British Baptist missionary William Carey arrived in India in 1793 and began translating Bible into Bengali, completing the New Testament in 1801 and full Bible by 1809. Carey also developed Bengali grammar textbooks and established printing presses in Serampore. His linguistic work included creating Bengali-English dictionaries and grammar books,standardizing Bengali orthography for print. Carey's missionary linguistics approach emphasized learning local languages deeply rather than imposing European languages, revolutionary for colonial missionary context.

Carey's Bengali Bible translation created standardized literary Bengali, influencing Bengali poetic revival including Rabindranath Tagore's work. His grammar books and dictionaries enabled Bengali literary education, facilitating 19th-century Bengali literary Renaissance. Carey's translation work inspired other missionary linguists to translate scriptures into Indian languages, producing vernacular religious poetry and establishing print literature in multiple Indian languages.