A 19 year-old Spanish-speaking male is taken into police custody on charges of underage drinking and public intoxication, but officials cannot understand his broken English. Once at the station, he cannot speak enough English to answer questions about his offenses or provide information about his identity. Officials struggle to communicate with him, and despite his efforts, a language barrier obviously exists. Frustrated, officials have to call in a bi-lingual officer to help them communicate.

In detention, situations like this are also common. Language barriers frequently present problems for officers and other officials. 

“There were many instances where we had a lack of communication and total breakdowns of communication before this device,” says Gene Kelly, Sheriff of Clark County Sheriff's Office in Ohio.“Both parties just ended up walking away, shaking their heads.”

Officials at Clark County are now dealing with scenarios like this one in a brand new way. To break down language barriers, officials are taking advantage of a new technology: VoxTech's Phraselator P2.

The Phraselator translates English phrases into five different languages, fostering communication among law enforcement officials, offenders and citizens and it can be programmed to translate phrases that are often used in law enforcement and corrections scenarios. Officials believe that by improving communication across languages, the Phraselator is helping Clark County serve and protect everyone in the community.

“Some estimates say that there are 50 million Spanish-speaking people in the United States,” says Kelly. “I have an obligation to serve and protect them – I have to help them just as much as I have to help anyone else, so we have to bridge this language barrier. As soon as I saw this device, I knew it would foster communication. We've had great success with this technology. In Ohio, we have Phraselators in the courts, on the road and in the jails now.”

Equipped with over 2,000 phrases, the Phraselator translates Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Cantonese and Vietnamese languages. Officials can choose which phrase they need with just the push of a button. For law enforcement officials, the device is even changing the way crime scenes are handled.

“When we get to a crime scene, we can use this to ask people if they are hurt, interview them, ask them about anything from traffic stops to domestic abuse,” says Kelly. “And it's as easy to use as a Palm Pilot. This device even speaks Vietnamese. I know this will be a useful piece of technology, in any part of corrections.”

Enhancing Human Communication

While the Phraselator is certainly useful in many different areas, VoxTech and CCSO maintain that it is not intended to replace a human translator. However, the device does cover the most basic communication needs of citizens, offenders and officers during times of emergency – without requiring backup.

“We're not fortunate enough in law enforcement to have bilingual officers at our beck and call,” says Michael McQuillan, Public Safety Liaison for VoxTech. “These officers are at our service, but a lot of times we have to call them in off-duty. This does not replace an interpreter, but it does get you through the first initial contact, which is so important.”

But beyond the initial contact, the Phraselator calms listeners by using a live, native-speaking voice for each language. Opting not to use a computerized voice, VoxTech hoped to avoid frightening foreign offenders.

The Phraselator offers security in other ways too, beyond simply calming offenders. Criminal justice officials are pleased with the device because it can record every interaction that an officer has with an offender – which can be used in court.

“The recording feature is especially important in law enforcement,” says Kelly. “You can record all of the interaction and if you go to court later and someone says they didn't understand the language or their rights, you have all of their answers recorded. This device actually asks them if they understand the translations and if they say yes, you have proof in court that they knew what was happening.”

Kelly adds that the Phraselator is helpful because it can reduce the chance of violence in some situations.

“If I can ask someone what their name is, or where they live, that's going to benefit me,” says Kelly. “If I can ask someone if they are hurt, or explain to them what I'm doing and what the legal procedures are, it can reduce tensions and stress in a situation – hopefully that can eliminate a violent escalation.”

Beyond lowering tensions in an emergency situation, the Phraselator itself was designed with the safety of officers in mind. The device can be held in one hand, freeing up the other hand for self-defense if necessary. According to Kelly, officers in Clark County aren't just pleased with the efficiency of the device – they feel safe using it daily.

Customized Modules

According to VoxTech, the Phraselator was certainly developed with security in mind, but the company also wanted to ensure that the device could be used in many situations.

VoxTech decided to offer customized versions of the product in order to address a number of needs in emergency service arenas.

In corrections, for instance, Clark County uses a Phraselator that was developed for the intake room at their facility, which aids officials in helping offenders fill out paperwork, explain their rights and direct them to the proper areas. Because of this customization, McQuillan says that the Phraselator could change the way many organizations run.

“I think this is a huge step for the law enforcement or public safety arenas to help bridge the communication gap during emergency situations – this lets us communicate much more quickly in any emergency situation,” says McQuillan.

Although the Phraselator does not break down every language barrier, Kelly believes that it's an important first step in becoming more accessible to offenders who speak other languages. For organizations that require customized modules, VoxTech offers software that enables officials to design their own series of questions.

“This is just a part, although an essential one, of what we're doing at this facility,” Kelly says. “We have members of our staff, including myself, taking Spanish classes a few nights a week and we've purchased easy-reference books for all of our staff members. This is part of a large initiative we've undertaken, but we've had great success with it.”

Resources:

Clark County Sheriff's Office: http://www.clarkcountysheriff.com/

VoxTech – www.phraselator.com