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New York (Aug. 1, 2024) – Prepared, the leading AI platform built to revolutionize emergency communications, announces the upcoming release of two-way audio translation, a lifesaving speech-to-speech feature for non-English 911 calls.
With the initial release of two-way audio translation, 911 calls in Spanish will automatically translate to English text for the call taker. Conversely, call takers can type responses in English, which will automatically translate to Spanish and be spoken back to the caller through an AI-generated voice feature.
Between 350 and 430 languages are spoken in the United States, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. While 78 percent of the U.S. population speaks English (260 million people), 13 percent speaks Spanish (42 million people), which is why Prepared will start with Spanish, then add more languages post launch. Today, 911 call takers must conference a third-party translator and wait for them to join, which wastes precious time during an emergency.
“Given the ongoing staffing crisis at U.S. 911 centers, every second counts and dispatchers must do more with less to save lives,” said Michael Chime, CEO and co-founder of Prepared. “That stark reality constantly challenges us to focus on innovations that help create the space and bandwidth for call takers and dispatchers to move swiftly and efficiently.”
Prepared currently offers text translation for incoming and outgoing SMS messages in more than 140 languages, as well as the translation of the transcript of a 911 audio call in real-time for more than 30 languages. However, two-way audio functionality creates a more natural, person-to-person phone conversation, which results in better situational clarity and faster call processing. With transcription and translation for incoming audio, call takers to get full visibility into what's being said
“Approximately half of our non-English-speaking 911 callers hang up due to confusion while we play a game of phone tag with a language translation service that can take up to five minutes,” said Anthony Mignogna, Chief of Communications at Delaware County Emergency Services (Philadelphia) and Adjunct Instructor at the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO). “Once we’re up and running with the new two-way audio translation technology from Prepared, we can reduce those hang ups and send people the help they need.”
With third-party translators sometimes taking several minutes to join a call after a request, it’s nearly impossible to process urgent non-English 911 calls according to standards. The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Standard for Emergency Services Communications is that urgent 911 calls should be processed in 60 seconds or less, 90 percent of the time, from the moment the call is answered until emergency resources are alerted.
Two-way audio translation is Prepared’s latest feature that will be available commercially for 911 call centers this fall. It follows on the heels of the company’s Emergency SOS Live Video integration with Apple® that enables iPhone® users to share 911 call context through live streaming, recorded video, photos and texts. During a 911 call, dispatchers simply send a request for the iPhone caller to share live video or media from the camera roll over a secure connection, which makes it easier and faster to get help. The new feature launches with the release of iOS 18 for iPhone in September.
“Launching both two-way audio translation and Emergency SOS Live Video this fall are two more examples of our mission at Prepared to use assistive-AI and video technology to put more powerful tools in the hands of emergency responders,” said Chime. “Our team is highly motivated to wake up each day and build tools that help ECC save lives. It’s what keeps us going.”
Prepared will preview two-way audio translation and Emergency SOS Live Video for iPhone in Booth #1647 at APCO 2024 in Orlando, Fla. from Aug. 4-7.
About Prepared
Prepared is a leading provider of mission-critical multimedia and text to public safety agencies and the pioneer of assistive 911 technology. The company’s flagship product, Prepared Assist, is an AI-powered, assistive 911 platform that introduces and synthesizes next-generation data to increase call-taking and dispatch efficiency. Since its founding in 2019, the company now partners with 1,000 agencies in 49 states that protect 97 million people. In the process, it has raised more than $30 million in venture funding from leading investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a.k.a., a16z), M13 and First Round Capital. For more information, visit Prepared911.com
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