Multilingual classrooms
How can I use AI to make a narrated explainer video in my students' home language?
Updated by the Vidi team
Plans start at $5 a month.
If some of your students are still learning English, a short narrated video in Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese or another home language can give them a way into a new idea before or after you teach it in English. AI tools can now write, translate and voice that video quickly. The hard part is making sure it is correct when you may not speak the language yourself.
This guide covers what a good home-language explainer looks like, the two main ways to make one with AI, how to check it without being fluent, and the mistakes to avoid. The method works whatever tool you use. Vidi appears as one option.
How it works
How to make a home-language explainer with Vidi
Choose the language and describe the lesson
Describe the topic, the year level and what your students already know. Or paste a script you have already written and had checked, up to 2,000 characters per message (about 300 words). Choose the narration language, such as Spanish, Arabic or Vietnamese, before you create. The script is then written in that language. The chat itself replies in English.
Check every scene with a fluent speaker
Vidi drafts the script scene by scene. Share it with a bilingual colleague or teaching assistant. Fix the wording, the facts and the key terms before anything is animated. Keep one idea per scene. If it helps your class, add the English term next to important words.
Create, listen and fix one scene
Vidi records the narration, animates each scene and adds captions that follow every word. Ask your fluent checker to listen to the audio as well as read it. If one scene needs a change, fix that scene with a note instead of starting again. Download the video for the classroom screen or your course page. Widescreen 16:9 is on Pro and higher plans.
What makes a good home-language explainer
Keep it short and about one thing. A video of about a minute that explains one idea is easier to check, cheaper to fix and easier to rewatch than a long lecture. Build it as a question, then three or four clear steps, then one takeaway, with one idea per scene.
Write for listening, not reading. Use short sentences and everyday words, and aim for a slow, calm pace. One review of HeyGen found that its Vietnamese problems showed up most during fast speech, so slower narration is a sensible habit in any tool.
Plan the subject words. Decide in advance how each key term will be said in the home language, and keep it the same every time. Think about saying or showing the English term next to it, so students can link the video to the English lesson. Captions help too: students can read along, and the video still works with the sound off.
Use the video as a bridge, not a replacement. Play it before or after you teach the idea in English, then check understanding in class.
Two ways to do it: translate a video or start in the language
There are two different jobs here, and the tools differ.
The first job is translating a video you already have. HeyGen lets you upload a video or paste a YouTube link. It says it translates into more than 175 languages while keeping the speaker's voice and lip movements. Its free plan covers 3 videos a month of up to 3 minutes each. This suits you if you already have a good English video with you on camera. A review on Argil, which sells a competing product, reports problems, though. Technical vocabulary is often mistranslated. Thai, Vietnamese and Swahili show accent and sync problems. Editing the translated transcript before the final video is a paid feature. Flaws in the original, such as poor audio or filler words, carry over.
The second job is making a new video from a script written in the target language. Avatar tools such as Synthesia work this way. So does Vidi, with animated scenes instead of a presenter. Here the text exists before any audio, so a fluent speaker can check every line first. For subject teaching, that makes accuracy easier to control.
How to check it if you don't speak the language
You are responsible for what the video says, even in a language you can't read. AI tools can mistranslate subject terms or get facts wrong, so build in a human check.
First, check the content in English. Write or approve the explanation in English before it becomes Spanish, Arabic or Vietnamese, so you know the ideas are right.
Then ask a fluent speaker to read the translated script. This could be a bilingual colleague, a teaching assistant, a parent or an older student. Give them your list of key terms and ask three questions. Is it correct? Is it natural for a learner of this age? Is it the variety your families use? For example, Latin American or European Spanish, or a spoken dialect or formal Arabic.
Finally, ask them to listen to the finished audio, not just read the script. Pronunciation and pace can be wrong even when the words are right.
Keep a short glossary of the terms you agreed on. Reuse it for the next video so the vocabulary stays the same across a unit.
