What to translate in a service, and what to leave alone

"Translate the service" sounds like one decision. It is five, because a service is five different kinds of speech, and each one wants something different.

The sermon: yes, always

This is what the translation is for. Forty minutes of one voice, prepared, spoken to be understood. The machine follows the preacher under a second behind, in a natural voice that keeps the preacher's tone and rhythm, and a listener with earphones follows the argument as it is made. If a church translates one thing, it is this.

Songs: mostly no

Sung words arrive stretched, harmonised and repeated, and a translation of a sung line is a lyric read aloud over music — nobody wants it in their ear. The better tool is the screen: put the lyrics up in the second language beside the first, as most churches already do for one. The translation channel goes quiet during the singing and comes back for the prayer.

Prayer: usually yes

A spoken prayer from the front is a sermon in miniature: one voice, meant to be followed. Translate it. The moment to pause is open prayer from the floor, many voices, half-sentences — turn it off, or let the listeners simply be in the room.

Announcements: it depends

The announcements are where a newcomer finds out about the Wednesday group and the meal on Saturday. That is exactly the information the listener who does not speak the language needs, so translate them. The exception is the inside joke, the long thank-you, the three-minute story about the roof; those can stay untranslated and nobody loses anything.

Scripture reading: yes, and prepare it

A reading is the hardest thing in the service for a machine, because it is a text everyone else already knows in a fixed form. Two things help. Put the reference in the glossary, with the church's preferred Bible edition in each language, so "Romans 8" comes out as the Persian speaker expects. And read the reference before the verse, slowly: "Romans, chapter eight, verse twenty-eight." The reference is what the listener writes down.

Communion and the liturgy: decide once

Fixed words — the creed, the words at the table — are better translated once, well, and printed or shown, than translated live every week. Many churches already have these in three languages on a card. Keep the card; save the live channel for the words that change.

The practical version

Turn the translation on at the welcome, leave it on through the announcements, reading, sermon and closing prayer, and let the songs carry themselves on the screen. Tell the listeners this is the plan, so the silence during the singing is not a fault. That is one sentence in the announcement and a settled Sunday.