Guide
Budgeting for interpretation in your church
Interpretation has costs even when nobody sends an invoice: volunteer time, equipment, storage, and the services where nobody was available. This guide gives you a way to compare the options for your own church with your own numbers.
We only quote prices we control. For the other options, the worksheet tells you what to ask local suppliers and interpreters.
Last reviewed
The four common options
| Option | Ongoing cost | One-time cost | Hidden cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer interpreter | None in money | None | Burnout, gaps when they are away, one language per person |
| Paid interpreter | Hourly or per-service fee, per language | None | Booking and scheduling; usually two interpreters for long events |
| Headset system | Batteries, maintenance | Transmitter, receivers, earphones | Storage, handing out and collecting every week; still needs interpreters |
| Live translation (PewTranslate) | $5 per hour per language listened | None | Needs internet; machine translation quality |
A simple worksheet
- Count how many minutes per week need translation. Usually that is the sermon, not the whole service.
- Count how many languages are actually needed on a typical Sunday, not the maximum.
- For interpreters: ask local interpreters for their rate for a service of that length, per language.
- For equipment: ask suppliers for a quote for the number of receivers you need, and add a replacement allowance.
- For live translation: minutes × languages × $5 ÷ 60.
- Multiply weekly costs by the number of services per year, and add one-time costs.
Live translation, worked through
| Weekly speech | Languages | Per service | Per year (52 services) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 1 | $2.50 | $130.00 |
| 45 minutes | 2 | $7.50 | $390.00 |
| 60 minutes | 3 | $15.00 | $780.00 |
These figures assume someone listens in each language for the whole sermon. Languages nobody selects cost nothing, and silence is not billed, so real bills are often lower. The first $20 (4 hours of one language) is free.
Questions to bring to your leadership
- Which language groups are we serving today, and which do we hope to reach?
- Who interprets now, and how long can they keep doing it every week?
- Do our listeners have smartphones and a connection in the building?
- Which moments must always have a human interpreter, whatever we choose for the sermon?
Comparisons in more detail: volunteer interpreters and headset systems.
Keep reading
- Pricing: $5 per Hour per LanguagePewTranslate costs $5 per hour for each language someone is listening to, billed by the minute of speech. New accounts get $20 of credit, about 4 hours of one language.
- Live Translation vs. Volunteer InterpretersAn honest comparison of AI live translation and human church interpreters: quality, languages, availability, cost, and when to use each, or both.
- Live Translation vs. Church Headset SystemsPhone-based live translation compared with FM and infrared headset interpretation systems for churches: equipment, logistics, languages, reliability and cost.
- How to Set Up Live Translation in Your ChurchA practical checklist for sound volunteers: getting clean audio into the laptop, network for listeners, QR codes, a test run, and a Sunday-morning routine.