Communication Strategies Adopted During Sermon Interpretation in the Pentecostal Churches in Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

Interpretation is one of the reflective professional undertakings fraught with linguistic challenges. Apparently, the challenge is prominent in multicultural and multilingusitic religious contexts. In these contexts the interpreters often adopt communication strategies to facilitate the transfer of messages. In the Pentecostal churches, sermon delivery is perceived to be characterized by unsolicited responses and other forms of disruptions. Although studies have been carried out concerning the interpretation of sermons in the Pentecostal churches, scholarly investigations are inadequate regarding the communication strategies adopted by the interpreters during sermon delivery. This paper examined the communication strategies adopted by the interpreters of sermons in Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. The paper was guided by Marianne’s The Interpretive Theory of Translation. The descriptive research design was employed and the target population consisted of the preachers, interpreters and the congregants of Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. Purposive sampling was employed to select five churches namely Deliverance Church, City Harvest, International Vision Centre, Pentecostal Assemblies of God and Christian Outreach church and from each church, purposive sampling used to select a preacher, an interpreter and five congregants constituting thirty five study respondents. Audio-video recording, guided interviews and structured observation were adopted to collect data. Thematic content analysis was embraced in analyzing qualitative data. The findings showed that the interpreters employed different communication strategies during sermon delivery. The study concluded that lexical addition, stage movement and mimicry, repetition, rewording, stage movement, restatement, assuming complete authority, co-preaching and maintaining rhythm were the communication strategies employed by the interpreters during sermon delivery in the Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. It is recommended that the interpreters should strive to be conversant with the theological doctrines of the Pentecostal churches so that the communication strategies comply with the traditions of sermon delivery in the Pentecostal churches.