Translation for Church Refugee and Resettlement Ministry
Churches that welcome refugee families need two kinds of translation: the Sunday sermon, and conversations at the kitchen table. Sermon Translate does both, as text on a screen, in languages many resettled families speak.
Sunday: the sermon in their language
A newly arrived family can read the sermon in their own language on the projector or their own phone. With the QR Code Join add-on they scan a code and read in the browser without creating an account, which matters when a family has one phone and no email address yet.
What works in each language today
Taken from the app's own language settings, so it matches what the app does now. Verse popups can show Bible text in English, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Farsi / Persian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
- Ukrainian: can be preached in and read; the 66 Bible book names built in; no verse popup text in this language yet.
- Arabic: can be preached in and read; the 66 Bible book names built in; no verse popup text in this language yet; captions read right to left.
- Pashto: reading language only, the app cannot yet listen to preaching in it; no built-in church vocabulary yet; no verse popup text in this language yet; captions read right to left.
- Swahili: can be preached in and read; the 66 Bible book names built in; no verse popup text in this language yet.
- Burmese: reading language only, the app cannot yet listen to preaching in it; no built-in church vocabulary yet; no verse popup text in this language yet.
During the week: one phone, two languages
Conversation Mode shares one microphone between two people. Each speaks their own language and reads the other's words translated on their own half of the screen. It suits home visits, rides to appointments and first conversations, but for medical, legal or crisis conversations a professional interpreter is still the right choice.
Check the language first
Some languages can be preached in and some can only be read. Dari is not supported; Pashto, Kinyarwanda, Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali and Burmese are reading languages only. Check the language list before you promise a family anything, and use the trial to test.
Can Conversation Mode be used with a reading only language?
Conversation Mode needs to hear both people, so both languages must be ones the app can listen to. Check the language page for which languages can be spoken.
Is it private?
Sessions run through our servers to be translated and transcripts are saved to your account. Read the privacy policy and avoid using it for conversations that need a professional interpreter.
What does it cost a volunteer team?
A free 3-hour trial, then plans from $19.99 a month.