Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation in Southwest Detroit Tuesday by highlighting the work the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) is doing to serve residents who speak languages other than English.
Benson announced that by the end of October, every branch office in Michigan will be equipped with new Pocketalk handheld translation devices to ensure every customer can easily communicate in their preferred language during their visit.
Pocketalk devices resemble smartphones and provide real-time translation in Spanish, Arabic, Bangla, and more than 80 other languages.
A user speaks into the device in their language, the device then translates it and provides the message to the second user in both audible and print formats. Thanks to the infusion of this new technology, customers who are not fluent in English are completing their transactions faster than ever before.
MDOS initially ran a pilot project with a few branches to determine if the new technology would be helpful. The Pocketalk devices were so effective that over 98% of branch offices are using the new technology today. All 131 branch offices will have Pocketalk installed by the end of October. MDOS staff are also using Pocketalk devices at Secretary of State mobile offices and driver’s license restoration clinics as well as for driver assessment. In less than one year, Pocketalk has translated 279,318 interpretations into and from languages other than English.
Secretary of State office staff are calling the devices a “gamechanger” for connecting with residents who are not fluent in English. While the department has had a language support telephone line available for many years that staff call for interpreter assistance, the handheld devices provide an immediate, efficient, and more private way to translate a conversation.
Benson announced that by the end of October, every branch office in Michigan will be equipped with new Pocketalk handheld translation devices to ensure every customer can easily communicate in their preferred language during their visit.
Pocketalk devices resemble smartphones and provide real-time translation in Spanish, Arabic, Bangla, and more than 80 other languages.
A user speaks into the device in their language, the device then translates it and provides the message to the second user in both audible and print formats. Thanks to the infusion of this new technology, customers who are not fluent in English are completing their transactions faster than ever before.
MDOS initially ran a pilot project with a few branches to determine if the new technology would be helpful. The Pocketalk devices were so effective that over 98% of branch offices are using the new technology today. All 131 branch offices will have Pocketalk installed by the end of October. MDOS staff are also using Pocketalk devices at Secretary of State mobile offices and driver’s license restoration clinics as well as for driver assessment. In less than one year, Pocketalk has translated 279,318 interpretations into and from languages other than English.
Secretary of State office staff are calling the devices a “gamechanger” for connecting with residents who are not fluent in English. While the department has had a language support telephone line available for many years that staff call for interpreter assistance, the handheld devices provide an immediate, efficient, and more private way to translate a conversation.
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