Meet Sonal Arora โ the driving force behind one of our fastest and most impactful multilingual learning projects.
Sonal led the creation of ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐, empowering thousands of marginalized rural and peri-urban youth with inclusive, skill-based learning โ in partnership with YuWaah India at UNICEF.
Hereโs how she did it:
1. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ผ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ-๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ.๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐?
We stayed aligned through twice-daily check-ins, real-time dashboards, and clear ownershipโa strategy inspired by my mentor, Neeraj Agarwal. The team went above and beyond, working nights and weekends to ensure quality across scripts, videos, and voiceovers. Managing multilingual characters was tough, but strong quality checks and an incredible sense of ownership made it possible.
2. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐?
We followed a layered approach: English scripts were professionally translated, then reviewed by native experts for cultural accuracy. Voice artists voiced multiple characters per language to optimize consistency. Rigorous processes, tight coordination, and a committed team ensured quality.
3. ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐?
One major challenge was finding skilled translators and voice artists, especially for Odia and for recording multiple characters. It was chaotic initially due to limited availability. We overcame this by leveraging our networks, onboarding talent quickly, and setting up parallel workflows.
4. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฌ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ต ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐๐๐?
We aligned early by sharing character and graphic samples upfront. Regular WIP updates, clear guidelines, and review checkpoints helped avoid surprises. Dedicated content and multimedia leads ensured swift, structured implementation of feedback, while standardizing visuals and naming kept collaboration smooth across teams.
5. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐?
We created inclusive, multilingual learning to empower millions of marginalized youth. One course reshaped the perception of sales jobsโfrom undesirable to aspirational. When a multimedia artist said, โI feel like doing this job,โ I knew the content had truly landed.
My leadership takeaway? Stay calm, build trust, and let your team shine. This was one of our most meaningful projects.
Interviewed By –Neha Babbar
