Police and hospitals find the need to hire translators for more than just French or Spanish.
LEWISTON – At the local police station, a colorful sign in the lobby directs people to point to a language if they need a translator.

Years ago, most would have pointed to French.

Not anymore.

“Now we’ve got Portuguese, we’ve got Somali, we’ve got other African languages,” said Sgt. James Rioux. “Of course, communication issues are huge for us.”

Once, French and Spanish were virtually the only foreign languages spoken here. Now people speak dozens of languages, from Hebrew to Swahili, a language of East Africa.

It’s a new diversity that has forced schools, businesses and state agencies to figure out ways to deal with dozens of languages to make sure everyone can communicate.

Interpreters. Translation services. Signs in different languages.

“It’s one of those things you don’t think about until you need it,” said Sean Findlen, a spokesman for St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.

In the 1970s and 80s, experts say, Maine began to get an increase in immigrants from Asia. In the 1990s, they came from Russia and Serbia-Croatia. Since 2000, many have come from African countries, including Somalia.

“I think it’s a change that has been gradual over time,” said Mary Rice-DeFosse, a Bates College French professor.

Because no agency tracks all of the languages in Maine, it’s difficult to tell exactly how many foreign languages are now spoken in the state.

To ensure that every resident knows about the state help available, the Department of Human Services has printed its brochures in seven languages, including Russian and Vietnamese. It printed MaineCare brochures in 10 languages. When someone needs a live translation, DHS uses an AT&T phone service.

“Within about 30 seconds they get someone who speaks that language on the line to do the translation,” said DHS spokesman Newell Augur.

The exact number of different languages isn’t known in Lewiston, either, officials said. But they do know the city’s adult education program has nearly 300 students who speak 25 languages and come from 42 countries. The English as a Second Language program has 319 kids who speak 16 different languages, including Somali, Cantonese and Tagalog, a language spoken in the Philippines.

At St. Mary’s in Lewiston, many patients want family members to translate during doctors’ appointments. When a relative isn’t available, the hospital uses local translators or a phone service that allows doctors and patients to talk with an interpreter through headsets.

“We’ve been doing a lot of Arabic lately,” said Findlen.

Without quick, accurate translation, patients can misunderstand a diagnosis. Doctors can miss a medical problem because patients weren’t able to talk about their symptoms.

“You can have medical errors very quickly in this kind of situation,” Findlen said.

Law enforcement errors can happen just as quickly.

In the field, Lewiston police officers carry cards to help them say “stop” and “you’re under arrest” in different languages. At the station, a multi-language sign tells visitors that translators are available.

Communication is often an issue.

“I sat there once and had a conversation with a guy who never said a word. He did a bunch of gestures, but he got his point across,” Rioux said.

////English as a Second Language/////

Four years ago, Lewiston didn’t have much of a program to help foreign students learn English.

It didn’t have many foreign students.

“There weren’t any here. Maybe a Bates professor came and brought their children. Something like that,” said curriculum director Janice Plourde. “We could do one-on-one tutoring.”

Today, Lewiston’s English as a Second Language program has 319 kids, making it the second largest in the state. Portland is the largest, with more than 1,100 students.

SAD 33 in Frenchville, SAD 52 in Turner and Indian Island/Indian Township often bounce between third and fourth largest since enrollment can change from month to month.

Auburn is the fifth largest, with 113 students.

Of the foreign-language students in Lewiston, 225 speak Somali. Twenty-four students speak Chinese, nearly twice the number of French speakers.

To cope, Lewiston has hired four ESL teachers, five teaching assistants and a tutor. It has a liaison to translate officials documents and handle communications between Somali parents and the school. It hires interpreters for parents who speak other languages.

“Any language we don’t have a translator for, we find one,” Plourde said.

When the influx of Somali families began in February 2001, the city had trouble communicating with parents. Things have improved.

“In the future, as the diversity is growing, we’ll know what we’re doing,” Plourde said.
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