LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT TESTS ELECTRONIC TRANSLATING MACHINE TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH IMMIGRANTS

The growing number of immigrants who do not speak fluent English has been a challenge for many local police departments, which are lucky if a few people on the force can speak Spanish, much less Vietnamese or Farsi.  However, a new device currently undergoing testing could make life easier for local police and the immigrants that they encounter.  The Voice Response Translator, which is now being tested in Oakland and San Diego, and in Nashville, Tennessee, is small enough to fit in an officer’s shirt pocket, and can be set up to accommodate almost any language spoken in the US.

The device is not a traditional translator, but rather works by recognizing a few words spoken by an officer, such as “driver’s license,” and translates it in the desired language as “May I please see your driver’s license.”  While the device will not be able to translate the responses, it will allow police increased communication with people who would otherwise not understand.

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