More than 5,500 education and technology professionals from around the world convened at San Antonio’s Henry B. González Convention Center from Jan. 31 through Feb. 4 for the Texas Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) 2026 TCEA Convention & Exposition. The annual conference focuses on generating and advancing technology within the teaching industry, and this year’s event featured the use of Sentio, a multilingual digital translation platform by Pocketalk. Pocketalk is a translation solutions producer that has its U.S. headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and manufactures both virtual translation services and a physical translation device; it is owned by Tokyo-based technology developer and producer SourceNext. The TCEA conference was the first major event in San Antonio to implement Sentio technology.
Sentio generates live translations and artificial intelligence-powered captioning in more than 74 languages, enabling broader participation access for attendees who might not speak fluent English, are deaf, or are heard of hearing. Throughout the five-day TCEA conference, there were digital displays in public spaces that presented content in multiple languages using Sentio’s translation technology, and attendees also could scan a QR code during any individual session to follow a speaker or presentation in their preferred language on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone via the Sentio mobile app or website. The more than 5,500 eventgoers represented six countries, and Sentio provided translation services for 34 languages at this year’s convention.
“Educators attend TCEA’s [convention] to find new ways to innovate teaching and learning through the use of technology,” says Ben Starr, deputy executive director at TCEA, in a prepared statement. “Sentio made that easier than ever by allowing thousands of our attendees who are deaf, hard of hearing, speak English as a second language, or need additional captioning support to attend our sessions in a way that personally accommodated them. … The setup was seamless and the cost was minimal, but the impact on making the TCEA Convention & Exposition more inclusive was what mattered most.”
