The ‘Unpopular’ Version: The Story of Thailand's Common Language Bible Translation

In the 1960s and 1970s, dynamic equivalent, common language translations (such as Good News for Modern Man) changed how the global church read the Bible. In this period, a dynamic equivalent, Thai common language translation of the Bible was made, known as the Prachaniyom (‘Popular’) Version. Yet despite the optimistic naming of this translation, a great deal of work and the support of Bible Societies, the Prachaniyom version proved unpopular with the Thai church. This article tells the story of the Prachaniyom version and explores why it was a glorious failure – examining both the fascinating things attempted by the translation and the reasons why it was not accepted by the Thai church.