The video discusses the multifaceted role of subtitles in media consumption, highlighting their importance in promoting inclusivity for diverse audiences. Through personal anecdotes, the speaker illuminates how subtitles serve as essential tools for non-native speakers and those with hearing impairments, thus facilitating access to various cultures and allowing individuals to participate in broader social conversations.

Furthermore, the speaker touches on the profound impact of technology on human connections, tracing its evolution from costly long-distance communication to the development of digital tools that transcend language barriers. The narrative emphasizes technological advancements that have revolutionized personal interaction and fostered global connectedness.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. inclusion [ɪnˈkluːʒən] - (noun) - The action or state of including or being included within a group or structure. - Synonyms: (involvement, integration, incorporation)

As you're using this kind of technology, you realize that there are many companies that have done a proper good job when it comes to inclusion.

2. bilingual [ˌbaɪˈlɪŋɡwəl] - (adjective) - Able to speak two languages fluently. - Synonyms: (multilingual, bi-literate, two-tongued)

Although I was raised bilingual, I wasn't, so to say, fluent enough in Farsi at that age to understand most of the jokes.

3. marginalized [ˈmɑːrdʒɪnəˌlaɪzd] - (adjective) - Treated as insignificant or peripheral. - Synonyms: (disregarded, sidelined, excluded)

But gaining a foothold in a foreign country, in a system that denies marginalized communities equal access to society, is challenging.

4. polarized [ˈpoʊləˌraɪzd] - (adjective) - Divided into sharply opposed groups. - Synonyms: (divided, separated, split)

It is no secret the world has become polarized, that we sometimes struggle to be seen or heard.

5. neurologically align [nʊˈrɒlədʒɪkli əˈlaɪn] - (verb phrase) - To coordinate or synchronize brain activity that enhances mutual understanding and connection. - Synonyms: (synchronize mentally, harmonize cognitively, align mentally)

Research has shown that if we neurally align, we understand each other better.

6. archaic [ɑːrˈkeɪɪk] - (adjective) - Very old or old-fashioned. - Synonyms: (outdated, antiquated, obsolete)

It's time to overcome the archaic way of thinking and create a strong alliance between our diversity.

7. intercultural [ɪntərˈkʌltʃərəl] - (adjective) - Relating to interaction between different cultures. - Synonyms: (cross-cultural, multicultural, transcultural)

I decided to become an intercultural interpreter and help bridge communication gaps between communities.

8. bridging communication gaps [ˈbrɪdʒɪŋ ˌkəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən ɡæps] - (verb phrase) - To connect or link language or understanding differences. - Synonyms: (connecting, closing gaps, linking differences)

I decided to become an intercultural interpreter and help bridge communication gaps between communities.

9. vibrant [ˈvaɪbrənt] - (adjective) - Full of energy and enthusiasm. - Synonyms: (lively, energetic, dynamic)

Together, we can call for vibrant action for inclusion.

10. assistive communication [əˈsɪstɪv ˌkɒmjʊˈneɪʃən] - (noun phrase) - Tools or services that help individuals communicate, especially those with impairments. - Synonyms: (communication aid, supportive communication, facilitative communication)

What if I told you that the building blocks for technological advancements in assistive communication already exist? We just need to put the legos together, ensuring we develop ideas collaboratively with the communities they will serve

Breaking language barriers with technology - Nielufar Saffari - TEDxHHL

Thank you. How many of you watch your favorite tv shows or movies with subtitles? Raise your hands. Okay. As I was expecting, the majority of us, there are different reasons why you would turn on the subtitles. Maybe because that original language of the movie is not your native language. Or maybe you're just chewing so loud that you don't understand a single spoken word. As you're using this kind of technology, you realize that there are many companies that have done a proper good job when it comes to inclusion. Because by providing subtitles, we can ensure that we are including a much larger audience like me, who loves watching rewatching Orange is the new black for the 6th time, but also likes to eat her snacks while watching.

