Tech: Real-time translation earbudsJob: Tour guideAuthors: E. H. Ackerman & J. D. AckermanARQS Press
Reading band: Ages 6–11Headline tech: Real-time translation earbudsThe job: Tour guide for a lost tour busLocation: Harbour Loop International Bus Depot and the old ferry district
The Hook
A tour bus arrives at Harbour Loop with visitors needing the aquarium pier, garden lunch stop, and the correct bus door—yet its map screen is frozen at “HELLO.” Dispatcher Sol hires the crew to guide them with translation earbuds, clear directions, and no guessing.
Cast in this issue
Tray (10): map-minded planner and careful listener.
Jay (8): cheerful greeter who makes directions a game show.
Rae (12): engineer and fair-pay negotiator.
Sol Amani: Harbour Loop dispatcher and former tour guide.
Glitch: floating helper bot, eager to translate everything.
Comic Pages
PAGE 1
PANEL 1Buses curve past ferry flags, food carts, and a lighthouse clock. A friendly group circles a bus saying HELLO. SOL: “Tour Guide rules: count everyone, speak clearly, check the map, send nobody off alone.” JAY: “Bet. I count people and snacks.” TRAY: “People first.”
PANEL 2Rae checks the earlier wrench, remotes, meters, clips, and safety tools, then adds a Phrase-Pair Clip for labelled earbud sets. BIG GAG: Glitch hears “pair clip” as “pear flip” and flips a foam fruit sign onto Jay’s head.JAY: “I have been promoted to fruit.”
PANEL 3Rae shares colour-tagged earbuds. RAE: “Kid version: earbuds hear words, turn sound into text, translate meaning, and speak new words. They are fast, but humans check.” TRAY: “A helpful bridge, not a magic brain.” SOL: “Real ones confirm.”
PAGE 2
PANEL 4A visitor asks through an earbud, “Where is the aquarium pier?” Jay’s matching pair translates. Tray points to the map and Rae answers; the group nods. JAY: “The tech is workin’ it!” RAE: “The map gets credit too.”
PANEL 5A ferry horn booms. Jay asks, “Pier Four?” The noisy earbud hears “pear floor” and points toward fruit carts. BIG GAG: Plush pears tumble into Jay’s arms, making him waddle like a green penguin.JAY: “Produce side quest!”
PANEL 6Tray stops the group inside the safe depot. TRAY: “Bus sign says Pier Four; earbud says pears. One has boats.” SOL: “Noise confused its microphone.” RAE: “We improve the clue. We do not blame the people.”
PAGE 3
PANEL 7Rae clips matching colours to families, moves everyone under a quiet awning, and holds up a map icon. Guests repeat one short destination sentence. BIG GAG: Glitch translates Jay’s “Hold my juice box” as an order and solemnly holds it with tiny arms.JAY: “Elite customer service.”
PANEL 8The clear route appears. Tray counts the group, Jay waves a blue flag, and Sol drives to aquarium pier, then garden lunch. Rae checks the final count. SOL: “Lost no one, guessed nothing, fixed communication. Big-brain guiding.”
PAGE 4
PANEL 9Sol pays twenty-one Crew Coins; guests add four as a tip. RAE: “Pay us properly—and thank you for the tip.” TRAY writes: “Harbour Loop guide: +$25. Crew Bank total: $215.” JAY: “Our jar needs a seat belt.”
PANEL 10A museum cart rolls by: “THE GREAT LOST SOCK COLLECTION.” A sock lands on Jay’s head. JAY: “This sock chose me.” TRAY: “That tracks, somehow.”
Tech Talk with Rae
RAE’S TOOLBOX BOX
Earbuds turn spoken sounds into text, then choose matching words in another language.
They can speak those translations aloud.
Clear speech, short sentences, and quiet places help them work.
Maps, pointing, and friendly human checks still matter.
Funny caveat: a ferry horn can turn “Pier Four” into “pear floor.”
TRY IT: Say one clear direction, then draw a picture to check that your message matches.
The Job Board
Job title: Tour guide for a lost tour bus
Who hired us: Sol Amani, Harbour Loop dispatcher.
Rules of the job: Count guests; speak clearly; check map signs; keep everyone together in safe public areas.
What went wrong: Ferry noise turned “Pier Four” into “pear floor.”
How we fixed it: We used a quiet awning, paired labels, a map icon, clear repeats, and head counts.
What we got paid: $21 in Crew Coins plus a $4 tip; Crew Bank total: $215.
Slang Decoder
Bet:** “Yes, I’m ready.”Real ones:** dependable people who help.Workin’ it:** doing something very well.Vibe check:** a quick check of what makes sense.Elite:** especially excellent.
A frozen bus screen, a bustling harbour, and visitors headed in three directions—what could go wrong? Tray, Jay, and Rae guide a lost tour bus with translation earbuds. But when a ferry horn turns “Pier Four” into “pear floor,” the crew uses maps, matching clips, and careful listening. Then a suspicious sock rolls into town!
A full-colour graphic-novel cartoon at Harbour Loop Bus Depot with ferry flags and buses: Tray, 10, has warm brown skin, short curly black hair with a lightning-bolt shaved part on the LEFT, chunky blue-framed smart glasses with a tiny camera dot on the right lens, mustard-yellow gear-patch hoodie, teal cargo shorts, orange sneakers, and slim tech backpack with drone-shaped zipper pull, holding a map; Jay, 8, has lighter brown freckled skin, wild messy black hair, one missing front tooth, lime-green rocket-print T-shirt, red gadget-pocket shorts, striped and polka-dot mismatched socks, and purple glowing-lace sneakers, under plush pears; Rae, 12, has dark brown skin, two long black braids with gold bead cuffs, purple rolled-sleeve utility jumpsuit, tool belt with wrench and Phrase-Pair Clip, goggles on forehead, smartwatch on right wrist, and silver-and-pink high-tops. Glitch holds a juice box. Thick clean ink, saturated palette, warm seaside light.
Issue 13 appears in the collection Tray & Jay: World Explorers with its full-colour comic
illustration, Tech Talk page, Job Board card and Slang Decoder.
