In the booth
A supported browser, stable internet connection, and usable audio feed. A direct sound-board feed usually gives speech recognition cleaner input than an open room microphone.
Live sermon translation
Live sermon translation without an app
The pastor speaks into the church's normal audio system. Lingual turns that feed into live text, translates complete sentences for the attendees who are following, and sends the result to their phone browsers.
How it works
From the pastor's microphone to the attendee's phone
The operator starts the service
An operator opens Lingual on a laptop or tablet, selects the language being spoken, and supplies audio from a microphone or sound-board feed. If the church has connected Planning Center Services, the existing order of worship and live plan times flow into the bulletin automatically.
The attendee scans and chooses
A QR code or church URL opens the language picker in the attendee's browser. The attendee chooses from the languages offered by the church. No app-store visit, dedicated receiver, or attendee account is required.
Lingual translates each finished sentence
The source speech is transcribed as the pastor speaks. Lingual waits for a usable sentence boundary, then sends the finished text to each active attendee language. Translation for a language starts when an attendee chooses it, within the simultaneous-language capacity set up for the church.
Text arrives first; audio may follow
Translated text is broadcast to the attendee view. Where translated audio is available, Lingual creates it for a phone speaker or earbuds. If that audio step fails or no voice exists, captions continue.
One room
Built for following, not replacing, the sermon
Lingual is a quiet assist inside the existing service. Attendees remain with the congregation and hear the same pastor. Their phone supplies enough language support to follow the message without creating another worship service around them.
The experience is sentence-based, not an instant word-for-word promise. Timing varies with speech cadence, audio quality, connectivity, and provider response.
Resilient path
Captions do not wait for audio
Text and audio are separate delivery paths. Translated audio is an option where coverage exists; it is not a dependency for captions. Lingual can also relay the original source audio for people who prefer to listen to the speaker directly.
Published Scripture
Bible text keeps a human source
When the pastor cites a passage, Lingual can open Scripture beside the live captions. The Bible text comes from a published human translation where available. A fallback uses a clearly labeled published Bible in another language. The pastor's explanation continues through live translation; the passage itself is never presented as machine-translated Scripture.
Sunday readiness
What the church and attendees need
In the pew
A browser-capable phone using church Wi-Fi or cellular data. Earbuds are optional and matter only when an attendee chooses an available audio path.
Spoken language
English is the default, not the only source
A service declares one spoken source language. Supported non-English source languages use the same flow: the operator selects the language being spoken, and attendees choose another available language for captions.
Before the first service
Live sermon translation FAQ
How quickly do captions appear?
Lingual is built for live, sentence-by-sentence following, but does not promise a fixed delay. Cadence, audio quality, connectivity, and provider response all affect timing.
Who chooses target languages?
The operator chooses the spoken source language. Attendees choose their own target language, and Lingual opens translation on demand within the church's simultaneous-language capacity.
Is translated audio required?
No. Text is the core experience. Translated audio is an optional listening choice where a translated voice exists.
Does the church need interpretation hardware?
Lingual does not require dedicated attendee receivers. The operator uses a browser and audio feed; attendees use their own phones.
Rehearse the real path
Test the workflow before Sunday
Create the workspace, confirm audio input and language coverage, then rehearse both the operator and attendee views. Personal first-service setup is part of the current offer.