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Article: Remove 911 Language Barrier
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- December 18, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1992 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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It is easy to forget how elusive even the most basic emergency
services can be for Chicago's vast, non-English speaking population.
But the recent controversy over the efficiency of Chicago's 911
emergency line for Spanish-speaking callers has brought the matter
home.
Chicago is a virtual tower of Babel. Yet without the
translation capacity of a United Nations, how can the needs of its
residents be met?
At the moment, the Chicago Police Department has two bilingual
(Spanish-English) operators on duty at all times. And operators at
911 also can speed-dial into a free-floating bank of volunteers who
speak a wide variety of languages.
But Chicago's 911 system is antiquated. And unlike ...