Right tool for the right job. It’s no different when it comes to interpretation and translation (more on their difference here). Here are a few tools that I’ve found to be tremendously helpful over the years. All of them are free to use, so, go nuts!
Quick Draw
Ironically, interpretation is where we need the most help but have the least time to use any tools. The only exception, and a worthy exception, is the Bible app. When the speaker quotes a verse that isn’t part of the preparation package, we have just enough time to find it before it’s our turn to speak. I usually load up my Bible app to the “Book List View” beforehand so that I’m only two clicks away from finding a verse. Two Bible apps come to mind, “Blue Letter Bible” (BLB) and “YouVersion” (YV). BLB is faster IMO, but YV has better language and version support.
Practice Makes Perfect
Where do we find audio sources for shadowing and interpretation practices? Online sermons are good places to start. We can also play audiobooks, stream videos, or use the text-to-speech function on pdf/webpage/kindle.
Loss for Words
When we need to find the right word for translation, we don’t just throw words into Google Translate and hope for the best. If the word/phrase sounds remotely Biblical, see if the Bible (ENG, CHI) already has records of saying it in different languages. Otherwise, try quality services such as WordReference, which supports multiple languages with comprehensive translations, pronunciations, and usage examples.
Linguee has relevant examples of translated texts from online sources. TheFreeDictionary lets you search for idioms, legal terms, medical terms, etc. Starting from these, you can expand even further using a thesaurus for English and 澳典 for Chinese (this one even supports fuzzy search).
Last but Not Least
If you want to know how to pronounce Biblical names or terms, BibleSpeak is a great starting place. (Keep in mind that there can be multiple ways to pronounce certain names.) For professional-grade translation tools, check out OmegaT and Lexicool. Of course, there are many more, but the above should serve most of our needs for the time being. Happy Hunting.
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