Why Cameroon Church Interpreters May Not Go to Heaven*

Church interpretation in Cameroon has long existed on the fringes of popular consciousness. Practised in the sanctity of churches, it generally escaped mundane curiosity or intellectual scrutiny. However, mediatisation of Pentecostal churches has now spotlighted the activity, bringing church interpreter into sharp focus. This exploration has revealed realities that suggest church interpreters may not make heaven.

Some History on Church Interpretation in Cameroon

The literature on church interpretation in Cameroon reveals that the practice spans the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial period. In “A History of Translation and Interpretation in Cameroon from Precolonial Times To Present,” Charles Atangana Nama shows that church interpretation in Cameroon dates as far back as the pre-colonial era when catechists played a pivotal role disseminating the gospel as interpreters.

Writing in 2023, Ndi Eunice Ndem confirms that church interpretation, described as pulpit interpretation, continued into the post-independence period as the Cameroon Baptist Convention (C.B.C.) used it to extend its reach to the Francophone regions amid Cameroon’s transition from a federal to a unitary State. This interpretation was essentially between English and French, Cameroon’s official languages. These days, it equally takes place between these official languages and indigenous languages as well as Pidgin English, a creole.

As a form of interpretation, church interpretation deserves scrutiny mainly to examine the professional status of the practice and practitioners especially in comparison to other more popular forms of interpretation. This scrutiny can be more or less pursued by exploring three basic questions: Are church interpreters professionally trained? Are they paid? Does the practice respect minimum professional standards?

Are church interpreters professionally trained?

Simply put, the answer is no. But the situation is a little bit more nuanced, more complex. In as much as most church interpreters start out without any formal training, there is a growing tendency for some to subsequently get formal training so that they can work outside the confines of the church.

Despite this trend, the majority of church interpreters are still amateurs i.e., they became church interpreters without any formal training.

Several reasons account for this instinctive recourse to amateurs as church interpreters. One is the desire to recruit only within church ranks to ensure congenital compliance with church dogma. Another reason is the gratuity of the labour given that churches do not always have a budget for this activity and it is therefore better to recruit church members ready to work for free.

These and other reasons coalesce into the rather slim consideration mainstream and Pentecostal churches have for church interpreting and interpreters. Inquiry and conversations with some C.B.C. insiders showed that there is no formal framework or department governing church interpreting and interpreters in this septuagenarian organisation.

Amateur church interpreting therefore does not cater to the interest of these organisations. A church interpreter recounted an unfortunate incident that happened last year when a top church official—in the Redeemed Christian Church of God—visited Cameroon from Nigeria and an unvetted church interpreter was handpicked to interpret from English to French. Suffice to say the interpreter’s output angered many host French-speaking congregants.

Such a fiasco could have been averted if the church had even a policy document for testing and selecting church interpreters as well as advocating for their professionalisation through training.

Are church interpreters paid & are minimum professional standards respected?

Professionalisation of any practice requires focus on training, quality standards, code of ethics and remuneration. As far as church interpreting is concerned, there is generally no remuneration _per se_ because church interpreters are quite often volunteers; unpaid volunteers to be precise. They do not feature on the wage bill.

The gratuity of church interpreter labour is a trait that separates it considerably from other forms of interpreting, pushing some to wonder whether the practice should not be shielded from expectations of professionalism. They should not be shielded because church interpreters are an intrinsic part of the wider community of language service professions.

This gratuity of church interpreter labour seems to have pushed their church hierarchies into lethargy and even complacency so deep-seated that interpreters sometimes don't even have the bare minimum they need and deserve to do their work well. Nobody cares whether they need breaks after standing for too long, or need water to drink or deserve training paid for by the church.

A few rhetorical questions are worth asking here. Does the absence of monetary remuneration – a quantifiable measure of consideration—not feed the dangerous misconception that interpreting is just a repetitive and worthless exercise towards which no financial resources should be directed? By failing to challenge this status quo, are church interpreters accomplices in the devaluation of interpreting generally and the violation of their right to decent working conditions?

In conclusion

Church interpreting definitely has traits that make it unique but not separate from the wider interpreting family. Consequently, it must be subject to general standards, especially those relating to interpreter welfare and rights.

Churches do have a role to play in this situation but church interpreters, especially those with formal training, have a responsibility in advocating compliance with these standards even in the Lord’s vineyard. Failure to perform this advocacy would not just be a disservice to their labour amid ongoing devaluation of language service professions. It may prevent them from going to the interpreter heaven\* we aspire to and wish for all interpreters.

---
_An earlier version of this article was published in the September 2025 issue of Speed Expertise Magazine, which features several other articles spotlighting the language service industry in Cameroon. Enjoy the enriching content at the following link: https://bit.ly/Magazine_speedexpertise_2ED_

References:

• "A History of Translation and Interpretation in Cameroon from Precolonial Times to Present” by Charles Atangana Nama, Érudit.
• "Pulpit Interpretation in the Cameroon Baptist Convention Churches," by Ndi Eunice Ndem, Global Academic Journal of Linguistics and Literature.