PewTranslateChangelog
What's new in PewTranslate
Every change to the product, newest first, in plain language. Each entry corresponds to one change in our code history; the short reference at the end of each entry identifies it.
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Changes
Search finds the page names shown in navigation
Search now includes each page's navigation label, so entering the Arabic label for pricing finds the pricing page even when its full title uses different wording.
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Language controls fit the narrowest phones
The header keeps its language name, search and menu buttons within narrow phone screens, including Korean. Each control retains an easy-to-tap target.
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Navigation and page details follow your language
Loading links lead to the home page in your language. Screen-reader navigation labels and the message shown when JavaScript is disabled are translated, and page titles and search metadata stay clean in right-to-left languages.
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More natural Arabic copy
The Arabic pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Russian copy
The Russian pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Korean copy
The Korean pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Japanese copy
The Japanese pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Brazilian Portuguese copy
The Brazilian Portuguese pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural French copy
The French pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural German copy
The German pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Spanish copy
The Spanish pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Traditional Chinese copy
The Traditional Chinese pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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More natural Simplified Chinese copy
The Simplified Chinese pages and controls use clearer, more natural language while keeping the same prices, features and account availability.
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Smoother language changes and clearer recovery links
Pages stay visible while another language loads. Usage totals, language lists and recovery links read as complete messages in all eleven languages. Language notices sit below the header so they do not cover page actions, and the Arabic header now fits narrow phones.
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Read the site and use the interface in ten more languages
Churches can now choose Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Russian or Arabic alongside English. The home, setup, pricing and shared product pages, along with operator and listener controls, are available in those languages. Prices remain in US dollars, and accounts remain closed while churches can request early access.
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Clearer language switching and local report times
Language choices keep you on the same page when a translation exists and explain any fallback. Public pages load less text before it is needed, and service reports and downloads show times in your own time zone. English remains the only published interface.
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English pages keep their language in links
Public pages now use English addresses under /en, and existing links lead directly to the same pages. The language menu remembers a manual choice, including the preference saved to each account. English remains the only published interface while the site gains the foundations for additional languages.
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Sign in with Google or email, and get back to what you were doing
Sign in with your Google account, which shows your name and photo in a menu at the top right, or with your email and a password you can show while typing. Confirmation and reset emails each work once and lead straight back to the page you were on, and a password reset signs you in. These open when accounts do.
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Clearer listening in the demo, and a search box that works on phones
In the home page demo, the Listen button shows when the sentence is being read and lets you stop it, and says so when the browser has no voice for that language. The site search opens the first match when you press Enter and has a close button for phones.
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The demo starts sooner on the home page
The home page's first screen is shorter, so the live demo of a Sunday service comes into view sooner.
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Hear the demo sentence read aloud
The phone in the home page demo has a Listen button that reads the translated sentence aloud with the phone's own voice, as the real listener page does. The Korean guide now uses plain words instead of the names of app screens.
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An early-access form that really sends
The contact form on the home page now sends your message straight to us and confirms it by name, instead of opening your email app, which did nothing on computers without one. It keeps what you wrote if sending fails. The site search finds guides and language pages, and the header button that opens the demo is called Watch the demo.
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Easier-to-read labels and larger links on the home page
Section labels and outline buttons on the home page are darker, and small links have a larger area to tap on phones.
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Pages respond sooner on phones
The analytics tools now load after your first tap or scroll, or a few seconds after the page has loaded, instead of competing with the page while it starts. On a simulated mid-range phone this cut the time the page was busy from about 150 ms to under 25 ms.
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A clearer, lighter home page
The home page headline is solid colour instead of gradient-filled text, faint labels are readable, and flag images load in a few hundred bytes each instead of up to 143 KB.
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Contact through our own address
The site, its legal pages and the files for AI assistants now give hello@pewtranslate.com as the contact address.
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A link preview that shows live captions
When someone shares a PewTranslate link in a chat or on social media, the preview now shows a listener's phone in a pew with a live translated caption, next to what the service does, instead of a plain text card.
