What Equipment Do You Need to Translate a Church Service?

With live captions, the equipment list is short: the sound you already have, one device, an internet connection and a screen or the congregation's phones. Here is each item, what good looks like, and what a traditional headset system adds.

Try it freeHeadsets vs captions

1. A clean audio source

Speech recognition is only as good as the sound it hears. The best source is an auxiliary or record output from your sound desk, carrying the pulpit microphone without the band or room echo. Without a sound desk, a USB microphone or the device itself close to the preacher works far better than a device at the back of the room.

  • Sound desk output to a laptop through a USB audio interface or adapter
  • Or a USB microphone on the pulpit
  • Or a phone or tablet placed close to the preacher, away from loudspeakers

2. One translating device

A laptop, tablet or phone with an up to date browser such as Chrome, Edge or Safari. Sermon Translate runs in the browser on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, so there is nothing to install. Keep it on power for the whole service. Basic allows 1 active device and Standard up to 2 at the same time.

3. An internet connection

Translation runs online and does not work offline. A wired connection or strong Wi-Fi at the front of the church is best; a phone hotspot works as a backup. Test the connection with the room full, because a crowd on the same Wi-Fi can slow it down.

4. Somewhere to read the captions

Choose one or more: the projector or TV the congregation already faces, using the Subtitles screen with up to 5 caption languages; the livestream, using the OBS overlay link; or the congregation's own phones, using the QR Code Join add-on ($10.00 a month) so people read in the browser without an account.

What a headset system adds

A traditional interpretation system adds a transmitter, a receiver and earpiece for each listener, batteries or charging cases, and a human interpreter for each language, every service. Makers usually sell through resellers rather than publishing prices, so budget by asking for a written quote for the number of listeners you expect.

A checklist for Sunday morning

Run through this list thirty minutes before the service, every week, until it becomes habit.

  • Translating device on power, browser open, signed in
  • Audio input selected, and a test sentence shows up in the transcript
  • Spoken language and reading languages set for today's preacher
  • Captions visible from the back row on the screen
  • QR code printed or projected, and the share started on the Live or Multiple page
  • Livestream overlay showing in OBS, if you stream
  • One person in each language group asked to report problems after the service

A complete setup for a small church

One phone on the pulpit, the church Wi-Fi and a printed QR code on each row is a complete setup. Every account gets 1 free hour every month to try it on a real service, and Basic is $19.99 a month for 12 hours after that.

What equipment do I need to translate a church service?

A clean audio source (a sound desk feed or a microphone near the preacher), one laptop, tablet or phone with a browser, an internet connection, and a screen or the congregation's phones to read on.

Do we need to buy translation headsets or receivers?

No. With live captions, people read on the projector, the livestream or their own phones. Headsets are only needed if you want spoken interpretation by a person.

Can I connect the translation laptop to our sound board?

Yes. Send an auxiliary or record output from the sound desk into the laptop through a USB audio interface or adapter, then choose that input as the microphone.

Does it work without internet?

No. Translation runs online, so the device needs a working connection for the whole service.