
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Tabassaran, Tagabawà, Tagalog, Tagbanwa, Tahitian, Tairora, Tajik, Talaud, Tamasheq, Tamil, Tammari, Tampulma, Tangkhul, Tangsa, Tatar, Telugu, Tepehuán (Northern), Termanu, Teribe, Teso, Tetela, Tetum, Tetun Dili, Thadou, Thai, Tibetan, Tïcuna, Tigrinya, Tii, Timugon Murut, Tiv, Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib), Toba Qom, Tobelo, Tok Pisin, Tolai, Toma, Tonga, Tongan, Tontemboan, Toraja-Sa'dan, Torres Strait Creole, Tsafiki, Tsonga, Tswana, Tulu, Tuma-Irumu, Tumbuka, Tumulung Sisaala, Tungag, Tupuri, Turkish, Turkmen, Tuvaluan, Tuvan, Tuwali, Twi, Tzeltal, Tzotzil
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Ubir, Uduk, Ukrainian, Una, Urhobo, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek
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Vaiphei, Valencian, Värmlandic, Venda, Vietnamese, Võro
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Wa, Wali, Wamesa, Wamey, Wancho (Naga), Waray-Waray, Waris, Warlpiri, Waskia, Wayuu, Welsh, Western Bukidnon, Western Pwo, Western Rote, Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay, Wolaytta, Wolof
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Yabem, Yakut, Yali, Yalunka, Yaminhua, Yanomamö, Yao, Yapese, Yiddish, Yimchungrü, Yipma, Yongkom, Yoruba, Yucuna, Yup'ik
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Zarma, Zeme, Zotung, Zou, Zulu
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Index by language | Index by language family
Sources of the Tower of Babel translations
Details of the background to the tale of the Tower of Babel
http://www.ldolphin.org/babel.html
Tower of Babel in constructed languages
http://cals.conlang.org/translation/the-tower-of-babel/
http://www.reddit.com/r/conlangs/comments/1l9tcb/translation_challenge_the_tower_of_babel/
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