Q1

What is church interpreting?

A1

Church interpreting is the act of providing a version of what is said or signed in your church in another spoken or sign language, while the service or meeting is still going on.

Q2

Why should a church consider offering church interpreting?

A2

There are three main reasons. The first is simply that there are people in your church who do not understand the language of the service. While it might be tempting to just create a service in their language, interpreting allows everyone to experience the same service, no matter which language they speak.

The second reason a church might consider offering interpreting is as part of a strategy to reach communities who speak different languages. In this case, interpreting is as much about reaching people who aren’t currently in the church as it is about serving those already attending.

The third reason a church might offer interpreting is as a theological statement about the importance of people hearing the Gospel in their language. In this case, the existence of the interpreting is as important as what the interpreting actually does.

Obviously, there is a lot of overlap between those reasons and all three can be true at once. What matters is the real reason why the church wants to offer interpreting as that affects the approaches they will take and whether the interpreting will work. For more on the “why” of church interpreting, take a look at some of the resources in the For Researchers section.

Q3

How much does it cost to offer interpreting in a church?

A3

The answer to that question really depends. A church using a volunteer to interpret onstage alongside the speaker can provide interpreting for free, as long as they have a second microphone. A church looking to pay professionals to interpret a week-long conference into tens of languages 2ould be looking at six figures.

The financial cost of interpreting can scale to the capacity of the church. What is more important then is ensuring that the church gets value for money and uses people’s time to the greatest effect.

Q4

Do any churches actually offer interpreting on a regular basis?

A4

Absolutely. There are churches around the world offering interpreting and, as this site grows, we hope to offer articles from these churches.

Q5

Is church interpreting Biblical?

A5

The short answer is simply to point to Pentecost, where everyone heard the Gospel in their own language, as well as the culturally diverse nature of early churches, such as the one at Antioch (see Acts 13). A more detailed answer can be found in books like Building an International Church by Mario Wahnschaffe, Multicultural Kingdom by Harvey Kwiyani, as well as The Church Interpreting Podcast.

Q6

Is church interpreting worth the hassle?

A6

That’s a good question. The answer depends on what you want church interpreting to do. Church interpreting will not suddenly and miraculously grow your church into a megachurch. Neither will it get rid of divisions due to cultural difference. It can, however, be an important part of a wider outreach strategy, help to foster unity, demonstrate a commitment to reaching the community around you and, in some cases, it can greatly widen the reach of your church. This is why it can be very useful to clarify what you want the interpreting to do and how you will measure that, before you set it up.