Who listens in Chinese
A typical Chinese church in the US has grown in layers. Families from Taiwan and Hong Kong founded it decades ago. Later came engineers and doctors from mainland China, and with them a Mandarin congregation. Their children grew up in English and now have an English congregation of their own. Many of these churches run two or three services in parallel, and the moments that bring everyone together are exactly the ones where language gets in the way.
Outside Chinese churches you meet Chinese speakers too. International students at state universities, often from the mainland, come to an English-speaking church through an international student ministry or a friend. Grandparents arrive for a six-month visit to help with the grandchildren and sit in the pew every Sunday. Many of them read Chinese captions far more easily than they follow spoken English.
Simplified or Traditional?
ChurchTranslate offers Chinese as two options: Chinese (Simplified), used in mainland China, and Chinese (Traditional), used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. You can switch on both, and each listener picks the script they read. Each option counts as its own language, so it uses credits only while someone listens to it.
How it works
- 01Share the QR code
Show it on the screens, print it in the bulletin, or post the link in the fellowship's WeChat or LINE group before the service.
- 02Choose Chinese
Listeners pick Simplified or Traditional in the browser. No account and no download. iPhone users can also use the ChurchTranslate app.
- 03Listen and read
The translated voice follows the preacher a few seconds behind, and Chinese captions run on screen. Listeners can show the English original alongside, which many students like.
Joint services and guest preachers
When the Mandarin and English congregations hold a joint service, the preacher speaks once and each group listens in its own language. If the speaker is preaching in Mandarin, set Chinese as the speaker language so English speakers can follow in English. The tech team switches with one tap when a guest speaker takes over.
What to expect
Bible names and theological terms are the hardest part of any live translation, and Chinese Bible translations do not always agree with each other on names. ChurchTranslate keeps a terminology list per language and corrects known terms in the captions, but it will not always match the version your church reads. It works well for following a sermon and the announcements; it is not a replacement for a printed bilingual order of service.
Cost
A 90-minute joint service with both Simplified and Traditional switched on uses at most 180 credits, and less if no one chooses one of them. Monthly plans start at $65 for 480 credits; extra packs never expire. See the pricing.