Instant Language Assistants improve communication at Charleroi schools

The devices provide immediate translation for numerous languages.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Charleroi Area School District now has the ability to more seamlessly converse with non-English speaking students and their families.

On Tuesday, the district announced it received $30,000 from a community member to help the district staff and students communicate with each other.

The money was used to purchase 14 Instant Language Assistants.

The dual-screen ILA supports real-time, back-andforth conversation in more than 140 languages and is being used in across the district’s campus.

With a diverse student body and multiple students who speak more than one language — or are still learning English — ILA has broken a critical barrier within the district when it comes to communication.

One of the biggest business challenges with language translation is ensuring accuracy and cultural sensitivity.

Not all machine translation tools accurately capture the meaning, tone or intent of the source language, which can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications.

It can be particularly problematic in industries where precision is essential, such as legal or medical fields, or in this case education, where lessons are critical.

With 100% encryption and no data mining, ILA meets HIPAA compliance requirements and is suitable for secure use by the government and students’ privacy.

There are two translators in the elementary school, one with the greeter and a second in the office.

Teachers, nurses and other staff can use them as needed.

There are also translators in the middle/high school, at the greeting area and in each office.

The bus garage also has a portable device that looks like a cellphone.

Simple and easy to work, whoever is using the device chooses a language or dialect and can start communicating in real time in seconds.

A button on the translator’s screen is pressed and CHARLEROI •A2

“This is really going to streamline communication for us, and it’s going to help us break down a lot of those barriers.”

ADAM BREWER

CHARLEROI ELEMENTARY CENTER PRINCIPAL one person begins speaking in their native language. It is instantly transcribed, shown and voiced to participants in the language of their choice.

Commonly used phrases, questions and protocols can be pre-loaded onto the translators so they’re 100% accurate when used in conversation.

They also allow people to connect with a simple click with a live human interpreter via audio or video when needed.

ILA blends AI-powered translations with the option to engage a live interpreter, ensuring effective communication while minimizing interpretation costs.

It can be used for real-time translations and can seamlessly transition to a live interpreter when the conversation demands a human touch.

It also can support multiple conversations at once across different languages.

Elementary Center Principal Adam Brewer said the devices arrived last week and have already been a game changer.

Previously, the district was using Language Line Solutions and Google Translate, but they weren’t always accurate, which proved to be difficult.

“It’s important for everyone that we have devices that work and that work well,” Brewer said.

The new translators can be streamed to a smart phone or smart board. In addition to opening the line of communication for English Language Learners and their families, they will be a useful took when it comes to parent/teacher conferences and graduation.

The district has students who speak a variety of languages, and some of them speak more than one fluently.

Fifth-grader Jokervensley Fleuimond speaks Spanish, Haitian-Creole and English.

It took him a little over a year to learn English, and he speaks it well but knows the devices will be helpful for other students and their families as they continue to learn.

Communicating using the device Thursday with Brewer, they spoke back and forth about how his day was going, and how he liked fifth grade.

Jokervensley spoke in Haitian Creole and Brewer spoke in English, but the conversation flowed effortlessly.

“I understand English, but even if I didn’t, I could understand everything he is saying,” Jokervensley said.

Next week, teachers and staff will take advantage of a professional development day — when students have a late start — to learn how to use the devices.

“This is really going to streamline communication for us, and it’s going to help us break down a lot of those barriers,” Brewer said.