Gleanings from the Field - 5 new articles

With the revolution of AI tools, people have started to ask me about the potential for using AI to translate Christian books. For a number of years I have been involved with writing, translating, and publishing Christian resources in Thai.  I currently teach church history and mission studies at Chiang Mai Theological Seminary, and previously I taught at Bangkok Bible Seminary while also working part time at Kanok Bannasan (OMF Publishers) Thailand.  I have a desire to see good resources get into the hands of Thai Christians to help them spread the Gospel and to grow in their walk with the Lord.  Compared to languages like English, Chinese, Spanish, or Korean, there are relatively few Thai-language Christian resources.  With the advent of widely accessible AI tools, especially Large Language Models (LLM) like ChatGPT or Grok, the potential for fast tracking translation is really exciting. More books faster sounds really good.

That said, my experience of using AI translation for Christian content has been mixed. I have primarily used ChatGPT for translating back and forth between Thai and English. If you use a different AI model and different input languages, I imagine the results might be different, especially for translation into more widely used language like Chinese or Spanish, for which AI has more data to draw from. That said, here are the advantages and limitations of AI translation as I find them at the beginning of 2026.

Advantage 1: Initial Rough Draft

AI is unparalleled in producing a translation in record time, especially for short text, like less than 2000 words. When I want to translate a quote, several paragraphs, or a short letter, ChatGPT has been very useful in producing a quick, fairly accurate translation.  

Limitation 1: Difficulty Processing Longer Texts

When I have cut-and-pasted longer texts, the likelihood of errors increases. Also, the longer the text, the more likely AI is to decide to abridge or summarize without asking permission to do so, and without telling me it has done so.  Although technically you can upload a MS Word doc, PDF, or image of a page of text for ChatGPT to translate, it sometimes has trouble processing material in the attached document. As a result, ChatGPT will claim that it has given me a translation of the attached document whereas in reality it has only produced an abridgement, a summary, or a translation of only the first 10-20% of the document.  As a result, if I have a longer text to translate, I will cut and paste it bit by bit into the chat window so that I can monitor whether it is translating the whole thing or not.  ChatGPT will claim that it can take the translated output and place it into a Word doc or Powerpoint slide set for you. In reality, it does so poorly or incompletely, all the while gaslighting the user, claiming that it has done exactly what you have asked.

Advantage 2: Breadth of Vocabulary

Every human translator is limited by the range of vocabulary and expression that he (or she) has in both languages.  If there is an expression in the source language that he is unsure how to translate, it can take quite some time in finding just the right way to preserve the original authorial intent in a way that makes sense in the target language. However, AI has instant access to far more linguistic data that any human does and can often quickly come up with native sounding turns of phrase that are an exact match for the original input.  If a translator is unsure about the nuance or sematic domain of a word or expression, AI can provide a detailed rundown of when/where words should (or should not) be used, and whether they are best suited for an academic, everyday, or formal context.

Limitation 2: Word Choice

LLMs like ChatGPT are like auto-correct on steroids.  Based on the data available to them, they take the best guess as to how something should be translated in a certain context.  But sometimes the user does not provide enough context or special instructions for AI to make the linguistic choices that the user prefers. And sometimes AI choses words or expressions that a human author or translator would not choose, or would not prefer. In the context of English to Thai translation, ChatGPT consistently translates “theology” as เทววิทยา (the Thai Catholic word for theology) instead of ศาสนศาสตร์ (the Thai Protestant word for theology). For multiple reasons, Thai Catholic and Thai Protestant specialized vocabulary has developed differently such that basic words such as “church”, “prayer”, and “Holy Spirit” are translated differently.  As a Protestant, I usually want my translations to use Thai Protestant terminology. However, if I do not specifically provide ChatGPT a list of preferred terms for translating specific words, then it will do whatever it thinks is best. And sometimes AI’s idea of what is best is different than my idea of what is best. Even aside from specialized vocabulary, sometimes I just don’t like the way that ChatGPT translates something. There is a certain word or expression that I would like to see used but ChatGPT chooses something different.

Summary

If you put plain text into the chat window, AI can often do a decent job on doing a speedy and accurate translation of material. But at the end of the day, you still need someone competent in both languages and sufficiently familiar with the material being translated to review the translation. AI may transliterate names differently than you might want, and its word choice may not be what you prefer. It may translate in a very wooden literal manner and sometimes it will summarize, abridge, or translate something other than the material you gave it without telling you it has done so.  I think we’re going to increasingly see human translators using AI for a first rough draft. But if our goal is polished, accurate translations that are publication ready, we still need bilingual subject matter experts to review and revise the AI output.

