Challenges Encountered during the Interpretation and Translation of the Sermons in the Pentecostal Churches in Vihiga County

This study sought to analyse challenges encountered during interpreting and translating of sermons in the Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. Interpretation and translation are a reflective professional undertaking fraught with linguistics challenges. The challenge is pronounced during sermon delivery in Pentecostal churches, where untrained volunteer interpreters and translators predominantly undertake interpretation and translation. Marianne’s Interpretive Theory of Translation guided the study. The descriptive research design was employed, and the target population consisted of the clergy, translators, interpreters and congregants drawn from the Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. Purposive sampling was used to select five preachers, interpreters, translators and congregants from five Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. Audio-video recording, guided interviews and structured observations were adopted to collect data. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic content. The results showed that the interpreters and translators faced numerous challenges during sermon interpretation and translation. The challenges included inadequate language and biblical knowledge, the use of complex terminologies, pronunciation problems and unpredictable preaching styles, insufficient preparation, cultural differences and inability to fulfil community language expectations, lengthy utterances and prolonged elicitations, the use of independent and non-contextual translation and lack of synonyms for different linguistic features. It is recommended that interpreters and translators undergo adequate training in interpretation and translation to enhance their ability to deal with the dynamics of translation and interpretation of the sermons in Pentecostal churches.