This section is going to be about my experience with sociolinguistics at DECA, which is a business and marketing competition that happens nationwide. DECA stands for Distributive Educational Clubs of America, and it basically works to promote young entrepreneurial minds.

This year, I went to the States competition in Detroit, Michigan with fellow group members. We were a group of three, and we entered an event called the Innovation Business Plan, where we had to come up with a product to sell.

We ended up coming up with an earpiece called EasyTalk. The idea behind this device is to allow for real time language translation between two parties who don’t speak the same language. In an ideal world, we would use advanced artificial intelligence for our EasyTalk device, and it would be able to last days without a battery recharge (thanks to innovations in lithium battery technology).

In our five page project report, we talked mainly about the importance of language. We were able to cover everything from dialectal differences to endangered languages to efforts for documenting all known languages. In addition, we referenced all sorts of language databanks and ongoing projects made by organizations across the country. It was fascinating to see this idea of a real time language translator come alive in our project.

For our actual presentation, my group of three had to present in front of a judge. I mainly did the talking about sociolinguistics. I explained the imminent threat of endangered languages and even described the Zimmerman case with Rachel Jeantel’s African American Vernacular English.

We also raised the issue of how EasyTalk could benefit people specifically. For example, in a medical emergency where the doctor and the patients didn’t speak the same language, EasyTalk could provide a translation that could possibly save a life. Also, people who own businesses internationally most likely face language barriers every day. My partners talked about the unique value propositions, customer segments, and the technology behind the AI. Fun fact--the AI would be so good that it could detect dialects and make educated an hypothesis if it was not matched with an already known one, and the AI would get smarter with use!

The presentation went pretty smoothly, and I had a great time geeking out about sociolinguistics to a judge… for a business and marketing competition. I didn’t expect that we’d do super well, but I really had fun with it.

Fast forward to the final day of the weekend-long competition, and we were called on stage during the awards ceremony! Then, we found out we had made it to the Nationals level of DECA competitions with our language invention! I was so surprised that my jaw remained dropped for a good few hours before I regained my composure.

The point of my story was not to boast about our EasyTalk invention; it was to show that sociolinguistics can really be applied to everyday life. I had no idea that our project would make such a lasting impression on the judge, but I’m beyond honored that it did. I’m very proud of language--the whole dimension of language. It’s carried the human race so far, and it will continue to carry us until time runs out. It affects the way we think, the way society functions, and the way the world perceives its components.

I guess that was my little testimony of sociolinguistics. It really was an amazing feeling to use something (that I’ve been so geeked out about) to build the idea for an invention that--if actually made--could potentially help a lot of people in the world.

I hope that sooner, rather than later, everyone will be able to see how sociolinguistics really can change the world. Until next time!