Real-Time Language Support for ELLs in Pear Deck

Pear Deck

Seamless support. Built-in tools. More equitable classrooms.

One of the schools we’ve visited recently surfaced a need we couldn’t ignore: “Our ELL students can’t access their learning materials in real time because of language barriers.”

This is part of a broad and complex issue. Coaches told us how few tools exist to help, in the moment, without slowing instruction. The implications for Pear Deck were evident as well, as they showed us how existing accessibility methods were difficult to use with our interactive slide content. Their main question became one of our key takeaways from the visit: “Why isn’t there a simple way for students to translate slides while I teach?”

Just 24 hours later, we built a prototype of the Pear Deck student tool box with embedded translation tools. Teachers can now offer instant, discreet language support directly inside Pear Deck. No extra apps. No disruptions. Today, it’s available to all Pear Deck educators as the next step in our ongoing initiative to make learning more inclusive for every student.

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A screenrecording of Pear Deck's student tool box providing translation tools for ELL students

How Pear Deck’s Translation Tools Work

When enabled by the teacher, translation tools appear automatically in every student’s Pear Deck session.

Here’s what students can do:

Select any text on a slide to either:
- Read Aloud: Hear the English text spoken aloud via text-to-speech
- Translate: Instantly see the selected words in Spanish, Chinese, Cantonese, or Vietnamese
Copy the translated text, if needed, for later use

These tools work across all slide types and devices, including Chromebooks, tablets, and mobile phones. And since the support happens quietly within the student interface, students can stay engaged without slowing down the flow of instruction.

Teacher setup is simple:

Head to your Pear Deck settings to enable Student Toolbox.
Once enabled, all new sessions will automatically include the Translation Tools for students

Try these new translation tools in your next Pear Deck session and let us know what you think!