The language barrier between English-speaking investigators and Spanish-speaking witnesses is a growing problem. (Updated 28 February 2011)

Now there is a simple solution: translation cards. A West Palm Beach (Florida) police officer saw a translation card being used by Charlotte-Mecklenburg law enforcement and brought the idea home to his agency. Within four hours of distributing the cards, West Palm Beach police had arrested an individual with information gained from witnesses using the translation cards. One side of the card shows weapons and logos for different makes of vehicles. The other side lists—in Spanish and English—various identification features: age, hair color, and clothing. Witnesses simply circle the features that they observed (for example, teen/joven; bald/calvo; sweatshirt/sudadera). The cards are being distributed free by Tammy Kassner. She can be reached by phone at 800-429-9300 Ext. 107. Joseph Schmoke, CEO of Andrew Jackson University. He can be reached by e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone: 205-451-2071.

(Updated 28 February 2011)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED:
May-June 2008 (Volume 6, Number 3)
Evidence Technology Magazine
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