By: Dara Sborea

For this week’s blog post, we are exploring the Communicators chapter in our class textbook. For me, this was the most exciting chapter to read so far. I found myself saying, “Oh, I didn’t know that was there!” more times than I can count.

Our ability to communicate is essential in our job as educators. We all know how important it is to communicate with our students and to teach our students how to communicate with us and the world at large. What we sometimes forget is that it is equally important that WE communicate with the world at large, and especially with the families of our students.

How can this be achieved if we do not speak the same language as our students’ families, or if the family is not proficient in speaking English? Microsoft can help! Microsoft Translator is changing the way we interact with families and with students. This app service has captioning and transcription tools. Previously, many schools had to scramble to find volunteer translators to help exchange information with families. Now, teachers can steer families to a free, downloadable app and communication can start as soon as the app is downloaded.

The app is already built into many programs that we regularly use. I was eager to see if this was true, so I opened Word and there it was! It was there the whole time and I had no idea. It is easy to navigate and can be used on multiple platforms. Microsoft Translator can translate from and to so many languages. It has everything from English, Spanish, French, and other commonly spoken languages to Amharic, Inuktitut, and even Klingon!

I knew I had to try out this feature to see how it works! I plan on being a French teacher, so I decided to write a few lines in English and use Microsoft Translator to see how it works. I’ve always been a little skeptical of whether or not online translators can truly get it right. I can honestly say that Microsoft Translator showed me that their online translator can certainly get it right!

I cannot wait to use the Microsoft translator app in my classroom. The example I have shown is of a class newsletter, but I am most excited about being able to communicate with families who may not have realized they can have a collaborative relationship with their children’s teacher, even if we don’t speak the same language.

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