Eugene Nida joined the Bible translation debate from a background in Greek studies and linguistics, as well as with extensive experience in non-Indo-European languages, at a time when literal translation of the Bible was the norm. Collaboration with many translators from newly emergent countries confirmed his view, already established through his studies, that insistence on literality resulted in ineffective and unread translations. His alternative of giving higher priority to intelligibility and equivalence soon saw global success. Not only was Nida seemingly proved right by skyrocketing Bible sales, but he was also able to convince others personally as a linguistics teacher and translation consultant. His methodology, which aimed at “equivalence of response rather than equivalence of form,”1502 was adopted as a welcome tool for really speaking the language of a target group, enabling the message to be conveyed in a way that was culturally relevant and effective.1503