SpeechSync

Inspiration

Our team hails from India, a country renowned for producing smart, talented individuals across various fields. Despite this, a significant portion of our population struggles with effective English communication. This raises an important question: why is English proficiency so crucial? English has been a powerful language in India since the late 19th century, when it was introduced by the British during their colonial rule. Today, English serves as an official language for government services and many educational institutions. In the workplace, proficiency in English is almost a necessity, as employees come from diverse linguistic backgrounds across the country and the world. English acts as a unifying medium.

However, according to Forbes, only 30% of Indians can speak English. This indicates a vast population lacking access to education, job opportunities, and personal growth due to their inability to communicate effectively in English. This language barrier prevents them from fully participating in the global economy and realizing their potential as individuals.

Even fresh graduates from colleges and English-medium schools in India struggle with daily use of English. The primary reason for this low proficiency is the insufficient emphasis on English in schools. Students often learn grammar and vocabulary but lack practical experience in speaking and writing. At home, their regional language is predominant, making English a foreign language that requires significant effort and dedication to master. Consequently, many face confidence issues in professional communication. A study revealed that 74% of Indian professionals experience some form of confidence issue related to English. Inspired by this challenge, we created SpeechSync, an AI-based learning assistant designed to help people gain the confidence they need to speak English fluently and freely. SpeechSync empowers individuals to overcome language barriers, unlocking opportunities for education, employment, and personal growth.

What it does

SpeechSync analyzes the speaking patterns of users and provides insightful feedback on the emotions they exhibit while speaking. This innovative approach allows individuals to pinpoint moments when they feel scared, underconfident, or confused. By consistently using SpeechSync, users can significantly improve their speaking skills, gradually overcoming their fears and building unwavering confidence. SpeechSync doesn't just teach English—it empowers people to communicate with clarity and assurance.

SpeechSync offers multiple use cases tailored to enhance communication skills.

Firstly, users can engage in regular conversations with the AI and receive feedback on their emotions, helping them identify when they feel scared, underconfident, or confused.
Secondly, users can analyze their facial expressions while speaking. In a world where camera presence is increasingly important, this tool helps individuals gain the confidence needed for effective communication in online meetings and supports those pursuing content creation as a profession.
The third feature helps people become better debaters, which is particularly useful for college students. Debating hones the art of persuasion, a highly sought-after skill in entrepreneurship—a path many students pursue.
The fourth feature is specially catered towards the needs of those people who seek to improve their confidence.
SpeechSync also provides an AI voice therapist, consider it as a virtual friend that you can talk to anytime!

With SpeechSync, users can refine their speaking abilities and boost their confidence, empowering them to excel in both professional and personal interactions.

How we built it

With the help of NextJs and shadcn we built the front end of our website. We used Hume AI’s Expression Measurement API as well as the Empathic Voice Interface API to build our models. We used ChatGPT's API to customize the features.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge we faced while building this website was parsing the APIs. Other than that, there were minor setbacks especially due to the limited timeframe, but we managed to overcome them.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our greatest accomplishment during this hackathon has been overcoming numerous challenges and setbacks through exceptional teamwork and patience. Additionally, we take immense pride in having developed a solution that has the potential to benefit countless individuals across our country and the world.

What we learned

We gained valuable knowledge about working with SDKs. Other than that, we also improved our time management skills and teamwork.

What's next for SpeechSync

User Authentication
Personalized profiles
Personalized services/ roadmaps

Final Thoughts

SpeechSync bridges the gap between those who have access to resources that make them proficient and confident in conversing in English and those who do not. We are committed to developing this idea further and hope to soon bring it to those who need it most!