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Page titles that search results show in full
Every guide, comparison and language page now has a title and summary short enough that Google shows them without cutting them off, and the page explaining live sermon translation is titled as that explainer, so searches find the right page. Small labels and buttons on these pages are darker orange, so they are easier to read.
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Guides and pricing describe accounts as not open yet
The guides, the pricing page and the files for AI assistants no longer describe signing up, the free credit or topping up as if accounts were open. Addresses that are not a page now answer as not found right away.
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Early access while accounts are not open
Accounts on pewtranslate.com are not open yet, so the start buttons now ask for early access through the contact form instead of opening a sign-up form that could not work. The site says plainly that new accounts will start with $20 of free credit once they open, and the login page explains the same with a link to the live demo.
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A contact address that receives mail
The site now lists an email address that is read, in the contact section, the page data search engines see and the files for AI assistants, in place of an address that could not receive mail yet.
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Who runs PewTranslate, stated in the policies
The privacy policy and terms now name the operator and the date they take effect, and give an email address for legal notices and data requests in place of the placeholders.
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Fewer analytics cookies, and every one named
Microsoft Clarity no longer sets its own cookies on pewtranslate.com, and the privacy policy now names each cookie that PostHog and Microsoft set when the site measures visits. PostHog discards IP addresses.
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Short links to the policies, and safer page headers
pewtranslate.com/privacy, /terms and /blog now open the privacy policy, the terms of service and the guides. Every page also tells the browser not to share full page addresses with other sites, and the account and admin pages cannot be shown inside another website.
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A clear message when our server cannot be reached
If signing up or logging in cannot reach the PewTranslate server, the form now says so in a plain sentence instead of showing a technical error, and it no longer suggests that your password was wrong.
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Usage analytics switched on
The page-visit and key-step measurement described in the privacy policy now runs on pewtranslate.com, with PostHog and Microsoft Clarity projects of its own. Copies of the site opened on a computer for testing send nothing.
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A proper page for addresses that do not exist
Mistyped or outdated addresses now show the page-not-found screen with links home, to the guides and to the language list, instead of a blank page, and addresses that can never be a page answer with a not-found status.
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A clearer interface language menu
The interface language button in the menu now shows the current language by name and is easier to tap, and typing in its search box no longer zooms the page on iPhones.
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Linked pages open at the top
Following a link from one page to another, such as a "Keep reading" card or a footer link, now opens the new page at its beginning instead of partway down.
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Cleaner, easier-to-tap guide and language pages
Guide, language, comparison and pricing pages no longer contact the sign-in server when you have not signed in, which removed a set of browser errors on every page. Breadcrumb and footer links are larger and easier to tap on a phone.
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Content pages open at their clean addresses
The static hosting preparation now lets content pages open at their canonical addresses without a trailing-slash redirect loop.
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A clearer confirmation email
The email that confirms a new address now describes the free credit the same way as the site: $20, about 4 hours of translation into one language. Its backup link also wraps on a phone screen instead of running off the edge.
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The free credit, stated where you sign up
The sign-up form now says what the "Try it free" buttons promise: each new email address gets $20 of free credit, about 4 hours of translation into one language, once it is confirmed, and no card is needed.
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A helpful page for mistyped addresses
A mistyped or outdated address such as a language or guide page that does not exist now shows the site's page-not-found screen, with links to the guides and the full language list, instead of the listener's "Service not found" message.
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Easier to find the newest guides
The guide to planning a bilingual service now appears under Related on the Spanish and Korean pages and on the preaching and welcoming guides; the Vietnamese and Arabic pages are linked from the Chinese and French pages.
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Easier to read and use with assistive technology
Faint grey text, the listener's LIVE and OFF AIR labels, the listener settings buttons and some links now have stronger contrast; two buttons gained names for screen readers, and wide tables can be scrolled with the keyboard.
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A working demo behind "Book a Demo"
The "Book a Demo" button now opens the live demo of a sample Sunday service, with a free trial link and a way to ask for a live demo, instead of a placeholder for a video that did not exist yet.
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Clearer first steps on the dashboard
A new church's dashboard now asks for the church name and suggests choosing a page address, which gives a church page with one QR code for your services, instead of showing the sign-up email and "Domain not set".
