In recognition of Global Diversity Month, E-Comm is reminding British Columbians that they do not need to speak fluent English to call 9-1-1. In fact, E-Comm received 1,669 calls to 9-1-1 requiring help in 36 different languages in 2020 alone.
Of those calls, 32 per cent required interpretation services in Mandarin and 25 per cent required interpretation services in Punjabi. From Cantonese, Spanish, Farsi and Arabic to Thai, Cambodian and Greek, the broad range of requests for interpretation illustrates the significant diversity of callers in British Columbia.
With Punjabi being one of the most requested languages for interpretation, we asked our Police Call Taker Jay to help share his top tips for non-English speaking callers in both English and Punjabi. Watch Jay’s video below.
As British Columbia grows increasingly more multicultural, it’s important that we recognize the diversity of the people who call our province home—for us, this means educating diverse communities on 9-1-1 and ensuring that everyone is equipped to get the help that they need in an emergency.