Inspiration
Our inspiration for building a translator app was to make it easier for Spanish speakers and English speakers to communicate. We thought a tool like this could help out our area due to the high amounts of Spanish speakers in our region.
What it does
Our web app takes text or voice input and provides both a text translation and a audio file that reads it aloud. We built it in this way to better facilitate communication between people.
How we built it
We built it in steps, starting small with a simple text to text translation tool and built up. We used the Python web framework Flask to help run the web app and connect our website with the ElevenLabs API. We used Javascript, HTML, and CSS to make the main portions of the website and add functionality to it. We also figured out how to implement ElevenLabs' API to add voice recognition and playback to our program to help aid communication.
Challenges we ran into
We ran into a couple major challenges that slowed our progress in our hack. Although we were familiar with Python, we did not have experience with Flask. Learning some of the basics before being able to make our program took time and was a struggle. Another challenge was the difference in skill between the team, as some knew more about programming in general than the others. We found it best if we divided the work by what we could and couldn't do, and what we could realistically learn.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Every little step forward was a huge accomplishment for us. With every prototype we got closer to the goal we set. Learning the basics of Flask and getting it to work was a major accomplishment, specifically due to the team's lack of experience with it. Getting ElevenLabs' API to work with our code was great, as we had implemented a service's API like that before. Learning to effectively collaborate was key in getting things done, and getting used to Git and Github was extremely helpful.
What we learned
We learned how to use flask to create back end python scripts for websites to use. We learned how to implement an API and use it for added functionality. We also gained more experience with Javascript and HTML from using it in the project, and we also gained some experience from using Git more as well.
What's next for AI Language Translation App
A better interface could go a long way, and adding more languages and models to choose from would be ideal for a more personalized experience. Turning it into a smartphone app would allow people to translate quickly on the go with a device they carry around everywhere they go. This would be very useful in times where two people can't understand each other's language.
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