How to Interpret Tongues

In the Christian tradition, God often reveals His presence through giving people the experience of speaking in tongues. When a message is delivered in tongues, it takes a person with a special gift to interpret the message and make it available to others.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Reflect upon the message given in tongues. This may be your own message, or it may be another's message.
2. Understand the difference between translation and interpretation. When you interpret tongues, you're not translating the message from one language to another. Instead, you're seeking the interpretation of tongues. So the message it provides may not seem to match the length of the tongues.
3. Pray to be given interpretation, either of your private prayers or a public message. A simple prayer request opens you to the interpretation of tongues if you are meant to interpret them.
4. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your interpretation. Only those given the gift of interpreting tongues can interpret them, so it's not something you can learn. You have to wait for inspiration.
5. Share the interpretation with other believers. Beyond providing you with comfort, the goal of messages delivered in tongues and then interpreted is to give comfort and inspiration to others through your worship of and communion with God.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't receive inspiration to interpret tongues, you probably have a different spiritual gift. Stay open to the other potential spiritual gifts you might have rather than becoming frustrated that you can't interpret tongues.