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Translator and Interpreter Program

Translator and Interpreter Program

The Michigan State Police created the Translator and Interpreter Program in 2021 to provide translation and interpretation services using members of the department who have existing backgrounds in cultural and language skills. The Translator and Interpreter Program is designed to support worksites, partner agencies, and communities throughout Michigan.

2025 Annual Report

Report Time Period: 01/01/2025 – 12/31/2025
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41 Program Team Members

Increase of 16 from 2021

57 Requests From Outside Agencies

Increase of 45 from 2021

282 People Assisted

24 Languages Provided

Albanian

Arabic

Bengali

Bosnian

Croatian

Dutch

French

German

Gujarati

Hindi

Hungarian

Korean

Malayalam

Ndebele

Polish

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Serbian

Setswana

Shona

Telegu

Urdu

Zulu

2025 Program Highlights:

  • Contacted by DRCC to assist Polish Consulate in locating a missing Polish citizen suffering from a mental health issue who missed his flight from Detroit Metro Airport. Worked through the misspelling of the name and located the subject safe at hospital. The consulate handled further arrangements.
  • Translated messages and phone contents for a homicide related digital forensic examination.
  • Attended a migrant elementary school and engaged with the students. Gave a brief presentation on who to contact for help and the role of the police. Provided a positive interaction with law enforcement for children who often have limited exposure to police in a supportive context due to the biases they face.
  • Assisted the Department of Homeland Security with the interview of a victim of human trafficking.
  • Interviewed victims, witnesses, and the suspect in a felonious assault at a migrant camp.
  • Assisted the Paw Paw Post with a stranded Nicaraguan motorist to provide wrecker assistance.
  • Assisted the Niles Post and St. Mary's Parish during a family safety meeting regarding possible violence to discuss safety planning.

Languages Requested
Language Number of Requests
French 1
Bosnian 1
Albanian 1
Polish 1
Portuguese 2
Gujarati 2
Romanian 2
Russian 3
Bengali 6
Korean 13
Arabic 32
Spanish 261

Requests per Month
Month Number of Requests
January 69
February 19
March 20
April 21
May 19
June 19
July 30
August 19
September 19
October 19
November 19
December 9

Reason for Request
Reason for Request Number of Requests
Child Protective Services 1
Death Notification 1
Internal Affairs Investigation 1
Court 2
Civil Matter 3
Other 4
Administrative Support 5
Case Follow-up/Victim Services 5
Community Events/Education 6
Document Translation 6
Public Assistance 6
Warrant 6
Communication 13
OWI/OUID Investigation 18
Interview 40
Criminal Investigation 75
Traffic Stop/Crash 80