When a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks at general conference, hundreds of interpreters are intensely focused on translating the message into multiple languages for millions of listeners worldwide.
“For general conference, we have a total of 143 language teams around the world and 57 teams here in Salt Lake City,” said Carmen Barrios McPeek, a global interpretation manager for the Church.
“One thing I know is this is the work of the Lord, because at the end, regardless of our imperfections, He fixes the things we thought couldn’t be fixed.”
A behind-the-scenes video from the Church gives viewers a glimpse into the preparation, faith and efforts provided by foreign language interpreters every six months at general conference. Similar behind-the-scenes videos focus on the staging crew and guest services.
The 195th Annual General Conference will be Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, with five general sessions originating from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
Foreign language interpretation began in 1961 beneath the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Initially, general conference was interpreted in four languages — Dutch, German, Samoan, and Spanish, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
More than 800 native speakers and returned missionaries interpreted portions of the April 2024 general conference in over 100 languages. Interpreters in Salt Lake City typically work in teams of four to six in sound-dampened booths, translating the messages in real time by listening to the English version through headsets and synchronizing with a monitor. This requires them to manage two concurrent conversations in different languages simultaneously, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“You can’t do any of this without the technology, coordinators and missionaries,” Alex Melecio, one of the interpreters for the Spanish team, said in the video.
The video features perspectives from other interpreters who know the main purpose of their work is to “bring souls to Christ” and convey Heavenly Father’s love for His children through gospel messages delivered in their native languages.
“The fact that interpretation happens simultaneously in all regions of the world humbles me,” Eunlan Yi, a Korean interpreter, said in the video. “Countless interpreters are all delivering one message at the same moment, like a beautiful symphony.”
The video ends with the words of Doctrine and Covenants 90:11:
“For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