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Faster listener page on slow connections
The listener and church pages no longer download the text of the whole website, about 100 KB less. On a slow mobile connection the listener's controls now appear roughly half a second sooner.
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Better first language for listeners
Listeners whose phones are set to Spanish from Mexico, the US or Latin America now start in Latin American Spanish instead of Spanish from Spain, unless the church offers only one. The language search also finds languages typed without accents, such as "espanol".
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A guide to planning a bilingual service
A new guide compares five ways to run a service in two languages and covers songs, Scripture readings, prayer, announcements and the sermon, including where live translation helps and where it does not.
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Clearer sign-up and password emails
The confirmation and password reset emails now explain what they are for, that links work for 30 minutes, and how to get a new one. If you try to log in before confirming, the page points you to Forgot Password?, which also confirms your address.
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Chinese guide corrected
The Chinese languages guide no longer suggests Multi Language mode for services that switch between Mandarin and English, because that mode does not cover Chinese; it now suggests choosing the language spoken most.
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Clear message for unsupported preacher languages
Starting a stream with a preacher language that speech recognition cannot handle now says so by name and asks for another language, instead of reporting a connection problem. Hebrew (Israel), Spanish (Spain and US) and Filipino are matched to versions recognition supports.
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Clearer handling when speech recognition fails
If speech recognition cannot connect, the stream now stops with a plain explanation instead of staying live with nothing coming through, so listeners are not left waiting. A short network drop during a service is reconnected automatically.
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Listeners see when a sentence was not translated
If a sentence cannot be translated into a listener's language, their phone now marks it "Not translated: original language" and reads it with a voice for that language, and the service report no longer lists it as a translation.
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Calmer console when a language cannot be translated
If translation into a listener's language stops working, the console now shows one line naming the language, explaining that those listeners see the original text and are not billed, and clearing itself when translation works again, instead of a new error after every sentence.
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Regional language variants translate correctly
Listener choices such as Arabic (Egypt), French (Canada) or Urdu (India) are now translated into the main language where the translation service has no regional version, instead of falling back to the preacher's original words.
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A guide for Arabic-speaking listeners
A new Languages guide covers Arabic: which Arabic to choose, right-to-left text, Christian names and terms worth checking in a test run, and preaching in dialect.
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Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Urdu read right to left
Listeners who choose a right-to-left language now see each sentence aligned and punctuated the way it is read, instead of in a left-to-right layout. Service reports and the Word download follow the same direction.
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Multi Language mode works with real translation
With Multi Language mode on, the translation service is now left to detect each sentence's language, instead of being given one it does not recognise, which would have sent listeners untranslated text.
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A guide for Vietnamese churches
A new Languages guide covers Vietnamese and English in one service: which direction to choose, Bible names and forms of address to check, and how billing works. The Korean guide now says that Multi Language mode does not cover Korean.
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Top up during a service without stopping it
When fewer than ten minutes of balance are left during a live service, the console now warns you, with a Top up link that opens in a new tab so the stream keeps running. A top-up made during the service now extends it instead of the stream stopping when the starting balance runs out.
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Top Up shows what each amount buys
In the Top Up dialog, each amount now shows the translation time it buys in one language ($20 is 4 hours), and the dialog shows your current balance with the time it covers.
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Top Up opens the payment page
Account → Top Up now takes you to a secure payment page in the same tab. When you come back, your balance tab says the payment was received and updates the balance within about 30 seconds.
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A warning before you change your church's address
Changing your Custom URL moves your church page, so its old link and printed church page QR code stop working. Account settings now say so while you edit the address. QR codes for individual services keep working after the change.
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Copy Link confirms it worked
On a church page, Share → Copy Link now shows "Link copied". If the browser won't allow copying, the page says so and shows the link in a box you can select and copy yourself.
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Safer CSV transcripts
When a sentence in a CSV transcript starts with a sign a spreadsheet treats as a formula (such as =, + or -), it now starts with an apostrophe so Excel and Google Sheets show it as text instead of running it.
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"Full Speech" says what it does
In a service report, the Full Speech button is now called Show as one text. It joins the transcript into one block for notes or a newsletter, word for word as recognised; it does not rewrite or summarise.