Common mistakes to avoid
Assuming a long language list means equal quality. A tool may list Vietnamese, but one review of HeyGen reports noticeably weaker results in Vietnamese and calls its Spanish lip-sync impressive. Try a sample in your language before you plan a series.
Sharing without a fluent check. Mistranslated subject words are easy to miss if nobody who speaks the language hears the video.
Translating a weak original. If the English version rambles or has poor audio, the translated version will too. Tighten the script first.
Trying to cover a whole unit in one video. Short videos on single ideas are easier to check and fix.
Relying on prices from reviews or old guides. One review notes that credit allocations change often, so check each tool's own pricing page.
Uploading your face, your voice or student information without checking school policy first. Ask your school or district before you use voice cloning or avatar tools.
Three ways to get a narrated video in another language
| Vidi | HeyGen (video translation) | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you start from | A topic, your notes or a pasted script, with the narration language chosen before you create | An existing video or a YouTube link, which it translates | A script written in the target language |
| What the video looks like | Animated scenes in more than 20 styles, no presenter | Keeps the original speaker's voice and lip movements, or uses an avatar | An avatar presenter |
| Languages | 74 narration languages, including Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese | 175+ languages, by its own count | 140+ languages, according to one review |
| Edit the script before the final video | Yes, scene by scene, and change single scenes afterwards | Editing the translated transcript is on paid plans, per one review | You write the script yourself before the video is made |
| Free option | One free 15-second vertical video; 5 credits on sign-up, no card | 3 videos a month, up to 3 minutes each | Not covered in our research |
| Paid plans from | Starter at $5 a month for 5 credits | Creator at $29 a month, per a 2026 review | $29 a month or $18 a month billed annually, per a 2026 review |
| Best for | A new animated explainer in the home language | Teachers who already have an English video of themselves | Teachers who want a presenter on screen |
Limits worth knowing
- AI drafts can be wrong in any language. Vidi does not check facts or translations for you, so you and a fluent speaker need to check both the script and the audio before sharing.
- Vidi lets you choose a narration language, but its published features do not mention choosing a regional accent or dialect. Listen to the result to make sure it suits your students' families.
- Each Vidi video has one narration language, so an English version and a Spanish version are two separate videos, each using credits. Free accounts get one 15-second vertical video; videos up to 5 minutes need a paid plan.
- Vidi makes new animated explainers. It does not translate an existing video of you with lip-sync. If you want to keep yourself on camera, a translation tool such as HeyGen is the better fit.
Sources
Can I make a home-language video if I don't speak the language?
Yes, but don't share it unchecked. Get the explanation right in English first. Then ask a fluent colleague, teaching assistant, parent or older student to read the translated script and listen to the final audio. Give them a list of key subject terms to check.
Should I translate my English video or make a new one in the language?
If you already have a good English video of yourself, a translation tool like HeyGen keeps your voice and face. If you are starting fresh, writing in the target language lets a fluent speaker check every line before any audio exists. That makes errors easier to catch.
Which languages can Vidi narrate in?
Vidi narrates in 74 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese. You choose the language before you create, and the script and captions are written in it. The Vidi website and chat are in English.
Is there a free way to try this?
HeyGen's free plan translates up to 3 videos a month, each up to 3 minutes long. Vidi gives new accounts 5 credits and one free 15-second vertical video, with no credit card. That is enough to test a short clip in your students' language before you commit.
How long should a home-language explainer be?
Aim for about a minute on one idea. Shorter videos are quicker for a fluent speaker to check, cheaper to fix and easier for students to rewatch. If a topic needs more, make a short series of videos and use the same glossary of key terms in each one.
Should I use narration, subtitles or both?
Both work well together. Narration helps students who read slowly in either language, and captions let them follow along or watch with the sound off. Vidi adds captions that follow every word of the narration. Consider showing key English terms next to the translated ones.
Can I share the videos with students and families?
With Vidi, yes. You may use the videos it makes for you, including on a course page, under its terms of service. Free and Starter videos carry a small Vidi logo; Pro and higher plans have none. Check your school's policy on AI tools and sharing first.