5 AI Translation Tools to Support Multilingual Success
Louise El Yaafouri
Academic years 2022-2024 have seen a rapid influx of new-to-English learners- and according to national data and the most recent Presidential Determination for Refugee Intake, that trend is almost certain to continue through the next handful of years. (UNCHR, 2024. Presidential Determination, 2024. US Dept of State, 2024)
Collectively, we’re busy meeting the needs of our newest multilingual students in various ways. Many districts have renewed their commitment to impactful ML instruction and equity, bolstering professional development efforts, curriculum, and data-storage platforms to support these moves.
While we’re looking ahead toward long-term multilingual student success, we’re also juggling the more urgent, triage intake needs, like welcoming, classroom placement, and initial English language assessments. Translation and interpretation have also moved into the critical needs category, in a way that we haven’t had to rely upon in the past.
This particular “wave” of new-to-English speakers stands out from recent years in the sheer number of ML students served in such a short time. (If you’ve been in the ELD sphere for a bit, think 2008-2009.) Even two years ago, an ELD team welcoming a new-to-English student had the luxury of moving more slowly and methodically, leaning almost exclusively on ML instructional best practices as an on-ramp for student engagement, regardless of prior English experience. With stretched capacity, many of us have turned to translation and interpretation tools to support, speed up, and enhance registration and integration processes.
AI Enters the Chat
At the same time that refugee and migrant populations in the U.S. began their steep rise, something else was catching fire: Artificial Intelligence. More specifically, user-driven applications like Chat GPT appeared seemingly overnight- and quickly migrated from the screens of tech folks to the general masses.
We quickly recognized AI’s potential to assist with complex translation tasks in the education and social good spaces. As it turns out, artificial intelligence and translation/interpretation are a natural fit- and we’ll explore some of the most promising resources here.
Before jumping in, some crucial perimeters. First, overusing or misusing translation aids can create dependency. We want learners to become comfortable exploring the English language in holistic ways. AI-generated responses are one tool in our instructional resource bank. Used appropriately, they can help resolve our most immediate language-access challenges, but overreliance can be harmful. Translation should also be human-verified at every opportunity, especially when communicating sensitive information. Similarly, data privacy should be a central concern when translation is introduced, as a simple matter of ethics and compliance.
With that…let’s go! Here are five high-impact AI tools to explore right now:
1. Chat GPT. You probably guessed we were starting here, didn’t you? We’ve heard so much about this application this year, and for good reason.
What’s to love: free and easy to access, more accurate than Google Translate, and can be used for virtually any language.
But…: It’s important to feed the application precise instructions to generate a clear response.
How to use: Enter Chat GPT (https://openai.com/) and enter your prompt. Be specific about what you want it to do- this is especially important when working in translation. For example: I want you to act as a professional translator and interpreter. I especially want you to be mindful of context and to pay close attention to multiple-meaning words and culture-specific references (like using a baseball analogy in speaking with new-to-the-US populations. Please translate it into Dari. [sample text]. You can also provide additional instructions (please organize your response into a table or graphic organizer, etc). And…viola.
Diffit for Teachers (Beta): Diffit is an education-focused tool designed to support differentiation- but it also packs some impressive translation power.
What’s to love: It offers a variety of tools in one place… and the beta version is currently free for teachers! Drop in existing curriculum or generate content from scratch with instant translation. FERPA and COPPA compliant.
But…: Price may be instituted post-beta. Many, but not all languages are available.
How to use: Sign up for/into Diffit (https://web.diffit.me/). Enter a question, topic, link, or text in the prompt box and choose a grade level. Diffit will automatically populate the lesson, vocab, questions, etc. Choose the new language from the drop-down menu. Choose an export style (worksheet, graphic organizer, PDF, etc.)
2. DeepL: DeepL is an advanced AI machine with unmatched translation capabilities.
What’s to love: A verified tool with exceptional accuracy. Copy/paste text or upload whole documents, PDFs, or slides.
But…: An impressive 32 languages, but no Dari or Pashto. However, Arabic was just added- a promising lead-in to Afghan-based additions!
How to use: Simple! Visit DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/translator), drop in your text or upload, and watch the translation magic!
3. Canva: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Canva is a thing- and not just for graphic designers and content creators. It’s a great platform for building out presentation decks and activity sheets- but not many know that Canva also has built-in translation capacity!
What’s to love: Basic is free and many schools now offer an educator subscription. Easy to use and super versatile.
But…: Translation is Google-compatible- solid in some language bases and not in others.
How to use: Visit Canva (canva.com) and start or open a project. Select a passage of text (or don’t, if you’d like the whole document translated). Scroll down the menu bar at the left of the screen to find “Translate”. Select language and done! *Note, you may need to make some adjustments to your design based on the adjusted length of the translated text.
4. Hey Gen: Video translation that instantly changes speaking language with voice match. My personal favorite of the bunch, because there are just so many exciting ways for this to go. Video texts to care-takers or informational shorts for back-to-school night in different languages- the possibilities are virtually endless.
It’s something you’ll need to see to believe! Start here.
What’s to love: Innovative, fun, next-level AI. Free to use! Unlike other video translations, it’s not a voiceover- it seamlessly clones a person’s actual tone, inflections, and facial expressions, even in the new language. Alternatively, for the camera-shy, try selecting an Avatar and uploading a script!
But… Not all languages- Dari and Pahsto are a no-go, at least for now..
How to use: Visit Hey Gen (heygen.com). Start a new project. Upload the video you want to use. Select the language you’d like to translate to.
Honorable Mentions: Text Cortex (textcortex.com) for Whole Document upload/translate + prompt and Reverso (context.reverso.net) for In-context translation that includes nuanced language like idioms, proverbs, or culture-specific phrases.
Optimizing for Translation
In general, here are general pointers to ensure that your translation efforts- via whatever tool you choose- are as accurate and meaningful as possible!
Communicate Directly: Use short, to-the-point sentences.
Avoid Idioms & Slang:: May not translate well across cultures.
Use Clear Formatting: Bullets, headings, and numbered lists improve clarity.
Consistent Terminology: Stick to the same terms/phrases for repeated concepts.
Use Active Voice: Passive voice can complicate translation.
Limit multiple-meaning words: Row/row, lead/lead, etc.
Provide Context: Context helps in understanding and thus, better translation.
Use High-Quality Images: Ensure images and diagrams are clear and easily translatable.
Avoid Text in Images: Translating embedded text in graphics is difficult.
Consider Cultural Sensitivities: Some content (even colors) may not be culturally appropriate everywhere.
Test the Translations: Always review translated material for accuracy.
Seek Feedback: Ask multilingual colleagues for input.
Utilize Professional Translation Tools: Tools like DeepL, Chat GBT, or Google Translate can be a starting point, but always review results.
Artificial Intelligence tools for translation can be a game changer for schools. They can increase accessibility, and efficacy- and are language-expansive and cost-effective. AI applications come with cautions, too: accuracy issues, privacy concerns, and over-reliance. Used creatively and responsibly, however, AI tools can help us solve critical intake and integration challenges for our newest multilingual students. And if we know anything about artificial intelligence so far- it’s that it’s here to stay.
Additional Resources:
Harnessing AI to Support Language Acquisition Webinar - 2/28/2024 with Patrick Runnels