What a professional interpreter actually costs
Professional interpreters for religious settings in the UK typically charge between £150 and £400 per session, depending on language pair, location, and interpreter qualifications. Most church services run 60–90 minutes, but interpreters often charge a minimum of two hours. Add travel expenses for many languages, and the real cost is often at the higher end.
- £150–400 per session for most European language pairs
- £250–600+ for less common languages (Yoruba, Igbo, Tigrinya, Farsi)
- Minimum 2-hour booking in most cases, even for a 75-minute service
- Additional travel expenses for interpreters working outside major cities
- Annual cost for weekly Sunday services: £7,800–£20,800 per language
The hidden costs of volunteer interpretation
Many churches rely on bilingual volunteers rather than professionals. This reduces direct cost but creates its own overhead that's easy to undercount.
- Volunteer preparation time: sharing sermon notes, key themes, and unusual vocabulary each week
- Coordination cost: finding someone available each Sunday, managing cover when they're away
- Quality inconsistency: volunteer accuracy varies and is hard to monitor
- Whispered interpretation strains the volunteer and limits attendee comfort
- Only one or two languages covered — everyone else is left without
What AI translation costs
Voco's Simple plan is £35/month — covering unlimited Sunday services, unlimited languages, and unlimited attendees. The Church plan, for heavier use and multiple events per week, is £65/month. Neither plan requires a minimum contract.
At £35/month, Voco costs less than a single Sunday session with a professional interpreter — and runs every week, in every language.
Making the case to your leadership team
The financial case is straightforward. The pastoral case is stronger. Translation is not just a cost-saving measure — it's a decision about who your church is for. If non-English-speaking members can't follow the sermon, they're attending a social gathering, not a church service. The question isn't whether you can afford translation. It's whether you can afford to keep running without it.
- Annual cost of professional interpreter (one language, weekly): £7,800–£20,800
- Annual cost of Voco Simple (all languages, weekly): £420
- Saving: £7,380–£20,380 per year
- Voco covers 150+ languages simultaneously at no extra cost per language
