French
Live French translation for francophone members
French speakers in an English-speaking church may come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti, Quebec, France or Belgium, among others. For many of them French is the language of school and church, even when another language is spoken at home.
PewTranslate lets each of them choose French, Canadian French, or another language they are more at home in.
French, Canadian French, or a home language?
| Option | Who might choose it |
|---|---|
| French (Français) | Most francophone Africans and Europeans |
| French (Canada) | People from Quebec and other francophone parts of Canada |
| A home language | Some listeners follow a sermon more easily in the language they speak at home. Haitian Creole, Swahili, Kinyarwanda and several other African languages are in the list; check what is available for your members. |
Let people try two options during a service. Each phone remembers the last choice.
When the sermon is in French
French-speaking congregations that share a building with an English church can use the same setup in reverse. The operator chooses French (Generic) or French (Canada) as the speaker language, and English-speaking guests follow on their phones.
Things to test
- Formal and informal address: whether the translation uses vous or tu in prayers and in the way the preacher addresses the congregation.
- Names of Bible books and of your church's ministries.
- Accents of your preachers. If a regional accent causes recognition errors, a better microphone placement often helps more than anything else.
Introducing it to francophone members
French-speaking members have often been following English services for a long time with partial understanding, and may not expect anything to change. A personal word works better than a slide.
- Ask a francophone member to explain it in French during the announcements, and to hold up their own phone as they do.
- Put "Suivez la prédication en français" next to the QR code on the welcome slide and on printed cards.
- Mention that the text stays on screen, so people can read along with the voice turned off.
After a few weeks, the service reports show how many people chose French and how many chose another language, which tells you whether a francophone small group or welcome team would be worth starting.
Frequently asked questions
Can listeners switch between French and their home language during a service?
Yes. They can change the language at any time; the new language applies to the following sentences.
Keep reading
- Sermon Translation in 106 LanguagesEvery language PewTranslate offers: 106 listener languages and regional variants, and 82 languages the preacher can speak.
- Spanish Sermon Translation for ChurchesLive Spanish translation of your sermon on every phone. Which Spanish to choose, bilingual services, and what to check before your first Sunday with PewTranslate.
- 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.
- Live Sermon Translation: How It WorksHow live sermon translation turns a preacher's voice into translated text and speech, sentence by sentence, and what affects accuracy in a church setting.