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Abstract:
The study investigated the factors that make the use of interpreters during preaching in churches necessary in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The theory of functional equivalent interpretation, propounded by Eugene Nida in the year 1970, was used in the study. The theory analyses the challenges encountered in the process of interpretation. It also advocates for an interpretation that conveys the meaning of discourse rather than its structure. In the study, data was collected from 10 randomly sampled churches. Six congregants, one preacher and one interpreter were randomly selected from each of the sampled churches to respond to the research questionnaires and interviews. The other methods used to collect data were participant observation and tape recording. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study concluded that interpretation in the churches is motivated by the church policies, preachers' preferences for English, audience's incompetence in the source languages, among other factors. To achieve effective communication of sermon messages, it is recommended that churches select and use interpreters who are highly capable of using a variety of methods of interpretation. Preachers and interpreters may benefit from the study in understanding the need for interpretation of the messages they intend to pass across to their congregations. The work is also important to the world of scholarship as it informs the need for a curriculum base for courses on interpretation for specific purposes.

Keywords: factors, necessitate sermon interpretation, churches, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

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