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Your balance, explained
In Account → Subscription, the list under your balance is now called Payments and credits and says where streaming costs appear: they are taken from your balance when a stream stops and listed under Usage and in each service report.
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Old service links explain themselves
If someone opens a link or QR code for a service that has been removed, the page now says so straight away instead of showing an empty player for several seconds, and offers the church's current services when the link came from your church page.
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Transcript downloads include the translations
The plain-text and Word downloads of a service report now include every translation under each sentence, not only the original. The CSV opens in Excel with accents and non-Latin scripts intact and names each language. To download the original only, untick Show translations first.
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The console tells you when your internet drops
If the streaming computer loses its internet connection, the console now says so at once, because listeners are not receiving the translation until it is back. If the connection is lost for long enough that the stream ends, the console tells you when it reconnects so you can start again.
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Listeners recover faster from Wi-Fi drops
If a listener's phone loses its connection, the page now says so straight away, and it reconnects as soon as the network is back instead of waiting up to a minute. Sentences spoken while the phone was offline are not shown afterwards.
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Easier-to-read console guidance
The console's "Ready to stream" guidance is now easier to read, and screen readers announce the connection indicator correctly.
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Clearer password rules and resets
Sign-up and password reset now say up front that a password needs at least 8 characters including a number, and tell you exactly which rule a password missed. After resetting your password you see a confirmation, and an expired reset link offers to send a new one.
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A live connection only where it is needed
Pages such as the home page, pricing and guides no longer open a live connection to our servers. Only the console and the listener page connect, which keeps the live service fast for the people actually streaming and listening.
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Search engines understand your church page
If your church page is public, search engines and AI assistants now read it as a church, with its name, description, location and website, so people looking for a church with translation are more likely to find you. Private church pages stay out of search as before.
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Faster pages on phones
The website now sends its pages and scripts compressed, about a quarter of the previous size, so the home page appears in roughly half the time on a slow mobile connection.
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Top up from the dashboard when your balance is empty
When your balance is empty, the dashboard message now has a Top up button, and trying to add a service shows the reason with a Top up link instead of a browser pop-up.
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The welcome tip stays out of your way
The dashboard's "Your first service is ready" tip now appears only until your first stream. Signing in on a new laptop or phone no longer shows it again.
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Keyboard access to new services and stream reports
You can now add a service and open a stream report from History with the keyboard alone, and open a report in a new tab.
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A simpler, clearer church profile
The logo picker in Account → Profile has been removed: it showed a preview but never kept the picture, so your church page shows your initials instead. Each profile field is now named for screen readers, and clicking a field's name puts the cursor in it.
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Top up straight from the console
If your balance is too low to start a stream, or runs out during one, the message in the console now has a Top up button that opens the top-up window, so you no longer have to find your way to the Account page.
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Choose which languages your congregation sees
In a service's Advanced settings you can now offer only the languages your church needs. Listeners' phones then show just those languages, a QR code can only preselect one of them, and a phone that was set to another language switches to an offered one. Choose All languages to offer every language again.
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Delete your account yourself
You can now delete your account in Account → Settings → Account Removal by typing your email address to confirm. It removes the account with its services, transcripts and balance history. If you have paid balance left, you can ask for it to be refunded in the same step; the free sign-up credit is not refunded. Stop any live stream first.
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Privacy policy and terms in the footer
The privacy policy and terms of service are now linked at the bottom of every public page, so you can read them before you sign up, not only from the sign-up form.
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One price in your account, too
Account → Subscription no longer shows monthly plans that could not be bought. It shows the one price, $5 per hour per language, your balance and your top-ups, and its wording about worship songs now matches the pricing page. Voice options that are not ready yet say so instead of asking you to upgrade.
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The welcome tip's Translate button works on the first click
After signing up, the dashboard tip that says "Click Translate" used to close on that click without opening your service. Now one click opens the service, on phones held sideways too.
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A new icon to match the new name
The orange speech-bubble icon now shows a P for PewTranslate, on browser tabs, phone home screens and link previews.
