The Marshalltown Police Department is currently experimenting with a new device that will aid our staff in improving our overall communication with those who speak a variety of different languages. The department has purchased an Instant Language Assistant (ILA) to help police department staff better communicate with members of our community. ILA is a fully portable electronic tablet system that can translate over 120 different languages, many times providing both voice feedback and readable text. This device will be used by staff to communicate without the need to contact a paid interrupter when discussing basic information. Our agency will continue to utilize in-person interpretation and/or Language Line Solutions to assist when needed.
ILA services a multitude of different languages and dialects for languages spoken throughout the world. The device also has video and audio features for those who are vision and hearing-impaired. Additional languages are often added as updates to the system become available. The device is an easy-to-use push-to-talk electronic device that translates communication into English and then back from English into a specified spoken language selected by the recipient. The translation is done seamlessly during a one-to-one conversation.
The Marshalltown Police Department will be utilizing this new technology and continue to evaluate whether additional units may be purchased to help our staff in the field.
For more information, please see the link below for further information and tutorials: https://www.translatelive.com/ila-solutions/
AUTHORITY: Captain Christopher Jones (cjones@marshalltown-ia.gov or 641.754.5758)