A new app, Breeze Translate, is transforming church services into more inclusive and accessible events for multilingual congregations and the hard of hearing. The app which is used by several churches in our diocese provides live, real-time translation of sermons and talks, streaming captions in hundreds of languages directly to an individual's smartphone or personal device.
With 8.9% of residents in England and Wales not having English as their main language according to the 2021 Census, language can be a significant barrier to engagement in local communities, including churches.
One of our churches that have found Breeze beneficial is St Peter’s, Hillfields. Each week, St Peter’s welcomes a large amount of people from many different cultures, many of whom are learning to speak English.
Isaac Edwards who heads up the refugee and migrant work at St Peter’s says:
“Breeze has enabled many of our members to follow along more closely with the service, removing barriers that once made it difficult to fully participate. People who previously felt ‘on the edges’ are now able to connect more deeply with what’s happening. It has helped foster a greater sense of belonging across language groups. A highlight has been a 12-year-old boy from Cameroon who speaks French. After one of the services, he came up to me with a big smile, excited to show that he had been able to engage with and follow the service through Breeze.”
Another church that has been using Breeze is All Saints, Allesley. The Revd Sarah Ashelby, Rector at All Saints, says:
“We have a couple of young asylum-seeking men who are living in the nearby hotel attending our services. Using Breeze has meant they can follow sections of the service like the sermon and the intercessions - it's lovely watching them join in with the responses because they understand what has just been prayed! Also, we had two young women who have been placed in Stratford-upon-Avon join our church this year because they heard we were using Breeze translate - they travel for an hour on the bus to get to us. Our church is growing in this area because we use Breeze. Having Breeze gives our welcome team an extra tool, alongside a smile or a hug, to extend a warm welcome to anyone who joins us who speaks a different language. It makes people feel settled and thought of when they enter the building an know we've considered them.”
Beyond serving those with English as a second language, the live transcript feature on Breeze also makes services more accessible for those who are hard of hearing, allowing them to read along in real time on their own device.
Breeze Translate was created by Mike Ashelby and the company is based in Coventry. Mike says:
"Breeze Translate was created because we saw a real need in our own churches to communicate across the language divide. We live in a culture now where all nations are on our doorstep, coming through the doors of our churches. We have this incredible opportunity to meet them where they are, fulfilling the Great Commission right here at home. Our vision is for simple, affordable translation for every church. The technology is finally here to make that possible, removing barriers so that everyone can be included and engage with the good news."
Breeze Translate offers a free trial for churches interested in testing the service. You can find out more here.