Understanding the khutbah: who the live translation is for
The Friday sermon does not reach everyone equally well. People who grew up with Turkish, Arabic or Albanian often understand everyday speech, but not every word of the elevated language of the sermon. People who are new sometimes understand nothing at all. Live text on the wall brings both along - without the imam having to change languages.
- Young people
- Converts and guests
- Everyone sitting further back
Updated
Why do many young people only partly understand the khutbah?
Because the language of the khutbah is not the language of everyday life. It is formal and religious, full of terms rarely heard at home. Many young people speak Turkish, Arabic or Albanian with their family - and still lose the thread a few minutes into the sermon, because German is the language in which they read and think most confidently.
With the text on the wall they stay with it. The older ones listen to the imam, the younger ones read along - and they all share the same khutbah. The language pages go into this in detail: Turkish, Arabic, Albanian.
What does it offer converts and new Muslims?
People who have newly found their way to Islam often go to the mosque in their neighbourhood - and sit there in a sermon in a language they do not speak. Live text turns sitting there in silence into following along: the topic of the week, the verses quoted, where the imam is going. That creates a sense of belonging, without anyone having to whisper or interpret during the khutbah.
And guests, neighbours and visitor groups?
People visiting the mosque for the first time - on a guided tour, with a school class or on Open Mosque Day, held every year on 3 October - get the same from the live text as the congregation: the sermon in a language they can read. That builds trust, because nothing stays behind closed doors.
Does it also help people who hear poorly or sit far back?
Yes, as long as they read the output language. Text gets through where sound is lost: in the back row, in a side room, in the women’s section or for someone with hearing loss. With an Arabic khutbah, the wall can even show the recognised text in the language of the sermon itself (more on this).
What does it offer families in which several languages are spoken?
The parents listen in Turkish, the children read German, the daughter-in-law English or Arabic. From the Pro plan each person chooses their language on their own phone, while the wall shows one. That way the whole family sits in the same row and understands the same khutbah.
What does it offer the imam and the board?
The imam does not have to change the language of the sermon and still reaches more people. The board gets a solution that one person runs, and with the summary an archive that also reaches those who could not be there on Friday (Summary and archive).
Not on the board? Most people looking for a translated khutbah are members of the congregation - not the people who decide on purchases. The guide Translating the khutbah live sums up what a board wants to know.
Every generation.One Friday.
Bring the khutbah onto your wall - so that the second and third generation understand what it is about.
or by email: team@miskio.de