Letting you in on a little secret: there’s no magic to the “in the student’s home language” part of Spotlight’s value proposition.
We don’t bring a proprietary (let alone revolutionary) language-translation capability, nor do we have access to some exclusive, exhaustive pipeline of native-speaking voice actors. We most certainly haven’t developed some means of producing lifelike text-to-speech voicetracks; even Amazon’s Polly, remarkable as it is, can sound robotic.
Spotlight’s “magic” is the ability seamlessly to stitch together dozens of messages and animation segments, into a story that tells a student’s unique story. But producing these videos in a student’s home language — not just translated, but with cultural authenticity — just takes muscle.
But that proposition — telling a student’s story in their home language — is fundamental to what we offer students and their families, so we do the hard work. We scout voice talent; we hold translators to the highest standards; we check and recheck and verify all translations, both written and spoken. It’s hard work.
Because you know what else is hard work? Supporting your child’s learning when you don’t speak English. Tracking down relevant information about your child’s schooling when you access the internet with your phone. Communicating with your child’s teacher through a translator (who may well be your child!). Understanding your test scores — or simply why you take a test at all — when you’re still learning the test’s language.
Organizations take on the hardest challenges because that’s what sets them apart; not backing down separates you from competition, and from the status quo, earning you recognition and respect from customers and users.
But growing our business isn’t the only reason Spotlight takes on the acutely difficult challenge of turning student data into personalized stories across dozens of languages; we do it because we owe it to the millions of families who are doing the even harder work of raising their kids in a language (and often in a world) that’s entirely unfamiliar.
In 2022 Spotlight will produce reports in over 20 different languages, including Spanish, but also Amharic, Arabic, Chippewa, Crioulo, and Tagalog. To learn more about Spotlight’s video reporting, check out http://spotlight-education.com/video-reports.