   

One of the greatest needs of Thai churches today is the desire and ability to rightly divide the Word of God. 

If you were to visit Thai churches across the Protestant and Pentecostal spectrum, you would often hear sermons that are only loosely connected to the Bible. There are many self-help sermons, allegorical sermons, and rousing exhortations to serve God and receive his blessings. Many sermons are topical, meaning that the preacher has chosen a topic that he wants to preach on and then has sought out a Bible passage (or passages) that support what he wants to say. In church small groups, it is common for Christians to read the Bible together and then immediately ask, “What does this mean for me?” instead of first asking, “What does this passage mean?”

We should praise God for growing his church in Thailand, and for changing the lives of Thai Christians, bringing them from the darkness of sin into the light of God. However, how can we understand what God is telling us about himself, about ourselves, and about the world around us if we don’t have basic skills in biblical interpretation? I am not talking about high level academic skills but rather basic Bible study skills that lead believers to ask questions like, “What is happening in this passage?” “Who are the characters?” “What are people saying and doing?” “What is the background to this story or letter?” “What did this mean to the original readers?” and “Is this passage history, poetry, prophecy, parable, or something else?” 

Closely related to these basic Bible study questions is the conviction that the entire Bible is God’s Word to us; and the whole Bible should be read, studied, preached, prayed through, and meditated upon. Churches need to preach though entire books of the Bible, such as Genesis, Isaiah, Matthew, or Ephesians.  We cannot feed ourselves spiritually (and pastors cannot feed their flocks spiritually) with a continual diet of random verses stapled to entertaining stories, and personal anecdotes and experiences.  Jesus told his disciples to teach ALL that he commanded them (Matt 28:20), not just an assortment of inspiring highlights.

Unfortunately, neither the traditional educational or religious background of most first-generation Thai Christians has prepared them to read and understand the Bible. Similar to many other places in East Asia, traditional Thai education emphasizes memorizing the information given to you by the teacher, and then repeating that information on the test.  Asking questions, critical thinking, and summary and evaluation of information is not valued in most Thai schools. Unlike Christianity, Thai Buddhism does not have a central holy book that everyday Buddhists are encourage to study, discuss, and memorize.  Buddhist preaching pulls wisdom and anecdotes from multiple sources, piecing them together as the preacher sees fit. And in the Buddhist worldview, you can acquire merit simply by listening to a sermon even if you don’t understand what it is about.

Despite all these challenges, there seems to be an increasing number of Thai Christians who are hungry to know God’s Word. They want to understand their Bibles better in order to know God better and grow spiritually.

The new term just began here at Chiang Mai Theological Seminary (CTS) and the biggest class is Principles of Biblical Interpretation (หลักการตีความหมายพระคัมภีร์). Last year, this course only attracted 5-6 students but this year, the class is overflowing with 40 students. That’s a huge increase!  Both Thai church leaders and everyday church members want to learn how to better read, understand, and interpret God’s Word.

Professor Thanit teaches a course at Chiang Mai Theological Seminary

Besides formal training like seminary courses, there are also multiple informal or semi-formal training seminars and workshops on Biblical interpretation, teaching, and preaching that happen in Thailand.  For example, over the last several years the Langham Partnership has been working alongside local Thai pastors, professors, and missionaries to run preaching workshops and preaching clubs to help both full-time and lay preachers to develop their ability to understand and teach the Word of God. These initiatives are supported by the Thai-language publication of materials such as Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” (อ่านพระคัมภีร์อย่างไรให้คุ้มค่า) and several booklets in the “Pray, Prepare, Preach” series. These books and more are available from Kanok Bannasan (OMF Publishers Thailand).

Praise God for theological seminaries, churches, and parachurch organizations in Thailand that are teaching Thai Christians to read and interpret the Bible. Pray for groups like Chiang Mai Theological Seminary, the Langham Partnership, and numerous churches and schools that are faithfully teaching God’s Word and are responding to the desire of Thai Christians to know God’s Word, and to rightly understand and teach it. Like many places around the world, poor handling of God’s Word and Gospel-lite preaching are common in Thailand. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s pray.

   

Learning Thai is no simple task.

For those of us who’ve spent a considerable amount of time climbing this Everest, I’m sure you can attest to this reality. While there are certainly a number of noble reasons for learning a new language, doing so “for the sake of elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory”(2 Tim. 2:10) is most commendable.

