Inspiration
My main inspiration for building this app is my cultural background and the interactions that a dual-language environment can provide. I've found that translation apps don't consider slang, accents, and cultural differences that are relevant to this city. More often than not, cultural nuance gets lost in many interactions. Through Auto, I hope to foster connections and maintain cultural nuance in all interactions: big or small. Every new interaction and connection is enriching.
What it does
Auto is a bilingual platform that allows users to learn and practice English and Spanish through translation, language learning, and as a navigation app. One of the language learning features is flashcards, which allow users to learn as they go. Users have seven options to choose from: transit, directions, local greetings, manners, market and food, emergency, and numbers. These features teach the fundamental basics that can make interactions approachable. Auto was built in Visual Studio Code using Node.js, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and an API. To approach this, I began by starting a simple body in HTML and allowed the design and function to flow from there.
Challenges we ran into
One of my main issues was the HTML and JavaScript program structure. I also struggled when it came to adding DeepL (the language translation tool) API and Node.js to my program. There were several issues that I did not know how to immediately solve since it was my first time implementing API and Node.js into a program! The more I added, the more I struggled to find that perfect structure that made the webpage easy to navigate. Regardless, Veni, vidi, vici!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I'm proud of the overall outcome of this program and my ability to go through with making a functional interface. It is my first time attending and competing at a hackathon. I'm incredibly excited about how I was able to approach and implement API and Node.js, as it seemed intimidating to me before approaching.
What we learned
I've learned that, as intimidating as programming may be, it's always best to go in and learn from your mistakes. Regardless of what may happen, experience is always the most valuable thing to earn.
What's next for Auto
Auto currently features text-to-speech pronunciation. Looking ahead, I hope to incorporate recordings from native English and Spanish speakers with a variety of regional voices, giving learners an even deeper understanding of cultural nuance. I also hope to expand the data to other major cities, such as New York, with MTA API data. And across the globe to cities in Mexico as well!
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