DMV's new Pocketalk technology is making sure nothing gets lost in translation

DMV staff in Colorado are excited about the rollout of a program that allows them to communicate with people who come in needing their services across a wide array of different languages.

It's facilitated through a device called Pocketalk, and it allows Colorado DMV staff and non-English speaking customers to converse.

"The device itself can hear your language, can decipher what language it is and help us. And then what we can do is we can interact back with them," one DMV official told CBS News Colorado.

Pocketalk can also take photos and translate documents, which are all things people would previously have needed a special appointment or a translator for.

Workers at DMVs across the state see the struggle people have with English on a daily basis. With the hand-held translator, they are able to bridge the language barrier and save time.

Pocketalk recognizes at least 80 different languages.