Convey Blog

Convey911: The Communication Connection | 5/13/2025

Written by Patrick Rife | May 13, 2025 1:00:00 PM

Breaking Down Language Barriers in Emergency Response

Welcome back to The Communication Connection, your go-to source for the latest innovations in language access, emergency communication, and public safety technology. Each month, we bring you feature updates, industry insights, and company news to help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of critical communications.

This May edition focuses on breaking down language barriers in emergency response—an issue at the core of our mission. Let's dive in!


🚨 Product Spotlight: ConveyCommunicator + Prizym

AI-Powered Emergency Response, Unified and Real-Time

ConveyCommunicator has evolved into a comprehensive, AI-driven platform through its integration with Prizym—a collaborative solution developed by Convey911, Exacom, and Smart Response Technologies.

This unified system empowers emergency responders with:

  • Real-Time Multilingual Communication: Supports over 185 languages and dialects, including ASL, across text, video, and voice channels.

  • Advanced AI Features: Offers real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, keyword alerting, and conversation summarization for enhanced situational awareness.

  • Seamless Integration: Compatible with over 85 mission-critical systems, including phone, radio, dispatch consoles, and more—no need to rip and replace.

It’s Ready to Deploy. See It in Action Today.

Prizym isn’t a future concept—it’s fully operational and already transforming how emergency communication centers manage multilingual and multi-channel interactions. If your team is ready for faster response times, better situational awareness, and seamless language access, now’s the time to act.

🎯 Don’t wait. Book a personalized demo to see how Prizym can power your communications.

 

🚀 Feature Update: ConveyCommunicator Enhancements

Real-time Language Identification Just Got Faster

Our proprietary language detection algorithm has received significant upgrades. The enhanced system now:

  • Supports real-time translation of 339 languages.

  • Recognizes regional dialects with greater accuracy

  • Adapts to speech patterns in high-stress situations

  • Seamlessly transitions between language detection and translation

These improvements mean emergency responders can establish effective communication even faster, reducing critical time lost during emergencies where every second counts.

Enhanced AI Conversation Summarization

We've expanded our AI summarization capabilities to not only identify key emergency details but also to:

  • Highlight potential conflicts in reported information
  • Flag location discrepancies for immediate verification
  • Track emotional indicators to assist with sentiment assessment
  • Creates efficiencies and increases speed based on caller responses that provides a more informed cadence for call takers

The result? A more comprehensive understanding of each emergency situation, leading to better-informed response decisions and improved outcomes.


📊 Industry Insight: The Hidden Cost of Language Barriers

Recent data reveals the significant impact language barriers have on emergency response times and outcomes:

  • According to a 2024 report by Carbyne, most non-English speaking 9-1-1 callers must wait 5-10 minutes to get help in their native language, despite 67 million people in America speaking a language other than English at home. Ref
  • Research published in Prehospital Emergency Care found language barriers significantly increase dispatch times and affect the accuracy of emergency response. Ref
  • The 2020 US Census reports that 8.3% of the US population over the age of five speaks English "less than very well," creating critical communication barriers during emergencies. Ref
  • Studies show that language difficulties are commonly cited as reasons people avoid calling emergency services, even during critical situations. Ref
  • Studies show that language difficulties are commonly cited as reasons people avoid calling emergency services, even during critical situations. Ref

These industry-wide challenges are precisely what drives Convey911's innovation. Our enhanced language detection algorithm significantly reduces wait times experienced by non-English speakers. As demonstrated in our Eastern Shore implementation (featured in this month's success story), we've dramatically improved interpreter connection times, helping emergency services overcome these documented barriers.

Convey911's mission is to eliminate these barriers, ensuring everyone receives timely, accurate emergency assistance regardless of the language they speak.


💬 Client Success Story: Eastern Shore 911 Centers

All nine counties across Maryland's Eastern Shore have recently implemented ConveyCommunicator and ConveyConnect to eliminate language barriers in emergency response. Led by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Communications Division and funded by the Maryland 911 Board, this regional collaboration has transformed emergency communications for diverse communities.

Since implementation:

  • Emergency call centers handle 1-2 non-English calls daily with immediate translation
  • Interpreter connection times have been reduced to under 10 seconds on average
  • Service covers 339 languages through both AI technology and human interpreters
  • First responders now have access to translation services in the field via mobile app

"The language services provided by Convey have allowed us to provide faster, more reliable, and higher quality language translation, which has allowed us to provide a higher level of service to the residents and visitors," says Sgt. Robbie Larimer, manager of the Dorchester Sheriff's Communication Division.

Our CEO Jeff Bruns explains the technology's impact: "The technology is listening to that person's voice, is making a determination around what language they speak, and is transcribing and translating their voice in real time," providing immediate understanding for emergency responders.

The ConveyConnect platform allows dispatchers to instantly connect with human interpreters at the touch of a button while the AI technology handles initial language detection and translation.

See video coverage here:


❓ Your Questions Answered

Q: How does the solution handle regional dialects?
A: Our system leverages training on thousands of regional variations and continuously learns from real-world interactions. This allows us to distinguish between dialects even within the same language, ensuring accurate translation regardless of regional speech patterns. 

Q: Can Text-to-911 handle multiple languages simultaneously?
A: Our Text-to-911 service automatically detects the language of incoming messages and translates them for the dispatcher. The dispatcher can respond in English, and the system will translate the response back to the caller's language instantly—all while maintaining a seamless conversation flow. Text-to-911 currently supports 59 languages.
Have more questions? Visit our FAQ page or reply to this email.


📅 Upcoming Events

Virginia NENA/APCO Spring Conference, May 20-23, 2025 | Williamsburg, VA

This annual event brings together public safety communications professionals from across the state to engage in training sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities. Attendees can expect to discuss the latest industry trends, share best practices, and collaborate on enhancing emergency response services. More info

NENA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo | June 21-26, 2025 | Long Beach, CA

NENA's Annual Conference & Expo is the premier event for 911 professionals, bringing together thousands of attendees for four days of education, networking, and innovation in emergency communications. More info

APCO 2025 Annual Conference | July 27-30, 2025 | Baltimore, MD

APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo is the premier event for public safety communications officials, from frontline telecommunicators to comm center managers to public safety communications equipment and services vendors. Starting July 27, APCO 2025 offers four days of educational sessions, committee meetings and special events, paired with two full days of exhibits. More info


📰 On the Blog

Prizym: Real-Time AI Solution Unifying Critical Communication Information

Prizym, a groundbreaking cloud-based platform from Convey911, Exacom, and Smart Response Technologies, unifies emergency communications through a single intuitive dashboard. This AI-powered solution integrates with over 85 critical systems, provides real-time translation in 339 languages, and delivers customizable alerts—helping emergency responders make faster decisions when seconds matter most.

Read more

ConveyAlert: Transforming Healthcare Communication with Mass Notifications

ConveyAlert transforms healthcare communication with its multilingual mass notification system that delivers critical information in patients' preferred languages. The platform enhances safety and efficiency by supporting emergency alerts, appointment reminders, and updates across SMS, text, and digital signage—helping providers meet compliance requirements while ensuring clear communication for diverse patient populations.

Read more


🔗 Stay Connected

Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates and insights: Convey911 LinkedIn Page
We're looking forward to keeping you informed and engaged each month!

— The Convey911 Team