Designing for Transient Use: A Human-in-the-loop Translation Platform for Refugees
summary
Rivrtran is an IVR human-in-the-loop translation platform deployed for three months with 9 Burmese families and their American mentors; messages average about once per week, with 30% phatic messages. Volunteer bilingual interpreters receive notifications, translate asynchronously, and route replies. Use peaks around week 3–4, enabling mediated requests that reduce missed appointments, more goal-oriented mentor visits, cultural clarifications, and growing refugee confidence; designers intentionally expect and measure a fade in use as a positive outcome.
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chapters (18)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:45Outline
- 2:40Resettlement
- 2:59SelfSufficiency
- 3:24Mentors
- 4:17Language Bar
- 5:04Research Question
- 5:28Research Discussion
- 5:40Research Summary
- 6:13Research Question 1
- 10:29Research Question 6
- 10:54Deployment
- 11:47Family Overview
- 12:11Data Analysis
- 14:50Mentor Comments
- 15:09Shifts
- 16:33Cultural Clarification
- 18:01Designing for Transient Use
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