iPhone Doubles as Pocket Translator for Police Officer

Nicole Martinelli ()

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A police officer in Benton County, Washington is using his iPhone on the job as a translator.

Described in the local news story as a “crime-fighting gadget,” Deputy Doug Hollenbeck has been relying on his iPhone for the last eight months to help boost rudimentary Spanish skills while dealing with everything from roll-over accidents to routine traffic stops.

Hollenbeck says he’s admittedly at a disadvantage because he can’t speak fluent Spanish in a significantly Hispanic community.

“I’ve got some basic vocabulary skills but other than that, not so much,” he adds. That has translated to the phone being somewhat of a staple in his line-up of gear.  No mention of exactly which app he’s using.

Are translator apps fast enough to be used on the job? Let me know what you’re using in the comments…

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About the author

nicole_martinelli

Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook and Google+.

If you're doing something new/cool that's Apple related, email her about it.

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  • NJ

    As a police officer in Arizona I also use my iPhone to assist with translation. I have a good basic foundation in Spanish and use Google Translate and the Collins Ultralingua Spanish App to supplement if I get over my head.

  • http://learnhdmi.com HDMI Guy

    I tried using my iphone when I was traveling in China to translate some things, but it just wasn’t up to the job. I think spanish is much more manageable since it is the same alphabet, but you probably still need to hire a translator if you’re traveling in asia.

  • Bill Barlow

    RE: “… No mention of exactly which app he’s using…”

    If you look at the video in the accompanying TV News Story, it looks to be “Free Translator” from developer Codesign.

    (Compare the initial screen of the patrolman’s iPhone App — as shown in the video — with the screenshots of Free Translator, shown in the iTunes App Store. They’re identical.)