Dealing With Communication Challenges during Interpretation of Church Sermons in UASIN GISHU County, Kenya
Jane Jepkoech Sing’oei Biamah

Abstract
The study was to find out the problems encountered during sermon interpretations and attempts made by preachers and interpreters to overcome them. It was conducted in Uasin Gishu County in Kenya where data was collected from 10 randomly sampled churches. Six congregants, one preacher and one interpreter were randomly from each of the sampled churches to respond to items in the research questionnaires and interviews. The other methods used to collect data were participant observation and tape recording. The collected data was analyzed descriptively. The study concluded that a number of challenges affect the interpretation process in churches. These challenges include issues of language competence of preachers, interpreters as well as the congregants, and also interpreters’ experience and understanding of the cultural contexts of the faithful. The study recommends that training should be offered to interpreters for their specific role of interpreting. It recommends that training should also involve development of linguistic and non-linguistic skills such as cultural knowledge. The study makes useful reading for those interested on interpretation issues, especially as far as ensuring maximum effect in terms of communicating the intended message is concerned. The preachers and interpreters may also benefit from the study, especially by learning how to respond promptly to unexpected challenges during preaching. The work will also be important to establishing a curriculum base for a course on interpretation for specific purposes.

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