Empowering Deaf Learners with AI: Creating an Audio-To-Text Mail Assistant Using Zapier and Next.js

✨ Introduction

In this article, I’ll walk you through how I created Audio-To-Text Mail Assistant — a web application that helps deaf and hard-of-hearing learners convert any audio lecture into readable text that’s automatically emailed to them.

The app uses a Zapier automation to handle transcription (via Assembly AI) and email delivery, while the front end is built using Next.js and Tailwind CSS for a clean and accessible design.

👉 Zapier Webhook Endpoint (Demo Link):
https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/24857877/u9k2gte/

🎯 Goal

The purpose of this application is to make audio-based learning content more accessible by allowing users to:

1. Record or upload an audio lecture.

2. Enter their email address.

3. Receive the transcribed text directly in their Gmail inbox.

🧩 Tools and Technologies Used

Tool / Service	Purpose
Next.js (React Framework)	Front-end user interface
Tailwind CSS	Styling and responsiveness
Zapier	Workflow automation
Assembly AI	Speech-to-text transcription API
Email by Zapier	Sending formatted transcript via email

⚙️ Workflow Architecture

[User Uploads Audio + Email]

↓

[Next.js App → Proxy API (/api/sendToZapier)]

↓

[Zapier Webhook (Catch Hook)]

↓

[AssemblyAI → Transcribe Audio]

↓

[Zapier → Email the Result]

↓

[User Receives Transcript in Gmail]

Hence, it’s a simple yet impactful way to help learners with hearing disabilities access spoken content in textual form — enhancing both accessibility and understanding.