9-1-1 Dispatchers Handling More Foreign-Language Calls
By Erin Rossiter, The Gainesville Times
Original publication date: Feb. 21
Hall County, Ga. — Calltaker John Hanes recognized the sounds on the other end of his telephone line, even if he didn’t know the words being spoken. The person had dialed 911 with an emergency. And now he couldn’t explain what was happening to Hanes, who pictured his Navy service in the Philippines.
“That’s where I ran into Mandarin,” Hanes said.
A chart kept on his desk explains how exactly to say “please hold,” “please hold for an interpreter,” and “please do not hang up” in dozens of languages.
Hanes verbalized one of the phrases, and he stayed on the line as he transferred the call to Monterey, Calif. That’s where Language Line Services receives calls from Hall County’s emergency dispatchers who need an interpreter — now. Learn more.
