Audio Translation and SMS (Texting) Translation

Product: Prepared ACT
Audience: Call Takers, Dispatchers, Supervisors, and Administrators
Last Updated: 03/04/2025

After reading this section, you will be able to use the Audio Translation and SMS (Texting) Translation features to communicate effectively with non-English speaking callers in real time.

Prepared provides two translation tools to help you communicate with callers who speak different languages: Audio Translation and SMS (Texting) Translation. Audio Translation translates spoken non-English languages to English, while SMS Translation lets you send and receive translated text messages in real time.

Note: The list of supported languages may change as we continue to add additional languages.

How to Use Audio Translation

1. Start the Call

   • Begin a 911 call or an active incident where the caller speaks a language that requires translation.

2. Enable Audio Translation

   • Once the call is active, Audio Translation will automatically translate the transcript of non-English conversations into English. You don’t need to do anything extra to activate it.

3. View Translated Text

   • As the call progresses, the translated text will be displayed in the incident details or transcript.

4. Rely on a Translator for Audio Feedback

   • While Audio Translation provides text translations, it still relies on a translator to speak the translation back to the caller. Use this feature to assist in understanding the conversation.

5. Supplement with SMS Translation (if needed)

   • If Audio Translation is not sufficient, switch to SMS Translation to send translated text messages directly to the caller. Follow the SMS Translation steps below.

How to Use SMS Translation with Audio

1. Open an Active Call

   • If the customer has Audio, click into an existing call in real time.

2. Click "Start Chat"

   • Click the "Start Chat" button to initiate a text conversation.

3. Language Detection

   • The system will attempt to automatically detect the caller’s language if it is one of Audio languages we support. If the language is detected, you can proceed.

   • If the language is not detected, proceed to the next step to select the language manually.

4. Select the Language

   • If the caller’s language is not detected, click the language dropdown and manually select the caller’s language.

5. Send Translated Text

   • Once the language is selected, type your message in English, and the system will automatically send the translated text to the caller in their chosen language.

How to Use SMS Translation Without Audio

1. Start a New Chat

   • If the customer does not have Audio, start a new chat in the incident details or through the chat interface.

2. Select the Language

   • In the chat preview, click the language to select the language you want to send your message in. This sets the language for the conversation.

3. Translate Existing Messages

   • If you are already in a text conversation, locate the language dropdown in the bottom right of the text box. Select the language to which you want to translate the text.

4. Send and Receive Translated Messages

   • After selecting the language, type your message in English. The system will send the translated text to the caller in their language. When the caller responds in their language, the system will automatically translate their response into English for you.

Audio Translation Languages

Prepared can translate the transcript of non-English languages (33 languages supported):

• Spanish

• Mandarin Chinese (both Chinese & Taiwanese Mandarin)

• Bulgarian

• Catalan

• Czech

• Danish

• Dutch

• Finnish

• French

• German

• Greek

• Hindi

• Hungarian

• Indonesian

• Italian

• Japanese

• Korean

• Lithuanian

• Latvian

• Malay

• Norwegian

• Polish

• Portuguese

• Romanian

• Russian

• Slovak

• Swedish

• Tamil

• Thai

• Turkish

• Vietnamese

SMS (Texting) Translation Languages

• All Google Translate languages are supported, totaling 243 languages. You can view the full list here: Google Translate Languages.

• Contact Prepared Support: Support@prepared911.com