Spanish Connections: When Google Translate Fails You

Is it worth it to learn Spanish in the age of AI and Google Translate? To have a personal relationship, greet or have a genuine exchange with families, however small (but significant), definitely the answer is yes.
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But what if you’re just texting back and forth with a parent? Won’t Google Translate do the trick?

After now helping many educators, both those actively learning Spanish and those who are just Google Translating their way through texts with parents, I can definitively say that yes, it is still worth it to learn Spanish in that case, too. When parents send texts, they are often full of typos like two words are squished together without a space, words that are misspelled, shorthand is used, Spanglish is used, slang is used, and voice-to-text certainly creates a mess. (If you think auto-correct is horrendous with English texting ... )
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What that amounts to is frequent texts from a parent that you very much want to understand and respond to, but you are at a loss once you put into into Google Translate, and you feel that language barrier loom large at a time you very much want to serve and create trust.

Spanish Tip

As you learn Spanish phonics, read parent texts aloud. Often times, just saying something aloud helps you sort out a lot of those typos listed above, like words that are squished together, Spanglish, or misspellings.
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This is a trick that, while it may be less helpful in the very beginning of learning Spanish, over time will help you figure out what parents are saying, even when there are typos and Google Translate is stuck.

The Story

I am currently supporting my successor in my Manager of ELL role in her transition into the role. The way our district was structured is that the family and community support and engagement falls onto the ELL team in addition to instruction. We have Whatsapp parent groups for each of our major languages to facilitate communication and community-building. Oftentimes, parents will post a question in a Whatsapp group in order to get a response from … well, it used to be me (a Spanish-speaker), and now it is the new Manager of ELL (who is not a Spanish-speaker, though she is fabulous and lovely, so we’re a fan).

I am still on those Whatsapp groups as a contractor, so I saw a parent text come in, and I thought, “Oh, no. This is indecipherable to someone using technology to help them read texts!" Here is a visual that shows what Google Translate would say versus what the parent was actually asking (they are two very different things):

The Google Translated version makes no sense! How frustrating to look at that and still have no idea how to help mom. This makes it really hard to respond in a way that builds trust. 

I’m also going to say these sorts of texts will come in several times a week, even with a relatively small Spanish-speaking population. So the impact accumulates over time and can either build a wall or a bridge between you and your Spanish-speaking families.

Spanish Call to Action

When you get a Spanish text from a parent, practice reading it aloud! 

If you still have trouble understanding what the parent is asking after using Google Translate and saying it aloud, just send me a screenshot of the text to 314-366-1907 or [email protected] with the subject line, “Parent Text Hotline”.

I mean it! Reach out. 

​For the first quarter of 2024 (January-March), I’ll review your texts, send you back an audio of what it sounds like in Spanish as well as a translation of what the parent actually meant – for free, because its fun ... and important!

Faster Together

If you have a Spanish-speaking community at your school or district, and you would like to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, Spanish for Educators classes can be done virtually! Courses include:

• Spanish for Relationship-Building
• Spanish for Instructional Staff
• Spanish for Office Professionals
• Spanish for Nurses & Counselors

Spanish for Educators is the only Spanish language course that gives educators Spanish lessons focused on the most common exchanges they engage in in their role in a school, and that addresses the barriers that prevent adults from using the language they learn in a class setting, such as: fear of making mistakes and appearing unprofessional, fear of initiating an exchange in the language, busy jobs and lives that make it hard to practice and create a daily sense of overwhelm.

Check out some testimonials here. 

If you want to learn more about practical role-focused or purpose-focused Spanish courses, just book a free no-pressure call to chat about it!

1. ​Schedule a friendly call.​
2. Share your vision for creating more welcoming spaces in your school(s).
3. Choose next steps to make your vision a reality.

Un abrazo,
Anne