Effectiveness of communication strategies adopted by the interpreters of sermons in the Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of communication strategies adopted by the interpreters of sermons in the Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County. The analysis of the effectiveness of the communication strategies was anchored on Nida’s translation theory, which underscores the significance of the interpretation setting, purpose of discourse and words' capacity to assume different meanings in different contexts, which compel interpreters to thoroughly review the translated work in order to produce effective interpretation. Descriptive research design was employed, and preachers, interpreters, and congregants from Pentecostal churches in Vihiga County constituted target population. Audio-video recording, interview guide and structured observation guide were employed in data collection, while thematic content analysis was employed in data analysis. The results showed that the interpreters of the sermons in the Pentecostal churches commonly employed lexical addition, repetition, rewording, shift of footing, stage movement, restatement, use of pause, intonation, pitch, pace and emphasis to maintain the preaching rhythm and mimicry as the communication strategies. The study concludes that the communication strategies were effective in enhancing the transmission of the message during sermon delivery. As a result, the study recommended that the interpreters should be adequately trained in sermon interpretation to enhance their ability to deal with the dynamics of interpretation in the Pentecostal churches. This study is significant to the entire Pentecostal church community, as well as preachers, interpreters, researchers, and scholars who are concerned about the effectiveness of communication strategies adopted to enhance the transmission of the message during sermon delivery.