Sunday School and Bible Study Translation: How a Mixed-Language Class Can Follow Along

Can a Sunday school class or Bible study be translated live?

Yes. A class is a smaller version of a service: one person teaches, the rest listen and sometimes answer. Sermon Translate listens through the microphone of a phone, tablet or laptop, writes what is said sentence by sentence and shows it translated into the language each reader chose. It runs in a web browser, so there is nothing to install.

The same tool that handles the Sunday message works for a midweek study. The difference is the room: a class is quieter and smaller, but people interrupt each other more than a preacher does. Most of the practical advice below is about that.

Which mode fits which kind of class?

Pick the mode by how the class actually runs, not by the name of the class.

In Conversation Mode two people share one microphone, the app detects which language is being spoken, and either half of the screen can be flipped 180 degrees so two people sitting across a table can both read it. It is the same setup described in the guide to pastoral visits in two languages.

How do you set up a mixed-language Bible study?

1. Open Sermon Translate in a browser on a phone, tablet or laptop and sign in.
2. Choose the language the teacher speaks. 61 languages can be spoken, and 123 can be read as captions.
3. Choose the reading language for the group, or share the QR code so each member picks their own.
4. Place the device close to whoever is speaking, ideally on the table between them rather than across the room.
5. Press record at the start of the class and stop when the discussion ends, so you are not using hours on coffee time.

For a class that always has the same two languages, set them once and keep the same device for the term. A teacher who explains a passage for ten minutes and then opens it for questions can switch from live translation to Conversation Mode when the questions start.

What about Bible verses in a Bible study?

A Bible study is full of references, so this part matters. When the teacher clearly says a passage such as John 3:16, or clearly quotes a known verse, Bible verse detection can show the verse in the reader's language and chosen Bible edition. It is conservative on purpose: a vague allusion or a loose paraphrase will not bring up a verse.

The bilingual Bible reader can also show one passage in two languages side by side, so a Korean speaker and an English speaker can read the same chapter together. Bible text is shown in the editions the app connects, and the edition abbreviation appears next to each verse.

How many hours will a class use?

Hours are counted while a session records. A one hour class with one reading language uses about one hour. Each reading language beyond what your plan includes uses another hour of plan time per hour recorded, whether the host chose it or a listener picked it on their own phone. Check the pricing page for current prices and allowances.

A weekly one hour Bible study in one reading language is about four to five hours a month, so add it to your Sunday hours before you pick a plan. If the class also translates into a second language, count the hours twice. Speaking the translation aloud uses plan time for the seconds it takes to say, so turn Speak off when reading is enough.

What are the limits for classes and small groups?

Honest limits first, because a small group is the hardest room for any speech recognition.

• People talking over each other are transcribed poorly. Take turns, or hand the device to whoever is speaking.
• A children's Sunday school class is a poor fit: young voices, crowd noise and songs are hard to recognize. It is better suited to teen and adult classes and to the teacher's lesson.
• A quiet voice across the room will be misheard. Move the device closer.
• Sung lyrics are transcribed poorly.
• The app needs an internet connection and does not work offline.

How do you make the class easier to follow?

• Put names of people, places and ministries in your church glossary so they are spelled the same each week.
• Share the handout or the passage a day early so members can read ahead in their own language.
• Ask the teacher to pause after each question so the translation can finish before the next person answers.
• Let one member run the device, so the teacher can focus on the lesson.
• Save the session if you are on Standard or All Languages, so the class can look back at the transcript.

For classes with teenagers who are more comfortable in English than their parents' language, see the notes on bilingual youth ministry.

Frequently asked questions

Does everyone in the class need an account?

No. One person runs the device and the group reads it together. Members who want to read on their own phones can scan the church's QR code and read the live captions in a browser with no account and no app.

Can it handle several people talking at once?

Not well. Speech recognition works best with one voice at a time, so take turns and keep the device near whoever is speaking.

Can we try it before paying?

Yes. Every account without a paid plan gets one free hour of live translation each calendar month, with no credit card. That is enough to test it on one real class.

Can we save the discussion afterward?

Sessions are transcribed and the full session transcript is saved to your account on the Standard and All Languages plans. Treat it as a draft, since names and verse numbers are the most common errors.

Does it work for a children's Sunday school class?

It is a weak fit. Children's voices, group noise and songs are hard for speech recognition, so it works better for teen and adult classes, or for translating the teacher's lesson into another language.

Try Sermon Translate at your next service

Start with 1 free hour every month, no credit card needed. Plans start at $19.99 a month.