Real-time voice translation for school events, graduation, and family engagement without interpreters, delays, or exclusion
The Reality Facing Many School Districts
Hart High School is one of seven comprehensive high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District in Southern California. Like many districts across the U.S., Hart serves a deeply diverse community.
At least one-third of Hart families speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish being the most common. These families are deeply involved in their students’ lives, but language barriers often kept them on the outside during the moments that mattered most.
Large school events - graduation, awards nights, back-to-school events, open houses - were conducted primarily in English. While staff made every effort to be welcoming, the reality was painful and familiar:
Parents sat through ceremonies not fully understanding what was being said
Students received awards while their families missed the announcements
Important messages about students’ futures were heard secondhand—or not at all
Hiring interpreters for every event was costly and often impossible to scale
Families weren’t excluded intentionally but they were still missing out due to language barriers.
- School administrator at William S. Hart Union High School District
The Push Came From Students
The turning point didn’t start in the district office. It started with students.
Hart High School has an on-campus Equity and Diversity Collaborative, made up of students and advisors focused on fairness and inclusion. Students raised a simple but powerful concern: Our parents come to support us, but they don’t understand what’s being said.
They brought this to the school site council. The question wasn’t about technology, it was about dignity.
How do we make sure every family can fully participate in their child’s education?
- Jason, Principal at William S. Hart Union High School
That question led them to Langfinity.
What Hart Needed (and What They Wouldn’t Compromise On)
Before moving forward, the district had clear requirements:
Student data privacy and security, including California compliance
A solution that worked for large-scale, in-person events
Minimal setup for staff
No requirement for families to download apps or know technology
High quality translation accuracy and speed for voice to voice translation
Langfinity met those requirements and worked closely with Hart’s IT team to get up and running quickly.
Implementation was really straightforward. We were able to launch fast.
- IT admin at William S. Hart Union High School District
How Langfinity Works at Hart High School
For events like graduation, senior awards night, and open house, Hart uses Langfinity to provide real-time voice translation.
The setup is simple:
School audio feeds into Langfinity
A tablet or laptop runs the translation room
Families scan a QR code from a program or invitation
Parents listen in their own language using headphones—or read live captions on their phone
No apps. No accounts. No disruption to the event.
Once we toggled it on, there were no service disruptions.
- Jason, Principal at William S. Hart Union High School
Even at large venues like stadium graduations with thousands of attendees the system worked reliably.
The Impact: Real Inclusion at Real Moments
The difference became clear during senior awards night and graduation.
For the first time, families who primarily speak Spanish could hear speeches, announcements, and recognitions in real time. Parents understood when their child’s name was called. They followed the context of awards and speeches without needing someone to explain afterward.
Students described the impact simply: their families were finally part of the moment.
The school also saw value at scale. Graduation events with thousands of attendees ran smoothly, with language access available to anyone who needed it, without additional staffing or parallel services.
What Changed for the School Community
Hart didn’t change how events were run. They changed who could fully experience them.
Families who had previously sat through school events without understanding what was being said could now follow along in real time, in their own language. Students saw their parents fully present during milestone moments - award ceremonies, recognitions, and graduations - without needing to translate afterward.
Staff no longer had to choose between cost and inclusion. Instead of arranging interpreters or limiting language support to only certain events, the district could provide access for all families, together, in the same room without parallel events or added complexity.
Looking Ahead: Beyond Big Events
After seeing the impact at large events, Hart began considering additional use cases. Administrators identified opportunities in parent–teacher conferences, open house, and family meetings, where access to live translation could reduce reliance on interpreters and make communication more consistent.
Because Langfinity runs on phones, tablets, or computers, staff saw potential for broader adoption without additional hardware or staffing.
Final Reflection
Hart High School didn’t adopt Langfinity to check a box.
They adopted it because students asked for it.
Because families deserved better.
Because inclusion shouldn’t depend on whether someone speaks English.
It helped us reach even more families—and that matters the most.
- Jason, Principal at William S. Hart Union High School
For school districts facing the same reality, Hart’s experience shows what’s possible when language is no longer a barrier but a bridge.
