TAMPA, Fla. — Approximately 8% of Americans know a very limited amount of English, according to the American Translator Association. In Hillsborough County, officials say the language barrier has made it harder to get people in and out of the Tax Collector’s Office.

That’s why department officials say they have purchased a device called Pocketalk that will help overcome some of those challenges.

Jennifer Castro, the county’s chief deputy tax collector, said the device was needed.

“We didn’t want to be in the situation where we had to send people away,” she said. “It creates more repeat visits to our office — they just have to keep coming back and we’re busy already, plus it’s frustrating for them to have to keep coming back.”

She said communication is important when it comes to getting a government-issued ID, like a driver’s license.

For Marbella Mosqueda, Pocketalk is making it easier to communicate.

“It has helped me understand specifically what they are asking me and to be clearer in the questions I will be answering,” she said.

Mosqueda, who speaks limited English, said the device makes her comfortable, especially in a place where she’s only lived for two months.

“That transition wasn’t easy,” she said. “You have to leave a lot behind your friends, family, your different types of food.”

Mosqueda left her home country of Mexico so that her husband could start a new job in the Tampa Bay area. She says the move came a lot of adjustment.

“I know limited English that helps me to communicate but it’s not the fluency I would like to have,” she said.

She was surprised to see the county provide a device that has helped calm her worries about speaking to someone who might not understand her.

According to the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office, their locations are the first in the state of Florida to use this device. A hundred Pocketalk translators were purchased and distributed.

“I believe this is fabulous I think it’s really good that they invest in new technology, and ultimately help the Hispanic community so they can get their licenses or whatever permit they need,” Mosqueda said.

It’s a device that’s allowed her to not only communicate, but also understand her new surroundings. It’s a device that’s helping her work towards the new future she is building.

With the growing immigrant community in the state, officials with the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office said the hope is other offices in surrounding counties will also purchase the device.

Click here to see the story from Spectrum Bay News 9.