TECH TEAMWORK Little Leaguers from around the world learning to connect

Associated Press

OSOUTHWILLIAMSPORT, Pa. utfielder Rolando Rodriguez from Panama heard a reporter’s question, but the player doesn’t speak English. So Georgia shortstop Tai Peete helped him out, pecking the words into Google Translate to ask about how young baseball players are sharing technology during the Little League World Series.

“It was easier than expected,” Rolando said of the language barrier, speaking through an interpreter.

So goes life in the International Grove, the dorms where 16 teams all are staying during the doubleelimination tournament in pursuit of a world title. Apps and even video games are making it easier for the boys to communicate and get to know each other — making smartphones a key part rather than a distraction during their moment of a lifetime. Eight teams are from U.S. states while the other teams represent various countries around the world and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Players are using Translate to input questions in their native languages and let other players read or hear them in one of more than 100 languages.

That’s changing some of the tournament’s traditions. For example, each team has pins that they are given to trade with other teams. While body language used to go a long way in this process, players are using the tech to directly ask for trades.

Nowords actually need to be spokenaloud but the kids still are helpingfellow baseball players pronouncethe words, learning a little bitof a new language in the process.

“Italked to the Mexico team,” Tai Peetesaid. “I was talking about LittleLeague and they couldn’t pronounceit, so I was helping them.”

Even with better technology, language and cultural barriers still exist. “It was harsh”, said Lee Jaehyeok of South Korea, who noted through a human interpreter that players also were using Facebook to connect. “A lot harder than I thought.”