Translation Options for Meetings

[dchivers]

I am currently serving in a ward that has become something of a magnet within our stake for Spanish-speaking members. As Elders Quorum President, I’ve been looking for ways to reduce the language barrier and help everyone participate more fully. One approach we’ve implemented is using AI-powered translation tools.

We’ve been using Microsoft Translate during Elders Quorum meetings, and it has worked quite well. It can automatically detect language changes and provide real-time translation, which has made participation much more inclusive. Overall, it’s been about 90% accurate, and we’ve received very positive feedback from both English- and Spanish-speaking members.

One feature we’ve especially appreciated is the ability to create a “room” that members can join on their mobile devices. Once connected, they can read translated text in real time. Even better, if they mute their microphone in the app, they can listen to the translation audibly, which has been incredibly helpful. However, this feature is being discontinued this summer and moved into Microsoft Teams.

Because of that, I’ve started working on building a similar solution myself. I currently have a Linux server running a Java-based application that connects to Azure’s translation services. It’s still fairly basic, but the text translation is working well. My next step is to add text-to-speech so users can hear translations instead of just reading them.

I’m curious if the Church is currently developing anything similar or if there are existing tools or initiatives in this space.