GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools is using new technology to better reach their entire school system.
The district is now using computer software that can take a video of a leader speaking English and translate it into Spanish. It will use the same voice and the speaker's mouth movements will align with the Spanish words.
“In the past we’ve worked with team members and contractors to do voiceovers of the message we’re sharing, but we believe this allows the user to be one step closer to hearing directly from us,” said Leon Hendrix, GRPS Executive Director of Communications. “That’s our goal in everything we do — to remove barriers of engagement wherever they exist. We’re excited to see emerging technology that can help us in this work.”
Messages using the technology notify viewers that the translation was done by computer software. Fluent Spanish speakers also review videos for accuracy and clarity before they're published.
“We’re not trying to trick or confuse anyone. We felt it important to put in guardrails that ensure transparency so the viewer understands what they are watching,” Hendrix said.
About 40% of the district's students are Hispanic. More than a quarter of Grand Rapids Public School students have Spanish listed as their preferred language to communicate with their families.
While there are a limited number of languages available at this time, leaders hope to expand this in the future.
Watch a video of Superintendent Leadriane Roby translated through AI here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.