Capitol News

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation in Southwest Detroit to mark Hispanic Heritage Month and announce new efforts by the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) to serve residents who speak languages other than English. Benson revealed that all branch offices across Michigan will have Pocketalk handheld translation devices by the end of October, allowing customers to communicate in their preferred language during visits.

Pocketalk devices function similarly to smartphones and provide real-time translation in more than 80 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, and Bangla. Users speak into the device, which then translates and delivers the message audibly and in print. According to MDOS, this technology has enabled non-English speakers to complete transactions more quickly.

“Since I first took office in 2019, I have made it the mission of this department to meet people where they are and make state government work for them,” Secretary Benson said. “It is our responsibility to provide excellent, efficient service to every Michigan resident – regardless of what language they speak. Our branch office employees came together to research and implement this innovative technology solution. We’ve received great feedback on the Pocketalk devices from customers and branch office staff – our customers felt less anxious and more welcome, and our staff was better able to serve customers and keep wait times down for everyone.”

Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Detroit City Council Member for District 6, praised these efforts: "I am an immigrant. I was born in Mexico, but raised in Southwest Detroit, and for me, it’s incredibly important that we make sure that our government is accessible to everyone. We all deserve to have information that we can understand, so that we can better engage in our cities and in our state. I am incredibly inspired by the work that our Secretary of State is doing to make sure that we are not just having accessible and safe voting, but that we’re also able to access the services from the Secretary of State office in languages that we speak.”

Ray Lozano, executive director of Mexicantown Community Development Corporation added: “I spent a good part of my career assisting folks who did not speak English, and I found that interpretation involving the use of family or friends or neighbors is demeaning and a real violation of confidentiality. Even worse, the use of a child to translate makes them become the interpreter of life for their family and involves them in matters well beyond their knowledge. It also forces them to mature much quicker and sooner than they need to be. Thank you, Secretary Benson, for your efforts to assist the public. Continue this great work, and I also hope that you continue to hire bilingual folks who can provide the cultural understanding that is so important to communication.”

The department initially piloted Pocketalk at select branches before expanding statewide due its effectiveness; over 98% of branch offices now use these devices. All 131 locations are expected have them installed by late October. MDOS staff also utilize Pocketalk at mobile offices as well as driver’s license restoration clinics.

In less than one year since deployment began statewide, Pocketalk has translated nearly 280 thousand interpretations between English and other languages.

Staff at various offices shared positive experiences with Pocketalk:

“We usually refer to Pocketalk as ‘Buddy.’ It has been a gamechanger for my office,” said Marquita Cargill, manager of the Wyoming Secretary of State office in West Michigan. “You can see our customers’ anxiety melt away when they realize that we can communicate with them in their language.”

“Pocketalk has been a life saver at our office,” said Alison Grashuis from Wyoming’s office. “I have even had customers ask where they can get one. Personally, it has been great to be able communicate with the customers without having to get a coworker to translate for me.”

Adrienne Chinn from Pontiac described using Pocketalk with Spanish-speaking clients: “I was sitting at the greeter podium and watched as two customers were in the vestibule struggling to type what they wanted to say into their phones,” Chinn said. “I spoke into the Pocketalk, ‘Good morning! How can we assist you today?’ as they walked up… The expression of relief on their faces was priceless!”

Hamtramck branch manager Kila Finley commented on daily use: “We use them all day every day... We have a consistent need for it due… four different languages here—Bangla, Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian... Only one employee speaks Bangla... but Pocketalk is definitely much appreciated.”

Beyond customer service counters at branches MDOS provides additional language support through its website by translating customer service materials—including voter information—into 19 languages online.

Self-service stations operated by MDOS offer nine language options for services such as renewing tabs or licenses; there are currently 164 stations located throughout Michigan inside grocery stores like Kroger or Meijer.

MDOS works with community organizations—such as nonprofits or refugee assistance groups—to address challenges faced by non-English speakers accessing state services; expanding language access remains central both for everyday transactions and voter engagement initiatives like webinars conducted simultaneously interpreted into multiple languages.

“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done and will continue to do to improve language access to our department’s services,” Secretary Benson said. “Embracing our state’s diversity and meeting people where they are improves outcomes for all of us.”