Checklist for your first events
What organisations typically forget the first few times with AI translation — learned from those who've done it before.
You're not the first: these are the points new organisations most often forget at their first events — and all of them are cheap to fix in advance.
Before the event
Announce it from the stage
The classic: the translation exists, but nobody is told. Put one fixed line into the welcome — "the service is translated live, scan the code on the screen".
QR codes people can actually see
At the entrance, on the screen and around the hall — large enough to scan from a seat. The print material lives in the organisation settings.
Put a helper at the entrance
The first weeks: one person who can show it in 30 seconds — scan, pick language, earphones in. It's just a website; nothing to install.
Keep cheap earphones ready
People forget their own. A basket of cheap earphones at the entrance saves the experience for guests.
During and after
Sound-check WITH the translation
Ten minutes before: start the broadcast and listen to a language on a phone yourself. You'll hear immediately if the microphone choice or level is wrong.
Tell people they can lock the screen
Audio keeps playing with the screen locked — it saves battery and feels natural in the pew.
Check the network can carry it
Listeners' phones share the church wifi. The broadcast computer belongs on cable or its own network — see the "Unstable connection" guide.
Ask after the event
Which languages were used? What was missing? Two minutes with your guests decides which languages you prioritise next.
Learned from others
The pattern among organisations that succeed: visibility from the stage, one helper, and earphones ready. The tech is rarely the problem — the communication is.
You'd like to talk through your setup
Last updated July 16, 2026