LAPD Deploys Hand-held Translators
Quietly introduced to the department in late summer, the Phraselator may have found an ideal home in Los Angeles, where police have long struggled to find officers who can communicate in all 224 languages spoken in the immigrant-rich city.
The idea of a simple device that can instantly translate any language is a staple of utopian fiction, from “Star Trek’s” universal translator to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s” Babel Fish. But as anybody knows who has read the sometimes comical texts provided by voice-recognition software, getting translations right is difficult.
The Phraselator doesn’t attempt voice-to-voice translation. Instead, the LAPD’s bilingual officers — 32% of the 9,600-member force has some foreign language proficiency — translate and load standard police commands and questions into the device’s computer memory. The translations can be retrieved and broadcast by a simple English-language text or voice word search.”
It is not quite like that translator thing on ‘Star Trek.’ It’s a step or two away,” Kato said. “But when it comes to crowd control, natural disasters or medical emergencies, it can be a lifesaver.”
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