By Katie Vasquez
Everything will be preserved in translation at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival on Saturday. The app Interprefy will be available to all, translating five languages for patrons in real time. Len Camporeale, the director of Marketing at NET TV’s parent company, DeSales Media, said they expect about a third of the 10,000 faithful in attendance to use it.
In the more than 35 apostolates, the five most common languages are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Polish, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean.
So, how does the app work? Live interpreters from around the globe will be listening in and interpreting in real-time. That’s ten translators who will be available for the 7-hour revival event.
“The interpreters do a wonderful job, and they usually alternate every 20 to 30 minutes,” said Kate Accetti, a sales and account manager at Interprefy. “So there are multiple reasons, just in terms of excellence and delivery, making sure no degradation of content is lost, and also just to give the interpreters a backup.”
The process for parishioners couldn’t be more simple. Before the event, users can download the app at the Apple Store or Google Play Store, click on Interprefy, and then Connect. Attendees will be given a code at the event, which they can use. Afterward, users can simply select their language.
The idea of using translators came to the Diocese of Brooklyn during the Synod process. They often heard that language was a barrier in multilingual events.
“We wanted to be able to have everybody come to the stadium and hear the reflections and prayers in their native language and the language there that they use to worship in,” Camporeale said.
The need to pray together as one diocese is something that Interprefy, a global provider of language access, understands all too well.
“Nelson Mandela, I think, said it best,” Accetti said. “You know, when you speak to a man in a language that he understands, it goes to his head. But when you speak to a man in his native language, it goes to his heart, and as a second language learner for me, I can attest to that because we feel things more impactful. I think when you’re talking about things like faith, something so deeply personal like this, you really want to have a true impact on somebody.”
The diocese hopes to expand the app’s use within the next 18 to 24 months, ensuring that everyone hears the word of the Lord in their native tongue.