Guide
Setting up live translation in your church: a checklist for the sound team
Live translation is only as good as the audio it hears. Most problems on a first Sunday are not translation problems at all: they are a laptop microphone at the back of the room, a weak Wi-Fi signal, or nobody knowing where the QR code is.
This checklist covers the physical setup. For the screens in PewTranslate itself, see how it works.
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1. Get clean audio into the laptop
Choose the best option you can manage:
| Option | Quality | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Feed from the sound desk | Best | An aux or matrix output from the desk, a cable, and usually a small USB audio interface to connect it to the laptop |
| Dedicated microphone at the pulpit | Good | A USB microphone or a wireless receiver connected to the laptop |
| Laptop's built-in microphone | Fallback | Only for small rooms, close to the speaker |
A feed from the desk contains exactly what goes to the speakers, without room echo. Ask your sound engineer for a mix with the pulpit and stage microphones but without music, if the desk allows it.
2. Check the network
- The operator's laptop needs a stable connection for the whole service. A cable is better than Wi-Fi if one is available.
- Listeners need data too. Check mobile coverage in the sanctuary; if it is poor, open a guest Wi-Fi network and print its name next to the QR code.
- The text sent to listeners is small, so a normal guest network is usually enough.
3. Put the QR code where people will see it
- On a slide during the welcome and announcements, with one line of instruction.
- Printed at the welcome table and on seat cards or the bulletin.
- Your church page's code lists all public services, so one printed code keeps working as services change.
4. Do a test run before Sunday
- Connect the audio exactly as on Sunday and start a stream in the console.
- Watch the live transcript while someone speaks from the pulpit. If words are missing, fix the audio before anything else.
- Join on two or three phones in different languages, including one held by a native speaker.
- Stop the stream and read the report in History together.
Short tests cost very little: a ten-minute test in two languages costs $1.66, and new accounts start with $20 of credit.
5. A Sunday routine
- Thirty minutes before: laptop on, audio connected, console open, levels checked.
- During the welcome: QR code on screen, a one-sentence announcement.
- Just before the sermon: press Start Streaming.
- After the sermon: press Stop Streaming. Translation of later announcements is optional.
- After the service: glance at the report to see who listened, and note anything to improve.
Keep reading
- How Live Church Translation WorksHow PewTranslate works on a Sunday: the operator starts a stream from a laptop, listeners scan a QR code, and each phone shows and speaks the sermon in its own language.
- Preaching with Live Translation: Tips for PastorsHow to preach so live translation works well: sentence endings, Bible references, names, idioms and humour, without changing your style.
- Welcoming Visitors Who Speak Other LanguagesHow churches can welcome people who speak other languages: announcing translation, greeters, signage, follow-up with transcripts, and learning who is in the room.
- 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.