Somebody is speaking. You do not speak that language well. You can still follow every word. You need your phone. You need nothing else.
You do not have to ask anyone. You do not have to say that you need help.
Open your camera. Point it at the code on the wall, the screen, or the paper in your hand. A link comes up. Tap it. Somebody may have sent you the link instead. Tap that.
A list of languages comes up. Find yours. Tap it. Your language is written in its own letters, so it is easy to spot.
Put in an earphone and hear a voice speaking your language. Or read the words on your screen. Both work. You choose.
It takes about ten seconds. If you are late and the talk has started, you can still join. You do not even have to be in the room: with the link, you can follow from home, from a hospital bed, or on the way.
Some things ask a lot of you before they help you. This does not.
The place you are visiting pays for the room. You are their guest.
You do not need a new phone. An old phone is fine. A cheap phone is fine.
Any phone with a web browser will do. It works on a tablet too. If you have earphones, bring them. If you do not, you can read the words instead, and reading works just as well.
Turn your screen brightness down if you are worried about the light. The room will not mind. Nobody can see what is on your screen.
200+ languages can be read on your screen. 81 of them can be heard as a voice.
If your language does not use the Latin alphabet, you see your own script. Not your language spelled out in English letters.
Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu and other languages are written from right to left. They are laid out the way you read, not flipped around.
You can close your eyes and just listen. Or you can read. Or you can do both. Change your mind in the middle. Nothing breaks.
You can print the code. Put it on the order of service, on a card by the door, or on the screen at the front. A ready made handout is in every room.
A guest who does not speak your language will not usually ask for help. They will look for it quietly, on paper, on their own. Printing the code means nobody has to raise their hand.
Put one short line next to it in the languages you expect. Something like: point your camera here to follow in your language.
No app and no account, in the words of the hosts who watched it happen.
“Everyone was very happy about the intuitive use of the online app …”
Vineyard Speyer
“Before, we had a person who translated live what was being said, and the people who did not speak Danish sat with headphones and listened in. Now we can just switch the translation on, and they can scan a code themselves and get the translation on their own phone.”
Lead pastor, Åbenkirke Odense
His own words, in Danish:
Før havde vi en person, der live-oversatte det, der blev sagt, og de ikke-dansktalende sad med høretelefoner og lyttede med. Nu kan vi bare tænde for oversættelsen, og de kan selv scanne en QR-kode og få oversættelsen på deres egen telefon.
“We have had it in use practically every Sunday, though our usage is not that large. Right now we have a young man who fled from Ukraine and comes on Sundays. His English is not that strong, so it is fantastic to be able to give him the chance to follow along in Ukrainian. Even though it is only him, we currently offer Ukrainian and English.”
Chairman, Din Frikirke, Haderslev
His own words, in Danish:
Vi har haft det i brug stort set alle søndage, men vores forbrug er ikke så stort. Vi har pt. en ung fyr som er flygtet fra Ukraine som deltager om søndagen. Hans engelsk er ikke så stærkt, så det er fantastisk at kunne give ham muligheden for at være med på ukrainsk! Selvom det kun er ham, så tilbyder vi derfor i øjeblikket ukrainsk og engelsk.
No. You are not asked for anything. You tap the link and you choose a language. That is the end of it.
No one is told who you are. The room only knows that somebody is listening in a language. Your screen is yours.
Read the words on your screen instead. Many people prefer reading. You will not miss anything.
Almost certainly. If it can open a web page, it can do this. There is nothing to install, so there is nothing that needs a new phone.
Look for it in the full list on your phone. In many rooms you can choose a language that nobody else is using yet, and the room starts carrying it for you. If you cannot find it, tell the person who invited you. Adding one takes them a few seconds.
Wait a few seconds. It reconnects on its own and picks up where the room is now. You do not have to start again.
Open a room, share one code, and let your guests find it themselves.