Emergency call centers utilizing Convey911 for translation services

EASTON — Public safety agencies up and down the Shore are reaping the benefits of a new translation service called Convey911.

The service has been added to the arsenal of many emergency call centers, including in Talbot and Dorchester counties. With a network of around 10,000 on-demand human interpreters, the service runs 24/7 and can connect callers in just seconds.

Convey911 CEO Jeff Bruns said the service allows emergency call specialists to quickly bring an interpreter after detecting the language of the caller.

“The technology is listening to that person’s voice, is making a determination around what language they speak, and is transcribing and translating their voice in real time, and putting it on the screen so the 911 call taker is able to read and understand what you’re saying,” Bruns said.

Over 180 languages are supported by Convey911’s text translation services, Bruns said.

The service has around 110 languages on demand for human interpreters and around 120 using artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence helps at the beginning of a call, Bruns said, detecting the language spoken by the caller. But the service doesn’t rely on AI.

“The call taker always has control,” Bruns said. “They have the ability to hit a button and pull in a real, live human. But what we’re doing in the background is understanding how accurately, or lack thereof, we’re transcribing. And if we find that the accuracy is not within a certain level of expectation, for example 80% accuracy, then we’re going to prompt the call taker on the screen (to bring in an interpreter).”

Holley Guschke, the chief of Talbot County’s 911 communications division, said the department is fully trained on Convey911’s services. It is the department’s hope that the service will assist residents in Talbot and surrounding counties.

“When you do need to translate, it is important to be able to do that as quickly as possible in order to send police, fire or medical personnel,” Guschke said.

“Working with Convey911 translation services will be invaluable to 911 operations by enabling clear and immediate communication with non-English speakers, reducing response times, and ensuring that all individuals receive the critical help they need during emergencies,” said Brian LeCates, Talbot County’s emergency services director, in an emailed statement.

In Dorchester County, Emergency Communications Chief Robbie Larimer says the county’s call center receives one to two calls per day from non-English speakers. Partnering with Convey911 has helped the department quicken its translation times since June, he said.

“They’ve been very willing to work with us,” Larimer said. He added that the company “embraces the understanding” of the need for public safety.

Larimer said Eastern Shore agencies embraced the service at the Maryland Association of Counties’ conference last year. Convey911 was at the conference, and representatives from different counties took notice.

“We saw what they had to offer,” Larimer said.

Bruns emphasized the service helps not just public safety agencies, but other departments as well. The Caroline County Health Department has been using the service since June.

Holly Trice, the health department’s director of nursing, lauded the Convey911 service as an “everyday” tool to communicate with residents.

“Our previous platform did not have an interpreter immediately available, so there were times we would sit on the phone for 15 minutes or so trying to find an appropriate interpreter,” Trice said. “We don’t have that with Convey911. As soon as we initiate the call, we immediately assign an interpreter, and everyone has been extremely professional.”

Bruns said feedback has been “exceptional” so far. He noted two “pain points” that the service addresses: quality of interpretation and the time it takes to get an interpreter on the line.

While Convey911 serves around 50 departments in around 14 states, its Maryland roots as a Baltimore-based company are important to Bruns.

“It’s very important for us to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to canvass Maryland, and really support Gov. (Wes) Moore’s platform of leave no one behind,” Bruns said. “We had a huge advocate in (Larimer) … in bringing all of the counties together so that we could do this as a group.”