Stories We Keep: Carrying Amharic and English Family Memories Forward

Description and use

The prototype lets users record family stories in Amharic or English, transcribe them, add photos, and export as HTML or PDF, with client‑side encryption.

Problem

Preserving family memories in their original language without relying on English‑centric tools.

Outcome

The prototype enables multilingual family storytelling with end‑to‑end encryption, offline export, and zero‑cost hosting.

Workflow

• Record a story or start from a prompt in Amharic or English
• Upload or record a clip and select its original language
• Transcribe the recording using a hosted speech model
• Review and correct the transcript
• Add photos, captions, and an optional translation
• Create the storybook
• Store encrypted locally or download HTML/PDF

Evidence

Stories We Keep lets someone record a family memory in Amharic or English, review the transcript, and turn it into a picture storybook with family photos and the original recording.

Source

Transcription uses a free GPU service with queues and usage limits. If the free GPU quota is exhausted, recordings up to 60 seconds can fall back to CPU transcription.

Source

Saved stories, including text, questions, photos, and original audio, are encrypted in the browser using AES‑256‑GCM.

Source