GOVSEC Honors Language-Translation Device

WASHINGTON – A new language-translation technology now being used in corrections received an award for innovation at the recent GOVSEC security exposition and conference.

The Phraselator for Law Enforcement is a handheld unit that allows users to store thousands of phrases in multiple languages. Phrases are recorded by human translators and compiled into secure digital cards, called “phrase modules.” The recorded questions and statements are based on situational needs.

The product underwent prototype development for use in corrections in a county jail in New York state. According to Oneida County Undersheriff Peter Paravati, the Phraselator is actively being used in the Oneida Correctional Facility among inmates in need of medical attention.

The units offer three ways to translate: voice activation, touch screen and buttons. Users are shown which phrase is selected to verify which language and phrase is being spoken.

Made by VoxTec, a division of Marine Acoustics Inc., the Phraselator received a Profiles in Innovation Award for Law Enforcement Product Excellence at the GOVSEC 2004 summer conference.

Roughly 900 prototype Phraselators are in use in the military and law enforcement, and the company recently released a new model, the Phraselator P2. The company says the rugged units are weather- and shock-resistant and speak several languages, including Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish.