Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090219
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-20 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Actually, 140 sets of ears.
Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem and Vinton have signed on to an AT&T program that links dispatchers and police officers with translators of foreign languages.
The translators offer interpretations in 140 languages, ranging from Arabic to Swahili.
Dispatchers recently finished training on the system, which went on line Nov. 18.
"We had noticed an increase in the number of foreign-speaking persons," said Ron Wade, superintendent of the Roanoke 911 center. "It is a little difficult to communicate with someone, unless you understand the language."
City dispatchers already found the system handy when called on to help a Cambodian man stranded at the bus station.
Police Chief David Hooper said the new system recognizes the facts of modern American life.
"I think it is a sign of the times," he said. "There are a lot of people in this country that are not conversant in the English language. They are still in need of governmental services."
Dispatchers and police officers dial a toll-free number and patching a translator in on a conference call.
Easy-to-reach translators save time, critical if someone is seriously injured or in need of immediate police assistance.
Wade said the city plans to include firefighters and emergency medical services.
While the county reported no calls so far on the new system, experience indicates it will be necessary.
Roanoke County Capt. Jack McCorkle said county officers once had to find someone at Roanoke College to interpret a conversation with a foreign-speaking person.
That took an hour or more.
"This program allows the officers to make contact with someone who knows the language within a matter of minutes," McCorkle said.
Salem Police Chief Harry Haskins said his officers in the past had to scramble when dealing with people who cannot speak English.
When a Vietnamese family had a wreck outside the police station, Salem officers had to hope "someone knew someone they could call."
Sensitivity to the issue was prompted by a regional 911 committee of representatives from about 15 communities in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
In addition to the Roanoke Valley participants, dispatch centers from Martinsville-Henry County and Pittsylvania County have expressed interest.
Roanoke and Roanoke County were the first agencies to sign up and will share the cost of the $99 hookup fee and $50 monthly base charge. A per-call charge will be made, depending on the type of translator required.
In the post-Cold-War Roanoke Valley, that could mean some odd charges on the 911 phone bill, such as when a Russian hockey player recently locked his keys in his car at the Roanoke Civic Center.
by CNB