EMERGENCY services across Britain could soon find it easier to save the lives of people who don't speak English, thanks to a Yorkshire invention.
The Yorkshire and Humber Equity Fund has invested £150,000 in York-based Lattice Voice Technologies, a firm that destroys communication barriers.
Lattice Voice Technologies has created a software – called First Contact – which can rapidly identi
fy the language spoken by telephone callers. It means emergency services staff will not be flummoxed by distressed people calling in Urdu or Serbo-Croat, for example.
Aimed initially at the police, ambulance, fire brigade and coastguards, the system communicates with the operator and the caller in their own languages.
David Livesley, the investment manager at YFM Group, said he saw this as an opportunity to back a strong management team with a unique product.
Lattice Voice has also developed First Contact On the Street which works with almost any mobile computing device such as a Blackberry, PDA, or Smart phone.
Neil McCutcheon, the managing director of Lattice Voice Technologies, which employs four staff, said: "The caller is asked if they are in danger and what their immediate needs are. It works on the principle of a scripted dialogue. They have a script in different languages."
When the caller hears a scripted message in their own language, they press a button to show that they understand.
They are then given a number of options in their own language. They might, for example, be asked to press the number 1 if they wish to report a child missing. This message is passed on to the operator in English. Supplementary questions are asked in the caller's language using the same process.
Said Mr McCutcheon: "It reduces the need for an interpreter and it means emergency services can react more quickly."
Lattice Voice sought the funding from YHEF following advice from Connect Yorkshire, the organisation that helps fast-growing technology companies.
The Yorkshire & Humber Equity Fund is managed by YFM Venture Finance, part of YFM Group Limited.
The YFM Group, through its investment arms YFM Venture Finance and YFM Private Equity, manages more than £280m of funds for retail clients.
Investors include UK clearing banks, pension funds, private individuals, large corporates, the European Investment Fund and local, national and European governments combined with the regional development agencies.
The team of more than 40 investment managers specialises in investments of up to £5m, although the leveraging effect of venture capital means deal value goes higher.
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