In the midst of your struggle to acquire Thai in order to be a witness for Christ, remember that the struggle of language is to be counted among the various difficulties endured for the sake of gospel. Jesus died the one big death for us & for our salvation. Now, we die little deaths in the day-to-day for the promotion of his kingdom in the world (1 Cor. 15:31). As we battle to learn Thai, a kind of death is at work in us so life can be at work in others (2 Cor. 4:12). Love calls us to pursue the other. Therefore, we don’t wait for Thai people to learn our language so they can hear the gospel. Rather, we step out & seek to learn their language first. We go to them first. In so doing we reflect the image of the one who didn’t wait for us to come to him (we never would’ve!), but rather came down to seek & save us first.

Although there is ultimately no silver bullet to learning the Thai language, there are various tips & tricks that can certainly aid in the pursuit. The following list of bullet points (in no particular order) is not exhaustive, but I hope it can be of some assistance to you as you work away at the language for the good of Thai people & the glory of God in Christ. I’ve also included a small sampling of feedback from Thai language learners who were asked what they would do differently if they could start learning Thai all over again.

Thai Language “Cheat Sheet”

• Get a good grasp on the 5 Thai tones. They are integral to learning Thai well
• Ask for honest feedback from native speakers who will be forthright with you about your pronunciation
• Where possible, focus on memorizing phrases, not just words alone
• Spend a sufficient amount of time on foundational areas of Thai before moving on. Rushing typically doesn’t yield good results when it comes to language learning
• Start learning how to read Thai (with all the tone rules included) as soon as possible
• Giving a little time to Thai everyday (even 5-10 minutes) is better than giving it no time
• Practice writing out the alphabet as you learn it until you can do it all by memory
• Reviewing helps solidify what you’ve learned (one time through usually isn’t sufficient)
• Use transliteration only as long as necessary before switching over to Thai script
• To the best of your ability, write down/type out Thai words/phrases you hear natives speakers using day-to-day
• Take concrete steps to implement new words/phrases into real-life situations
• Identify the “holes in your Thai” & implement concrete ways to fill in those gaps (credit: Brett from Learn Thai from a White Guy)
• Stepping out & trying to speak Thai (even imperfectly) is part of the growth process
• Don’t count on learning Thai alone in a closet perfectly before attempting to speak
• Anything done right will be done wrong first. The road to fluency is filled with mistakes
• A lack of output can at times be traced to a lack of input. Keep filling up with Thai
• Look to the Lord for wisdom/understanding & pursue Thai diligently & consistently
• Whenever you read, try reading out loud as a way of developing your pronunciation

If I could learn Thai again, I would:

• Nail down the Thai alphabet

• Learn how to spell better

• Learn to read before speaking

• Learn to read from the start

• Spend more time on the foundations of Thai before moving on

• Go straight to learning Thai characters (skip transliterated Thai, ex. sabaidee)

• Being able to read makes life so much simpler in Thailand, but also has helped my Thai improve way more than if I was just relying upon listening & speaking

• Spend more time studying children’s material (books/cartoons/etc.)

• Practice my pronunciation more diligently

 

If you don't see a video above click to watch Dave Voetberg's Thai Lanuage Cheat Sheet" (tips for beginners)

   

If you know anything about cross-cultural missions work, you probably know that langauge learning is really important. How else can you share the Gospel if you can say things that people understand?  However, culture learning is sometimes overlooked. In the short video below, I highlight one of challenging aspects of language learning.  If you are from a Western country and are working in East Asia, you will probably be able to relate.  If you've never lived in Asia or some other part of the world that has a high-context culture, let me reassure you that what you are about to see really happens.

If you like reading more than watching, scroll down for the video transcript.  But keep in mind, the video is more fun.

If you don't see a video above, click here to watch on YouTube

Video Transcript

Cross-cultural communication is about more than language learning. It is also about managing expectations. 

For example, if I were in the United States and I asked somebody,

• Excuse me, where is the market?

Then I might be expecting an answer something like

• You go down this way, take a left and it will be on the right hand side.

The listener understood that I wanted specific verbal directions and that’s what I got.

However, if I were in Thailand and I asked someone

• ขอโทษนะครับ  ตลาดอยู่ที่ไหนครับ (Excuse me, where is the market?)

I might get an answer like

• โน้น (over there) *motions with head*

As an American, I don’t find that kind of answer abundantly helpful because it doesn’t give me enough information to go on to find the market.

But Thailand is a high context culture where non-verbal communication is valued. Background and contextual information is assumed.

In low context cultures like North America or Europe, the majority of information is verbal so precision and detail in words is important.

The important point is this: If you’re trying to communicate in a second language, and you are not getting the answers you are hoping for, the problem may not be language learning. The problem may be with culture learning.