On October 25, 2019, Brother Ashok Patel, a member of the India Branch Committee, released the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in Telugu at a regional convention held in the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India.

An estimated 91.9 million people speak Telugu, making it the third most spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali. Currently, there are about 6,000 publishers who serve in the Telugu-language field, but the total attendance for the convention was 8,868. These facts underscore the potential growth in this field, which has already seen the formation of two new circuits this year.

One translator, who assisted with the five-year Telugu Bible project, observed that younger people in particular struggle with the archaic language used in other Telugu Bible translations. “With this new translation, it can be said that Jehovah will now speak to the young ones using a straightforward and contemporary vocabulary that can be easily understood.” Another translator added, “In the ministry, people will easily understand the scripture as soon as we read it to them at the door.”

Additionally, since most Bibles in Telugu have omitted the Divine name, Jehovah, throughout the text, the New World Translation will help Telugu readers to know the name of the Almighty God. It will also help readers to understand the original meaning of terms, such as soul and spirit, that other Telugu Bibles render in accordance with local Hindu beliefs.

One publisher expressed, “I feel that the Telugu Bible will help readers to feel Jehovah’s love like never before!” Clearly, this new translation in the Telugu language will help readers to “taste and see that Jehovah is good.”—Psalm 34:8.