If interpretation of tongues is translation, then how is it a supernatural gift? Is it a supernatural understanding of a language you don’t know?

This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘Conforming our Spirits to the Spirit of God’ (2005).

It could be that, I imagine. What I'm stressing is that it must be a translation of what was originally said and not a different message altogether. We have heard, haven't we, of instances where people have given a message in a tongue and it's been recorded, and then someone has taken the recording and played it back to someone who professed to have the gift of interpretation, and they have given one interpretation? They've then taken it to another person who professes to have the gift of interpretation and they've given a completely different interpretation, and so with a third. Some people say, 'Serves them right. They oughtn't to have been so carnal as to do that.'

But the Holy Spirit says we have to judge even that; and it can't have been the original message translated, if the result is three different messages. So, once more, the Holy Spirit says, 'In malice be infants, but in intellect be grown-up men' (see 1 Corinthians 14:20). You must test the gifts.