Walk into any multigenerational immigrant household in the U.S. and you might hear two worlds colliding—Spanish in the kitchen, English in the living room. Grandma’s telling a story from her hometown in Vietnam, but her teenage granddaughter just smiles and nods, barely catching every third word. It’s a quiet disconnect, one that’s happening in millions of households across the country—and it’s growing.
In today’s America, language is more than just a way to communicate. It’s a bridge to history, family, and cultural identity. And for many in Gen Z—especially those from Hispanic and Asian backgrounds—that bridge is slowly crumbling.
The Disconnect Between Generations
Let’s look at the numbers for a second. There are over 65 million Hispanic Americans and nearly 25 million Asian Americans in the U.S. Many of them live in multigenerational households, where the grandparents are immigrants, and the grandkids are born and raised in the U.S. And here’s where the gap begins: the elders often speak little English, while the youth speak little of their heritage language.
It’s incredibly common for second-gen Americans to lose fluency in their parents’ or grandparents’ mother tongue. In L.A., for instance, only about 49% of second-gen Mexican Americans aged 25-44 still speak Spanish at home. For second-gen Asian Americans, that number drops even further—to just 23%. That’s not just a language barrier—it’s a cultural one.
More Than Words: What’s Really Being Lost
The saddest part? It’s not just about not understanding words—it’s about not understanding each other. Stories don’t get passed down. Cultural references get lost. Humor, wisdom, traditions—so much of what makes a family unique just fades into the background.
Imagine your grandmother trying to tell you about how your family celebrated Lunar New Year back home, or how your abuelo made tamales every Christmas, but you can't quite follow. Multiply that by millions of families, and you start to see the scale of this disconnect.
Why We're Building a Translation Tool That Actually Brings People Together
Here’s the thing: we believe tech can help fix this.
We’re building a translation tool that’s not just another app—it’s a bridge between generations. It’s designed specifically for families like ours, where kids might speak English, elders speak Tagalog, Mandarin, Vietnamese, or Spanish, and there’s a lot of love—but not always a lot of understanding.
What makes it different?
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Real-time spoken translation that feels natural, not robotic.
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Context-aware—so when grandma uses a cultural idiom, it actually makes sense in English.
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Easy enough for both your 15-year-old cousin and your 85-year-old grandpa to use.
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Safe, secure, and private.
This Is Personal
This project isn’t just a cool idea—it’s personal. We’ve lived this. We’ve sat in those living rooms, wanting to connect more deeply with the elders in our lives, but hitting a wall of language and missed context. And we know we’re not alone.
Across the country, countless Gen Z kids want to know more about their heritage. They want to understand where they come from, what their parents went through, and how their family’s traditions were built. But they need the tools to do it.
Let's Reconnect
This tool is our way of saying: the gap doesn't have to keep growing. We can preserve our languages. We can reconnect with our roots. And most importantly, we can understand each other again—not just through words, but through shared stories, laughter, and the kind of connection that only family can give.
If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. And we’re building Hearit.AI for you!
