According to the 2000 Census, approximately 7,300 Sioux City residents said they were born in another country and nearly 10,800 said they spoke a language other than English in their home. Although census data doesn't track the number of people who don't speak English, police officers and dispatchers say the number of non-English speakers they encounter on the job has increased over the years.

In addition to Spanish, they are growing accustomed to hearing several Asian languages, such as Vietnamese and Korean, as well as East African languages spoken by the area’s growing Somali and Ethiopian populations.

Also, officials say it isn’t unusual for people from Central American countries to speak distinct dialects specific to regions of those countries.