Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Liz Schack is on call 24/7 as a Spanish translator for Floyd, Giles and Montgomery counties.

By the numbers

42.7 million: estimated number of people of Hispanic origin in the United States

98 million: total population of minorities in 2005

27.5: median age of Hispanic population in 2005

428: number of Hispanics in the New River Valley in 2000 who classified themselves as being able to speak English “not well”

27: number of Hispanics in the New River Valley in 2000 who classified themselves as being able to speak English “not well at all”

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau

The warm summer months mean an early bedtime for Liz Schack and her husband, Bob. They anticipate a phone call from a police officer at 1 or 2 or 3 in the morning.

Schack, who lives in Pilot, is on call 24/7.

As a Spanish translator for Floyd, Giles and Montgomery counties, she helps non-English speaking members of the Hispanic population communicate with government officials, such as police and judges.

"They know enough English to go out with college students," she said jokingly about some of those who get in trouble. "They know how to order a beer."

Most of the time when she is called, the charge is driving under the influence, being drunk in public or committing a traffic violation, but she has seen an increasing number of domestic violence cases as well. Having served the New River Valley as a translator for 10 years, Schack has noticed a steady growth in the Hispanic population.

"I used to go two or three times in a month, whereas now I may go 60 times a month," said Schack, referring to the number of requests she receives.

Schack recalls the first occasion when she translated for a police officer.

"It was my nephew, Andy, who got me started," she said.

Andy Schack, then an officer for the Christiansburg Police Department, had stopped a young Hispanic man who did not speak any English. Andy Schack called his aunt and requested her help, which was fortunate for the young Hispanic man. It turned out he was having car trouble.

Word spread that Liz Schack could translate Spanish, and another police officer called to request her help.

Only this time, the call came at about 1 a.m. From then, Schack became a volunteer translator for the local government.

Soon, however, what started out as volunteer work turned into a busy job for Schack. Now she is paid by the commonwealth for translating.

But many of the things she and her husband do for people are outside the realm of any translating job.

Bob Schack took it upon himself to repair the car for the young man who was stopped by his nephew, for example. And when Liz Schack came upon a family who had come from Norfolk to escape a hurricane, she ended up bringing all six adults and three children home with her.

"The things that she does are unbelievable," Bob Schack said.

In addition to translating, Liz Schack has also taught Spanish at a couple of agencies, including the local health department.

"I know the police department is happy to have her around," Bob Schack said. "The hours she spends, she does more pro bono work."

"I do get tired sometimes," Liz Schack said. "I'm not 30. When I'm up until 5 or 6 o'clock, it takes me a day or two to recuperate."

Usually, a case in the early morning will take three to four hours.

"With students or someone who has a real job, it becomes difficult," she said. Having had two back surgeries, Schack is unable to work and is on government disability.

But she enjoys what she does for the community, even if it isn't a regular job.

"I love doing it because I've met some wonderful attorneys, judges ... they've taught me a lot," she said.

The people she translates for are also an interesting group, and Schack has had her exciting moments.

In Radford, she translated for two Mexican women who were delivering babies.

"I felt like the grandmother," she said. "... Being there when the doctor delivered the baby was very exciting. I still get calls from the girl every so often ... 'Ms. Lizzy! Ms. Lizzy!' "

When the first woman she helped, a 19-year-old, gave birth to a baby with a cleft palate, Schack traveled to Roanoke for more than a year to be there for each of the child's surgeries.

Her schedule, which can get unexpectedly hectic, is not one that many would envy.

"It can get a little bit crazy sometimes, but I seem to do my best work under pressure," she said.

"My job doesn't end at court," she said. Besides trips to the police department, Schack must also translate at magistrates' offices, jails and during arraignments and trials.

In particular, the Schacks said, the judges, police officers, and other officials treat the non-English speaking Hispanics with a lot of respect, taking special interest in making sure they understand what is going on.

To a large extent, there is a team effort among the Schacks. Schack's husband always accompanies her whenever she is called to translate at night, even though his Spanish is limited.

"The only thing he can say in Spanish is 'give me food,' " she said, laughing.

The Schacks, who have been married for 12 years, met at Stony Brook University Hospital in New York. He was working as an X-ray technician, and she was a nurse assistant.

It was the second marriage for both of them.

Schack also has a son, 28, who attended Christiansburg High School and now lives in Blacksburg.

Schack was born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City and grew up in the Bronx. Spanish was her first language, and she learned English before entering elementary school. At 19, she moved to Long Island.

A city girl from the start, Schack pictured living in an Abe Lincoln-style home when her husband first told her that he wanted to bring her to Virginia to live in a log cabin.

"You're a city girl -- that's the country," her mother warned her.

Nevertheless, she moved to Virginia in the month of October. The brilliantly colored leaves of the season had an impact on Schack, who now loves living in Virginia.

And it's the last place she would have thought that her language and heritage would be of benefit to others.

"It's nice to help out when we can," said her husband.

Even though there are times when it can get frustrating, Schack says that her job is all good 98 percent of the time. "I don't want to stop doing it," she said.