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We are now PewTranslate
The service has a new name, PewTranslate, and a new address, pewtranslate.com. Search listings, link previews, account emails and the contact address use the new name. Listener settings saved on a phone, such as language and text size, start fresh once.
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Clearer billing wording on the home page
The home page now says that silence and pauses are not billed, matching the pricing page. If the microphone picks up sung lyrics during worship, they can be recognised as speech and counted, so start the stream at the sermon or mute the translation feed during music.
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Better search listings for the home page
The home page now describes the service as live sermon translation for churches in search results, and the details search engines and AI assistants read about our price and free credit come straight from the prices the app charges.
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Usage analytics, described in the privacy policy
To learn which parts of the site help churches get started, we can now measure page visits and key steps such as signing up, starting a stream and topping up, with Microsoft Clarity and PostHog. They see an account number, never your email address, and transcripts are hidden from recordings. The privacy policy lists both providers.
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One web address for the whole site
The site, its search listings, link previews and account emails now use one web address, with a contact mailbox on the same domain. Church pages keep the same path after the domain, for example /your-church.
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Sign-up credit once per email address, and refunds of unused balance when you close your account
The free sign-up credit now arrives once your email address is verified, and each address receives it only once, including after an account is deleted or with a "+" alias. When you close your account you can ask for a refund of the balance you paid for and have not used; the sign-up credit is never refunded. The terms and privacy policy explain both, and the option appears on the account deletion screen in a coming update.
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Limits on new sign-ups from one network
To keep the free sign-up credit fair, one network can create only a few accounts per hour. If you hit the limit, the sign-up form asks you to try again in an hour.
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Groundwork for choosing which languages a service offers
Behind the scenes, each service can now be limited to the listener languages its church chooses, and a church is only charged for languages it offers. The setting appears in the translation console in a coming update; until then every language stays available, as before.
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Privacy policy and terms of service
The privacy policy and terms of service linked from the sign-up form now exist. They explain what is stored about churches and listeners, which providers process it, and how the prepaid balance works.
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Streams are always charged correctly, and accounts can be deleted
A stream that used up the balance now stops and is charged instead of continuing, an account can no longer run two streams at once on the same balance, and deleting a service right after stopping it no longer skips its charge. A slow translation service can no longer freeze a stream. Behind the scenes, account deletion and online payment for top-ups are prepared; both still need their screens before you can use them.
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Guides, comparisons and easier-to-find church pages
New pages explain the product, supported languages, how it compares with other options, and how to run a translated service, along with this changelog. Churches that opt into search now have public pages that search engines can find.
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Payment totals count only paid top-ups
The total payments figure in Account no longer includes the free sign-up credit; it adds up the top-ups you actually paid for.
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Clearer copy-link feedback in the console
Copying a service link in the translation console now confirms that the link was copied. If the browser blocks the clipboard, the link is shown in a field so it can be copied by hand.
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Better layouts on narrow screens
The dashboard, translation console, account, history and menus fit better on phone-sized screens, and dropdowns and buttons are easier to tap.
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Interactive demo on the home page
The home page shows a sermon sentence appearing as live text on the operator's laptop and then as translations on listeners' phones. Visitors can switch the demo phone to their own language.
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New logo and icons
A new logo, browser and home-screen icons, and link-preview image, with consistent page titles across the app.
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Billing and reliability fixes
A stream that ends unexpectedly, for example after a server restart, is now closed and charged only for the speech that was translated. A sentence that fails to translate reaches listeners untranslated, is not billed, and the operator is told. Each account runs one live stream at a time, a church address that is already taken shows a clear message, and a repeated top-up request is credited only once.
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First version
Churches stream a service from a laptop browser; listeners scan a QR code and follow the sermon live on their phones as text and voice in their own language. Includes church pages with permanent QR codes, service reports with transcripts, and a prepaid balance with free starting credit.
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Keep reading
- How Live Church Translation WorksHow PewTranslate works on a Sunday: start the stream on a laptop, listeners scan a QR code, and each phone shows and speaks the sermon in its own language.
- Pricing: US$5 per Hour per LanguagePewTranslate costs US$5 an hour for each language someone listens to, billed by the minute of speech. New accounts will get US$20 of free credit.