Where Worship Doesn’t Translate

By KELSEY KRAMER MCGINNIS Christianity today|MARCH 18, 2024 (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april/worship-music-translation-industry.html)

What are some of the challenges when translating the Psalms into musical versions in other languages?

A few quotes from this article follow:

"The refrain “He is for you” doesn’t translate neatly into Spanish. In the English version of Elevation Worship’s song “The Blessing,” the phrase repeats and builds with each repetition. But in Spanish, the line is “Él te ama” or “He loves you.”

“I’m glad the translators did that,” said musician and translator Sergio Villanueva, who pastors a Hispanic congregation at Wheaton Bible Church in Illinois. “To convey that idea in Spanish—‘He is for you’—you would have to use a lot more words. Spanish is a beautiful language, but we use more words and longer words.”

The translation choice in “The Blessing” (“La Bendición”) reflects a growing interest among English-speaking worship artists in producing thoughtful, singable, and culturally informed translations of their music.

Often, artists are intent on using translations that are as close to word-for-word as possible. But as influential songwriters and megachurches expand their reach, teams of translators are helping produce new versions of popular worship songs that are faithful to the originals without trying to replicate wording that isn’t as accessible or evocative in another language."

"The growth of evangelical Christianity in the Global South coincided with the international proliferation of contemporary worship music; by 2020, more Christians around the world spoke (and sang) in Spanish than in any other language."

“There is an art to translation,” said Mercier, who has translated over 100 songs for Hillsong. “Some songs are really easy to translate; for others there is a lot of creative work and interpretation.”

Villanueva says that when songwriters trust translators to steward their words, the song will always benefit. A translator’s job is equal parts linguistic, musical, and theological. Economy of words can be critical."

"The export of worship music from the English-speaking world has intensified with globalization and the ascension of streaming. Songs by Hillsong, Kari Jobe, Chris Tomlin, and Elevation appear on Sunday set lists around the world. Some wonder if the current rate of export is healthy or if it borders on cultural colonialism."