Now, I remember when my parents used to watch tv shows in Persian and laugh every time a joke dropped. Meanwhile, I was sitting with them, reading the subtitles in simple English, wondering how that was supposedly so funny. Although I was raised bilingual, I wasn't, so to say, fluent enough in Farsi at that age to understand most of the jokes. So I would read the subtitles to keep up with the story. And yes, I'm not saying that those subtitles were perfect. They were missing the context and lacking cultural aspects. And unfortunately, all those funny puns got lost in translation, which was why I could only grasp the basic essence of the movie.

But this digital tool let me take part in any Persian movie debate and feel united with my community. Keeping in touch with close family members in Iran has always been a challenge due to our physical distances. But who am I to tell? I'm sure that we all have friends and families all around the globe, right? Nowadays they're just a WhatsApp call away. But if you remember back in the early two thousands, in order to communicate, we only were able to call each other long distance on the phone, which was very expensive. In that time, computers or cell phones that could make video calls were revolutionary, expensive, and therefore unavailable for most people.

Maybe some of you still remember those little prepaid cards where you had to dial a long number and you only had a certain number of minutes to talk, so you would think twice before starting an argument with anyone. It was in 2000 when I discovered my brother's computer and gained my first access to the world of the Internet. Even so, I mostly played solitaire or the Snake game. That was only 24 years ago. Could you have imagined how far we had come? Now, as I grew up with the rise of technology, I adapted quite fast. As a young kid in school, I was taught how to use a computer and learned about all the possibilities that came with the Internet.

Unlike some of the older generation, my grandmother's first computer experience was unforgettable. During a choppy Skype call with my uncle in the US, she excitedly yelled into the screen, thinking it would help with a poor connection. These are just a few stories that illustrate how revolutionary technology has succeeded in creating more opportunities for human connection. Looking back at the timeline of technology, of technological advancements, it's clear that digital tools have opened many doors.

Technology transformed the way we lived, we behaved, we spoke, and, most importantly, the way we connected with each other. Think about it. It now allows us to stay in touch with our long distance families and friends without the high costs. As we continue to evolve with these innovations, it's clear that technology will remain a crucial element in enhancing our human connections. But the question I ask myself today is how far are we truly pushing the boundaries of technology to create more moments of human connection?

Our restless human desire for interaction has led us to high tech communication solutions, more intuitive digital tools such as cell phones and XR glasses. Our unending hunger for experiences has brought us to wearable devices, virtual and augmented reality. So far, we have managed to push technology to a level where we can seamlessly communicate across borders at any time in the world.

But how can we push technology further and build ways to communicate beyond language barriers that don't necessarily divide us geographically, but culturally and socially? Here's what I did. I challenged myself with these questions of how we could use technology to overcome language barriers in faster and more efficient ways. When my parents immigrated to Austria in the eighties, language and cultural heritage were the only two connections they had to their former lives back in Iran.

Naturally, they made it a priority to pass on their language and cultural heritage to their children, but gaining a foothold in a foreign country, in a system that denies marginalized communities equal access to society, is challenging. So growing up bilingual, it became pretty clear to me that I should seek to do something with my language abilities, which was why I decided to become an intercultural interpreter and help bridge communication gaps between communities. But still, there was a lot of work that needed to be done.

In 2021, I moved to Switzerland and founded a startup designed to provide a intercultural interpreters. In just a matter of few minutes, we focused on building a platform that enabled virtual interpreting in spoken and sign language. Growing up with the numerous challenges my family faced, I only truly understood the impact of language barriers when I started working with the deaf community in Switzerland and saw their struggles firsthand. Not only do deaf and hard of hearing people face limited access to social services, healthcare, and politics. But there are only a small number of sign language interpreters within each region, and that creates a significant obstacle to achieving equal access to society.

Now you might wonder why this all matters. I want to take a moment and encourage you to look around you. Human connection is a basic need. In fact, it's a primal instinct. We don't just seek to connect with our communities, our families. We find the most joy in interacting with the world around us. Research has shown that if we neurally align, we understand each other better and experience this unique sensation of feeling connected as an Iranian, Austrian, or Austrian, Iranian, you name it. I like to call the world my home.

