(The Lion) — The world record for the most-translated streaming series doesn’t belong to Netflix, Disney Plus or any other Hollywood behemoth – instead, the title goes to a faith-based show rooted in the sacred words of Scripture.
Guinness World Records announced over the weekend that The Chosen is the official record holder for the “most translated season for a streaming series” – a distinction that applies for now to Season 1, though the other seasons are quickly catching up.
The first season of the Bible-based drama has been dubbed into 58 languages, allowing audiences worldwide to hear the dialogue in their own tongue. It also carries subtitles in 86 languages.
Come and See Foundation, the series’ translation partner, is aiming for 600 languages – virtually guaranteeing the record will keep climbing.
“We want The Chosen to be in every country in the world, and we want it translated into every language, and we want at least a billion people to see it,” said creator and director Dallas Jenkins.
The Chosen is the first multi-season series about the life of Jesus.
During a Chosen livestream Sunday night, fans were treated to a Season 5 Last Supper clip dubbed in multiple languages – among them Hungarian, French, Vietnamese, Slovak, Hindi, Malay, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Italian and Mandarin.
A Guinness World Records spokesperson said the record is not “just a number” but is about “connecting communities, cultures and hearts.”
Jenkins said translating the series into the world’s languages will allow the message of Jesus in the series to cross barriers of culture and language. Dubbing is different from closed captions in that viewers hear the dialogue spoken in their own language rather than simply reading it on the screen.
“We take great pains to make sure we’re getting really good actors who can capture the spirit and the intentions of our original actors,” he said.
The record was announced the same weekend that Season 5 of The Chosen launched, for free, on the series’ official app. The Come and See Foundation not only oversees translations but ensures that the series continues to be free.
“Fewer than 5% of global Chosen viewers pay to watch the show, and that’s because of the people around the world who donate to keep the show free and easy to watch and translated into as many languages as possible,” Jenkins said.
Season 5 launched on The Chosen app in 50 languages.
Meanwhile, Jenkins also announced during Sunday’s livestream that the next ChosenCon – the popular fan convention – will take place Feb. 19-21, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C.
