Archive for August, 2010
Are interpreters helping or hurting church relationships?
Interpreters can be a bridge
I know the title of this blog post might be “throwing you for a loop” since I’ve been talking about the importance of using interpreters. But I want you stick with me for a few moments
Dependence on interpreters?
In one of the bilingual pastor’s meeting I’ve attended over the summer a friend was talking about how he needed an interpreter. (He was just talking about the passage in scripture about “One body, many parts”.)
I knew what he meant at the time, but the thought occurred to me…”Is he also too dependent on interpreters?”
At least from my perspective, if someone is regularly using an interpreter it feels like they don’t really want to develop a relationship with me. It kind of puts that person at a distance.
I remember when I was working at the bank. They hired an ASL interpreter for one of my coworkers. It helped her understanding what was going on, but it didn’t encourage anyone to talk with her.
Importance of learning a language while using interpreters
I believe interpreters will always be an important part of the Church here on earth. They help connect and build a bridge between two people groups.
But I want to encourage you to learn a new language. Whenever I hear someone make an effort to speak to me in Korean it really blesses me. They don’t always say it with the correct pronunciation, but it does bless me a great deal.
You can use Survival Phrases, which is a free program that’s also available on iTunes. They go through some essential phrases to learn in many different languages and give you a short cultural lesson too.
If you budget accordingly, you can also use Rosetta Stone. They teach you through immersion and, in a sense, force you to learn the language. I really like this program.
Lesson
Interpreters are an amazing bridge in the church. They help us interpreter sermons and songs. And at the same time I want you to learn the language that these interpreters are using.
You’d be amazed how grateful people are when you speak just a few phrases in their language. And, always check with an interpreter or native speaker when you’re learning new words or translating songs.
You certainly don’t want to say the wrong thing.
Are you an interpreter? Have you seen people become encouraged to learn new languages because of your interpreting/gift?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
More blog posts related to interpreters and language:
Remembering native language names
Fingerspelling and ASL
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
More tips for using interpreters
Using interpreters during a bilingual meeting
On August 21st I had the honor of being part of a bilingual pastor’s meeting. The main agenda was to be awareness about a revival meeting planned for October of this year.
Other ministries had the opportunity to talk about what they do and how this will fit with the revival meeting.
A good majority of the pastors there were Spanish speakers so, a lot of what was being said was translated into both English and Spanish.
I think a few of the people there weren’t used this to. In fact, one of the ministry leaders was asked to start over because she was talking too fast.
5 Tips to be aware of when using interpreters in real-time
1. If someone is interpreting for you, be sure to talk a little slower.
2. Leave some space between sentences for your interpreter to convey what you’ve said.
3. If you have notes you can provide the interpreter, be sure to send them ahead of time.
4. Make sure interpreters have had scripture training in both languages.
5. Be sure to thank your interpreters when you’re done talking or after the meeting.
Lesson
When you start using interpreters there are a few things you can do to make your job and your interpreters job a lot easier. This is all in an effort to clearly talk about God’s message clearly and effectively.
Take some time to review these tips and implement them in your multicultural church.
What are some other ways we can help interpreters be more effective?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
More blogs related to interpreters:
Church interpreters and training
Interpreters aren’t enough
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
Revisiting the vision and revising the plan
Failed Vision?
I have to be honest and say that I’ve had a rough summer. The last 2 months have felt like a real discouragement.
Everything I had hoped would happen over the summer didn’t happen. In fact, it felt like ministry was a lot harder.
I thought that the summer time would be easier to make new connections with churches, pastors, and worship leaders. But, in reality, it was harder. In fact, I had a hard time reaching the people I had previously made connections with.
The distinction between vision and plans
Andy Stanley writes in his book Visioneering, “A vision is what could and should be. A plan is a guess as to the best way to accomplish a vision.”
Obviously, when we’re prayerfully seeking God’s face to accomplish His vision for our lives we don’t expect to fail. But you and I know that things don’t always turn out the way we expected. And that’s okay.
The good things coming out of the summer
A lot of great things did come out of the summer. I have felt for a long time that I needed to get more in-depth in my study of the scriptures. And I’m doing that with a friend from church.
Our hope is to come out of our year long study of 1 and 2 Corinthians with a bible study for the multicultural church.
Also, I had the tremendous opportunity to mentor someone on our worship team to get ready to lead at his college.
Finally, I met a wonderful pastor by the name of Jesus E. Ruiz from Peru. I was at a pastor’s meeting and when he heard that I did multicultural worship he wanted to get together.
Lesson..
Another quote from Andy Stanley’s book says “Be stubborn about the vision. Be flexible with your plan.”
When it seems like things are turning out the way you expected take some time to revisit the vision. Then be sure to prayerfully consider a new plan.
What have you done when life got hard? Did you abandon God’s vision for you or did God refuel you?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
More blog posts about casting vision:
What’s your reason for doing multicultural worship?
But how God? How?
© 2010, Peter Park. All rights reserved.