How Does Interpreter Mode Help You Interpret a Sermon Out Loud, Even on Smart Glasses?

Who is Interpreter Mode for?

Many churches already have an interpreter. A deacon, a youth leader or a bilingual member stands beside the pastor and turns each sentence into the second language, out loud, for the whole room. It is one of the hardest jobs in a service. You have to hear every word, remember it, find the right phrase in another language and speak it with confidence, while the preacher is already moving to the next thought.

Live captions on a projector help the people in the pews. Interpreter Mode helps the interpreter. It is a private screen that listens with you and puts the meaning in front of you, so you can speak with less strain and fewer gaps. If your church has no interpreter at all, the regular live captions are still the better fit, and our article on an interpreter app compared with a human interpreter explains the difference.

What does it look like during a service?

The screen has two parts. A thin strip at the top shows the newest words the speaker said, in the speaker's language, so you can check what you heard. Below it, in large letters, is the passage to say in your language. When the speaker pauses, the whole passage appears at once instead of word by word, because an interpreter needs the complete thought before speaking.

Lines you have already said fade to a softer color, so your eyes land on the right place every time you look down. You choose how the screen moves on:

• Auto, the default: the lines move on by themselves at a normal speaking pace.
• Voice: the page listens to you as well, and when you finish saying a line, the next one comes up by itself.

Each line shows the moment it is ready, and a second check then looks for the mistakes that hurt a sermon most, such as a missing "not" or the wrong person doing the action, and fixes them in place. This check covers English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi and Vietnamese.

How does it work with smart glasses?

Looking down at a phone pulls your eyes away from the congregation. With smart glasses the text sits in front of you while you keep looking at the people you are speaking to. The phone or laptop does the listening and translating, and the glasses only display the words, so they stay light and the battery lasts through a service.

On Even Realities G2 glasses, the Sermon Interpreter app shows the speaker's language on the top line and your translation right under it, in a plain, easy to read font that is not too bright. You can:

• Connect in seconds: open the Glasses button on the Interpreter page and scan its QR code with the app.
• Move the text higher or lower in small steps until it sits where your eyes rest.
• Use Fast text, the glasses' own letters, so each new line arrives without lag.
• Turn on Discreet mode, which keeps only the words lit so the display is harder to notice from outside.
• Press a very large Next line button on the phone if you ever want to move on by hand.
• Use the glasses microphone instead of the phone's, if you stand close to the speaker.

Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses can show the same reading view as a web app, and any other screen works too: open the private link on a tablet, a second phone or a laptop. Keep that link private, because anyone who has it can read along.

What happens when the preacher reads the Bible?

Scripture is where interpreters most need exact words. When the speaker says a book and chapter, such as "let's open John chapter 1", the Bible panel opens that chapter beside the passage, in both languages. When they then say "verses 1 to 5", the first verse is highlighted and shown at the top of the glasses.

A Next verse button moves the highlight, and the glasses, one verse at a time while the preacher reads. You can also choose any book, chapter and verse yourself. The verse leaves the glasses on its own once the speaker moves on. Read more about Bible verse detection.

Which languages and settings are available?

Interpreter Mode uses the same speech recognition as live translation, so the common church pairs work: Chinese to English, English to Chinese, Korean and English, Spanish and English, and many more. Chinese can be shown in Traditional or Simplified characters. A swap button flips the two languages when a guest speaker preaches in the other language.

When you press Stop, the whole session is saved to your History with both languages, so you can review a difficult passage later or prepare for next week's preacher. For services where two languages share the stage, see our guide to a bilingual church service.

How much does it cost, and how can I try it?

You can try a free demo with no account: it plays a recorded Mandarin sermon and shows how the English reads. Open the Interpreter demo and press Play.

The add-on sits on top of any paid plan, the same way the Subtitles add-on does. See the pricing page for the plans.

Frequently asked questions

Is Interpreter Mode the same as live captions?

No. Live captions are for the congregation and appear on a projector or on their phones. Interpreter Mode is a private screen for the one person who speaks the translation out loud, with the whole passage shown when the speaker pauses.

Do I need smart glasses?

No. A phone, tablet or laptop works. Glasses such as Even Realities G2 let you keep your eyes on the congregation, but they are optional.

Can it follow Bible readings?

Yes. When the speaker names a book and chapter, the chapter opens in both languages, and when they name the verses, the first verse is shown. A Next verse button moves along as they read.

What does it cost?

Interpreter Mode is a $15 a month add-on to a paid plan. Accounts created before November 1, 2026 pay $5 a month and can use it free until December 1, 2026, and anyone can try the demo without an account. Using it on Even Realities G2 glasses is a one-time $199 unlock that lasts forever; it does not include translation hours, so you still need a paid plan.

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