The interpreter queue is days long
District interpreters are booked for IEP meetings and enrollment. A two-minute call about a missed bus ends up on a waiting list, or it never happens.
For teachers, counselors & front offices
Call home to any family. They'll hear their language.
When the parent on your call list speaks Spanish, Arabic or Vietnamese, a simple call home turns into a scheduling puzzle. intelecho rings the family's phone, tells them in their language that this is a translated call, and translates both of you live. It handles the everyday calls (absences, pickups, a good week worth celebrating) without a Spanish for parents phrasebook or a Spanish for teachers course.
- 46 languages
- No app for either side
- Free 5-minute demo calls
5.3M
Public school students who were English learners in fall 2021 (10.6%)
Source: NCES, Condition of Education76.4%
English learners whose home language is Spanish (fall 2021)
Source: NCES, Condition of Education~21%
School-age children who spoke a language other than English at home in 2021
Source: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, America's Children 2023The challenge
Where the conversation gets stuck
Kids end up interpreting
When no adult interpreter is free, a student or older sibling gets handed the phone. Federal guidance says schools shouldn't rely on children to interpret for parents, and it puts kids in the middle of talks about their own grades and behavior.
Good news never gets sent
When every call takes setup, staff save their limited interpreter time for problems. Families who don't speak English end up hearing from school mostly when something is wrong.
Calls you can make today
Real situations, handled by phone
Attendance follow-up
The attendance clerk calls a Spanish-speaking father after three absences in one week. She learns his daughter has been home caring for a sick sibling and connects him with the school social worker.
Sent home from the nurse's office
The front office reaches a Vietnamese-speaking grandmother to say her grandson has a fever and needs to go home, and confirms which adult is coming to pick him up.
A teacher's good-news call
A third-grade teacher calls an Arabic-speaking mom to say her son read his first chapter book aloud in class, then asks what kinds of books he likes at home.
Setting up a conference
A counselor calls a Portuguese-speaking parent to pick a conference time and asks whether they'd like a district interpreter in the room for the full meeting.
What it sounds like
A sample call, English ⇄ Spanish
Each person speaks naturally in their own language. intelecho translates every turn so each side hears the other in a clear AI voice.
Languages that come up most
- Spanish
- Arabic
- Mandarin Chinese
- Vietnamese
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Russian
- Haitian Creole
- Urdu
These follow the most common home languages of U.S. English learners in fall 2021 (NCES): Spanish at 76.4%, then Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Russian, Haitian Creole and Urdu. Cantonese is available too; Hmong, ninth on that list, isn't supported yet.
Translating both waysEnglish ⇄ Spanish
School counselor · EnglishHi Mrs. Herrera, this is Ms. Patel, Diego's counselor. Everything is okay. I'm calling about his absences.Parent hears: Hola, señora Herrera, habla la señora Patel, la consejera de Diego. Todo está bien. La llamo por sus ausencias.
Parent · EspañolGracias por llamar. Ha estado enfermo del estómago. ¿Necesita una nota del doctor?You hear: Thanks for calling. He's had a stomach bug. Do you need a doctor's note?
School counselor · EnglishYes, please send it with Diego. Would Thursday at 3:30 work for a short meeting?Parent hears: Sí, por favor, mándela con Diego. ¿Le queda bien el jueves a las 3:30 para una reunión corta?
Parent · EspañolSí, el jueves puedo. ¿Va a haber alguien que hable español?You hear: Yes, I can do Thursday. Will someone there speak Spanish?
How it works
Three steps from this page to a translated call
- 01
Pull the contact card
Check your student information system for the parent's number and the language on the home language survey. Add your name so the introduction tells them who is calling from school.
- 02
Answer your own phone first
intelecho calls your direct line or cell, then rings the parent. They hear a short introduction in their language explaining that this is a translated call.
- 03
Keep it to one topic
Say who you are and which child you're calling about, then cover one thing: the absence, the pickup, the conference time. Free calls end at five minutes, so save longer talks for a scheduled meeting with an interpreter.
Get it right
Tips for smoother calls
- Say the student's full name and grade early. Parents with kids at several schools will know right away who you mean.
- Skip school shorthand like IEP, ELD, MAP scores or "early release." Say "a meeting about extra support" or "school ends at noon."
- Give days by name and times as numbers ("Thursday at 3:30"), then ask the parent to repeat it back.
- If a parent sounds worried, say early that their child is safe. Then explain why you're calling.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does the parent need to download anything?
No. intelecho calls the parent's regular phone, landline or mobile. You start the call from a web page on your phone or computer, and nobody installs an app. The parent's number does need to be a U.S. or Canadian number.
Can I use it for parent-teacher conferences or IEP meetings?
Not in place of an interpreter. Free calls end after five minutes, and formal meetings about services, placement or discipline deserve a qualified interpreter from your district. intelecho works best for quick calls, like scheduling that conference in the first place.
Does using intelecho meet our Title VI obligations to parents?
No. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, schools must share information with parents who have limited English proficiency in a language they understand, using appropriate and competent interpreters and translators. ED and DOJ spelled this out in their January 2015 guidance; the Education Department rescinded the main Dear Colleague letter in August 2025, but the companion fact sheet for parents is still posted and the underlying law hasn't changed. Treat intelecho as a convenience for quick calls, not a replacement for your district's interpreters.
Is the call recorded? What about student privacy?
intelecho does not record call audio or keep transcripts. Twilio connects the phone numbers, and the audio goes to OpenAI for translation. Check your district's policy before discussing grades, health or discipline details through any outside tool.
Which languages can parents use?
There are 46 options, including Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Russian, Haitian Creole, Urdu, Somali, Dari and Pashto. Hmong, Karen and Indigenous languages from Mexico and Guatemala, such as Mixteco or Mam, aren't supported yet, so plan on a human interpreter for those families.
Make your first translated call
Enter your number and theirs, pick both languages, and pick up when we ring you. It takes about a minute to set up.
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