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Whatever language, 911
can help
County hires company to
translate during calls
BY KEN
KOSKY Date posted online: Sunday, July 22, 2007
VALPARAISO |
People living in Porter County or just passing through can get help in an
emergency -- no matter what language they speak -- now that the county's 911
dispatchers reach translators who speak 170 different languages. Porter County
911 Director Dave Sheibels said the county signed on with California-based
Language Line Services one month ago. Now, anytime someone dials 911 and speaks
in a foreign language, dispatchers can press a button on their computer and
reach a translator to talk to the foreign language-speaking caller. Sheibels
said Porter County never took advantage of the service before because there was
a monthly fee and 911 calls in a different language were almost nonexistent.
But now Porter County is receiving a call every couple of months from a
Spanish-speaking person. In addition, Language Line Services has dropped its
monthly fee and now charges 911 centers $1.25 a minute -- which translates to
$2.50 for the average 911 call. Sheibels said the $10 the county might spend
each year on the service is well worth it. "It's the whole mission of public
safety ... to provide help to anyone who is in our county whether they're
traveling through or live here," he said. "We don't differentiate. We need
to get them help. "Sheibels said the county signed up with the service June 21,
and two days later received a 911 call from a Spanish-speaking man. Dispatcher
Pat Cleary got a Language Line translator on the line within seconds and the
translator found out the caller was in a dispute with another person over the
ownership of a car. Sheibels said the Hispanic population is rising, so
dispatchers will see more and more need to communicate with those who speak only
Spanish. But the service could just as easily be used to help a vacationer from
another country, even if the dispatcher doesn't recognize the language. In cases
like that, Language Line's voice recognition software allows them to determine
the language being spoken and link that person with a person who speaks the same
language. Sheibels said Language Line has people who speak 170 different
languages available 24 hours a day. Hobart police announced earlier this year
that they were using the service. The company also offers, for an additional
charge, a service that allows emergency responders to use their cellular phones
to call from a scene and reach a translator.
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