And as this world is getting more and more complex, we need human connection and communication now more than ever. It is no secret the world has become polarized, that we sometimes struggle to be seen or heard. However, we can only find solutions to our modern challenges by sitting together at the table, communicating and exchanging our perspectives. If we know how to sit together, listen to each other, and find ways to talk to one another. Even if we can't resolve every disagreement, we can coexist and thrive.

Today, we have all come together to listen to life changing ideas, to exchange perspectives that help shape our society towards a diverse and inclusive future. But we can only go as far as our knowledge and our minds will allow. I remember when I met Christian Grimaud for the first time and faced a language barrier myself. Unfortunately, I couldn't communicate in official sign language, but we managed to find ways to exchange our ideas.

His vision really resonates with me, which is why I want you to meet Christian, who is a passionate bridge builder himself and advocate for human rights. So, why is inclusion so important? Until now, our physical, sensory, cultural, and color, and many other reasons have often led us to separation and judgment. This marginalization is a fundamental flaw in humanity. It's time to overcome the archaic way of thinking and create a strong alliance between our diversity.

inclusion is courageous and necessary for alliance. Together, we can call for vibrant action for inclusion. Our pride lies in success of diversity and the acceptance of our differences. How we can transform in a unified strength. In an ideal world, you would have all, including me, understood his message without the help of Tamara, our sign language interpreter.

Remember when I talked about subtitles in movies in the very first beginning? What if I could see a little avatar in my glasses who could translate any joke into my language of choice? What if an AI algorithm could translate sign language and provide text to speech output right into my ear? This would allow me to engage naturally and confidently with anyone, regardless of their linguistic background, whether it's spoken or non conventional language.

What if I told you that the building blocks for technological advancements in assistive communication already exist? We just need to put the legos together, ensuring we develop ideas collaboratively with the communities they will serve. By raising awareness on the needs of communities to thrive, we can set the direction for tech engineers to push the boundaries of technology for more accessibility and more moments of human connection.

Developing such complex assistive tools clearly requires more than a single day's effort. But my message is that we don't need to rebuild the wheel. We just need to rebuild the bridges to create a more inclusive world, a world we all feel valued in. And by keeping this conversation at the table, we will make sure that technology becomes more affordable and more accessible in the future.

One challenge is that people get scared quite easily when it comes to digital change because of the unknown. They also resist change when they don't understand its implications and perceive that it might cost them more, then they will gain. But the true beauty that lies within the biology of change are the chances and possibilities that come with it. We have this moment right now to use these advancements of technology to build individual solutions.

Our collective creativity and determination to innovate for a brighter future will inevitably save costs and opened the door to more visibility for marginalized communities. At the very beginning, all of you used sign language when I asked you to raise your hands. Unfortunately, that's where most people's knowledge of sign language stops. But if we disregard the voices of those who communicate in non conventional ways, then whose voices are we truly valuing?

I encourage each one of you to join me on this journey to create a world in which every human being can live freely and participate fully to our society. Now, you don't need to launch a startup like me or become a sign language interpreter, but simply start by breaking down the biggest barrier that exists, the barrier in our heads. It's not the people who, due to their language skills, social status, disability, or age, not participate in society. It is we, as a society, who hinder these individuals from being able to participate.

By dismissing inclusive communication as complicated and unnecessary, we send the message that people's identities don't matter. When you find it annoying to explain to your mother over and over again, consider how Instagram works. Consider how frustrating it must be for her to feel excluded from the social media world that everyone else is part of. Overcoming barriers within ourselves requires courage, but is empowering. If we acknowledge the shared humanity that unites us.

Join me on this journey to move beyond our limitations. Earlier I asked you. Could you have imagined how far we had come? Now I want to know how far can we go? Thank you.

Inclusion, Technology, Innovation, Communication, Cultural Diversity, Education, Tedx Talks