Preparation and humility were the keys to Rebecca Udoh’s success as a General Conference translator, according to Udoh and her friends. An interaction with a professor put Rebecca Udoh, an alumna from Nigeria, on the path to become a General Conference translator. Udoh traveled to Salt Lake City for each General Conference and translated the talks given from English into her first language, Efik.
Udoh said she first got involved with translating in 2010. “I was a student at Southern Virginia University, and there was an English professor from Nigeria. He translated for General Conference, so I asked him what I would need to do to be able to translate.”
Teal Baniago, a junior from Florida majoring in communications and political science, shared her experience being Udoh’s roommate during the time that she would translate for General Conference. “She would receive the talks a couple weeks in advance. I could see her working on them dutifully prior to conference starting.”
After getting into contact with the coordinator, they called Udoh and asked if she would translate a sample talk for them. After translating the sample, the coordinator told Udoh that she would be able to translate for them.
“It was a great learning opportunity for me. I had amazing experiences when I translated for General Conference. One of the experiences that I had was being able to meet with other translators from other countries. We would sometimes have up to 90 people translating.”
Udoh shared some of the challenges she experienced while translating. “It was hard because sometimes the speakers changed what was in their talk, and I did not know what to say in the middle of the talk.”
Preparation was essential for each conference, said Udoh. She said, “I always had to let the Spirit guide me ... I would prepare myself spiritually. That was one of the greatest experiences for me because I had to leave everything behind and indulge in the Gospel. I loved the fact that I always had to let the Spirit guide me.”
I loved the fact that I always had to let the Spirit guide me.
“[Udoh] is very humble,” said Baniago. “ She’s uncommonly kind and hilarious. But I think her wonderful and inspiring humility is what makes her a great translator. I’m still inspired by the humility of this woman.”
Hiba Arkoh, an alumna from Ghana who received her degree in hospitality and tourism management, shared how she became good friends with Udoh in her first year. She said, “Seeing someone who’s similar to you was amazing. … She fed me when I needed food and did everything for me and my boyfriend.”
Udoh stopped translating for General Conference in October of 2019. She shared, “I stopped because the Church got a mission in Nigeria that could translate the talks, so we did not need to do the translating anymore. I think it was a good thing that the prophet was able to see what would happen, and that was why he got the mission for the saints in Nigeria.”
