Translate your church service into Cantonese
廣東話
Cantonese is spoken by around 85 million people, primarily in Hong Kong, Guangdong province of China, and diaspora communities worldwide. Hong Kong's Christian community — around 12% of the population — is large and well-organised, and the post-2021 Hong Kong diaspora to the UK represents the largest movement of Hong Kongers in a generation. Many arrive with deep Christian faith and seek church communities where they can worship in Cantonese or English. Voco enables live Cantonese translation for English services.
Latency
~500ms
from spoken word to text
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The Cantonese-speaking diaspora
The UK Government's BN(O) visa scheme has brought an estimated 150,000+ Hong Kongers to the UK since 2021, settling in cities across England, Scotland, and Wales. Many are evangelical or Catholic Christians who are joining both Hong Kong-specific congregations and mainstream English-language churches. Earlier generations of Cantonese-speaking Chinese communities are present in all major UK cities. In the US, Cantonese-speaking communities are concentrated in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver in Canada. Australian cities including Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane also have significant Hong Kong diaspora church communities.
Bible availability in Cantonese
Cantonese Christians read Scripture in Traditional Chinese characters (繁體字) — the same character set used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities. Multiple Chinese Bible translations are available in Traditional characters, including the Chinese Union Version (CUV) and Chinese New Version (CNV). Voco outputs Traditional Chinese for Cantonese, which is the appropriate written form for Cantonese-speaking communities.
Script and display notes
Cantonese is written in Traditional Chinese characters (繁體字). Voco outputs Traditional Chinese for Cantonese translation. Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese members typically read Simplified Chinese (简体字) — these are separate language options in Voco.
Using Voco for Cantonese church translation
Hong Kong diaspora Christians in the UK are often seeking both a spiritual home and a community anchor in an unfamiliar country. Churches that offer Cantonese translation — or bilingual Cantonese/English services — are particularly attractive to newly arrived BN(O) families. Voco makes Cantonese translation accessible to any church without a dedicated Cantonese pastor or interpreter.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cantonese available in Voco?
Yes — Cantonese is a supported language, outputting in Traditional Chinese characters.
What is the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin in Voco?
Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken differently but are both written in Chinese characters. Voco's Cantonese option outputs Traditional Chinese (used by Hong Kongers); the Mandarin option can output Simplified or Traditional depending on selection. They are separate language channels in Voco.
We are seeing many Hong Kong families join our church — is Voco a good fit?
Yes. Hong Kong diaspora churches and English-language churches welcoming BN(O) arrivals are a primary use case for Voco's Cantonese translation. Many Hong Kongers have good English but engage most deeply with Scripture and preaching in Traditional Chinese.
Helpful guides
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