What you need before you start
The minimum requirements for live church translation are straightforward:
- A laptop or tablet with a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, or Safari)
- A reliable internet connection (wired or strong WiFi)
- An audio source — your phone's built-in mic works for testing; a USB audio interface plugged into your sound desk gives the best accuracy
- A translation service account (Voco offers a 7-day free trial)
Step 1 — Connect your audio
The quality of your audio input directly affects translation accuracy. Voco's speech recognition works best with clean, direct audio from your sound desk. A USB audio interface (such as a Focusrite Scarlett Solo or Behringer UM2) plugged into your laptop gives you a clean feed from the mixing board. If you're testing or don't have a sound desk, your laptop's built-in microphone works for demos — but in a live service, ambient room noise will reduce accuracy.
- 1Plug in your USB audio interfaceConnect it to your laptop and plug an XLR cable from your sound desk's auxiliary or direct out.
- 2Select the audio input in VocoIn the Voco dashboard, choose your audio interface from the input selector before going live.
- 3Run a 30-second sound checkSpeak a few sentences at your normal pace and watch the transcription. If it's accurate, you're ready.
Step 2 — Select your languages
In the Voco dashboard, choose the languages your congregation needs. You can add multiple languages simultaneously — each attendee selects their own preferred language from the QR code interface. Don't know which languages to add? Check with your welcome team or look at your congregation's background. Common first additions are Spanish, Portuguese, Farsi, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Amharic depending on your city.
Step 3 — Display the QR code
Once you go live in Voco, you'll get a QR code and a short URL. Display this on your projector screen or include it in your printed bulletin. When attendees scan it on their smartphone, a browser page opens and they select their language — no app download, no account creation. It takes about 20 seconds from scan to reading along.
Step 4 — Go live
Hit 'Go live' in the Voco dashboard when the service starts. The system will immediately begin transcribing and translating in real time. Latency is typically around 500ms — attendees are reading the translation within half a second of the words being spoken.
Step 5 — On-screen captions (optional)
If you want translation captions displayed on your projector or screen for the whole room, Voco's Church plan includes OBS and ProPresenter overlays. In OBS, add a Browser Source with the Voco overlay URL. In ProPresenter, add a Web Item. The captions update in real time as the service progresses.
What to tell your congregation
A simple announcement before the service goes a long way: 'We have live translation available in [languages] today. If you'd like to follow along in your language, scan the QR code on screen or pick up a printed card at the door.' Most first-time users are surprised by how natural it feels to follow along on their phone.