The New York City public school system is developing a new language translation app to help families better connect with teachers and other school staff, Mayor Adams and Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced Monday.
The app, called “Hello,” will use speech-to-text and text-to-speech in the 12 most-spoken language in the public schools, and is slated to be released citywide in Spring 2026.
More than 44% of public school kids speak a language other than English at home, and together, students speak at least 156 languages across the system, according to a recent multilingual advisory council report.
Advocates have long sounded the alarm about parents receiving important school documents in English only or relying on their children to interpret at parent-teacher conferences.
The chancellor, who is fluent in Spanish, conceded that sometimes even native speakers struggle to translate education jargon into other languages.
“[Families] belong at the table when decisions are being made about their children’s education,” Aviles-Ramos said at the press conference. “Resources like this translation app ensure that language diversity is not a barrier to access.”
The app is being developed in-house with a vendor and will be a stand-alone application, separate from the school system’s current messaging application, a spokesperson for the schools said.
