General conference requires hundreds of translators to reach a worldwide audience—here is an inside look at what this unique process looks like.
Think back to the last general conference you watched: As you tuned in from your couch, wearing your “Sunday best,” what language did you hear? When listeners watch in English, it can be easy to forget the efforts required to make talks accessible to a worldwide audience. The April 2025 general conference offered live interpretations for around 70 languages, and messages were later translated into over 100 languages—a process requiring volunteers to write dozens of drafts for each talk and to practice reciting the messages at a proper volume and pace. Those who interpret and translate for conference explain that though the process may be meticulous, it comes with unimaginable blessings.
Lessons Found in Translation
General conference translators and interpreters often come from BYU’s own faculty and student body, in large part because the university teaches 84 languages regularly. Three BYU language instructors—Wendy Mulia (Indonesian), Abraham Engh (Persian), and Julie Caswell (French, Bulgarian)—have been among those chosen to help with past general conferences.
They explain that the process of taking a talk written in English and translating it to another language can be quite complex, especially when cultural differences can’t be translated. “Often jokes or phrases that are related to the traditions or customs of one’s life are not easy to translate or interpret,” says Mulia.
Despite the difficulties, Mulia believes her time volunteering for conference improved her ability to translate and made her more appreciative of cultures—including her own Indonesian traditions. “I have a different perspective of understanding one’s culture and traditions,” she says. “These conference experiences have changed my view of learning, understanding, and improving my own Indonesian.”
Conference: Behind the Scenes
Many individuals tasked with translating or interpreting for conference report having similar experiences. Though those involved note much personal growth in the process, they each have very distinctive experiences that lead to something greater than intellectual stimulation: spiritual growth.
Engh, for example, explains that after one weekend of interpreting for general conference, he recognized the value of his work: As a linguist in the air force specializing in Persian, Engh felt that his impact had been, at times, ambiguous. However, after his first time interpreting for conference, he says, “I knew that communicating the messages from the Lord’s servants to His children was the ultimate good.”
Likewise, Caswell (French, Russian MA ’71) recalls some of the blessings she saw firsthand while helping to translate talks into both Bulgarian and French. “We had finished translating President Hinckley’s talk, typed it, and practiced delivering it when, last minute, he announced that the Lord asked him to deliver a completely different one,” she says. His new talk then “had to be translated immediately.” Despite the intensity of the task, she saw its completion as one of the many miracles accompanying volunteering at conference.
Power of Spoken and Written Words
Prophets and apostles encourage us to watch general conference and promise ample spiritual blessings in return. The same has proved true for those who don’t just watch conference but translate it: “I’m amazed at how many people have to come together to make a successful conference happen,” says BYU alumna Caitlin Zollinger (History ’24), the team lead for Hiligaynon, a language spoken in the Philippines. “It really lets you get a glimpse of the diversity of the Church and the strength of God’s kingdom.”
Find ways to watch the October 2025 general conference here.