reached her fin out and brushed the same area of glass.
They reached the double metal doors and DeeAnn slid her card over the sensor. After she heard the loud click of the door unlocking, DeeAnn pulled one side open and held it for the others. One by one, they entered the larger room. There, Sofia and her family could see Chris, Lee, and Juan smiling and waiting for them near a large desk. The desk had been moved closer to the tank and had both a computer and large monitor sitting on top. Behind them the family noticed the high-definition cameras mounted at various points around the curvature of the tank. Thick but neatly tied cables ran from the apparatuses and converged into a larger bundle, which then ran the length of the room to the giant IMIS computer system against the far wall. The rest of the room was composed of more desks holding additional computers and equipment they didn’t recognize. To the right were two video cameras, side by side and pointed at the tank. Each at a different angle. Yet even with the extra desks and equipment, the room gave off an open, comfortable feel.
Chris bent down as they approached. “Welcome, Sofia. We’re very excited to have you here. My name is Chris. This is Lee and Juan. We all work together here at the center.” He glanced briefly at Alison before winking at her. “But Alison here is the boss.”
Sofia giggled.
Together, Chris and Alison eased her chair up to the desk. “Do you know what we do here that’s so special?”
“You talk to dolphins.”
“That’s right. Would you like to talk to them?”
“Yes!”
Alison locked one of the wheels in place and bent down on the other side of Sofia.
“They’re very excited to meet you.”
Lee stepped around Alison and slid a small vertical microphone closer to Sofia before hitting a few buttons on the keyboard. “Just speak right into here. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready, Sofia?”
She looked excitedly at her mother. “What should I say?”
Her mother laughed. “What happened to the million questions you had in the car?”
With one final keystroke, Lee nodded. “Okay. Go ahead.”
Sofia leaned forward. “Hello?” she asked. Unsure what to do, she turned back to Alison just as the whistles and clicks emanated through the tank’s underwater speakers.
Sally was still studying her and replied immediately. Hello. How you Sofia?
She gasped and looked at her mother again. “They know my name!”
Alison’s entire team smiled. There obviously was no translation equivalent for the name Sofia so they made one up. Similar to their own names, they created a manual translation in the database that was tied to a random set of clicks and whistles –– sounds the dolphins could repeat and IMIS would then associate with “Sofia.” And now, having her so excited that the dolphins knew her name made it more than worth the effort.
Finished with his display, Dirk glided in smoothly and stopped next to Sally. We happy meet you.
Sofia listened to the mechanized voice of each dolphin and watched their words simultaneously appear on the screen in front of her. “I’m happy to meet you too. Do you live here?”
Dirk bobbed his head. We live ocean. We come here. Eat much.
Alison laughed and turned to her parents. “If you’ve heard teenage boys could eat a lot, you should see a teenage dolphin.”
“They’re teenagers?”
“Yes. They were mostly grown by the time they came to live with us. But now they can come and go whenever they like. One thing we’ve learned is that they definitely don’t like to be in captivity.”
“What’s captivity?”
“It’s when we keep them in the tank all the time.”
Sofia thought a moment, still turned toward Alison. “Do any animals like it?”
“Mmm...We’re not sure about all animals. But I doubt it.”
The young girl frowned, but let it go. She spoke into the
They reached the double metal doors and DeeAnn slid her card over the sensor. After she heard the loud click of the door unlocking, DeeAnn pulled one side open and held it for the others. One by one, they entered the larger room. There, Sofia and her family could see Chris, Lee, and Juan smiling and waiting for them near a large desk. The desk had been moved closer to the tank and had both a computer and large monitor sitting on top. Behind them the family noticed the high-definition cameras mounted at various points around the curvature of the tank. Thick but neatly tied cables ran from the apparatuses and converged into a larger bundle, which then ran the length of the room to the giant IMIS computer system against the far wall. The rest of the room was composed of more desks holding additional computers and equipment they didn’t recognize. To the right were two video cameras, side by side and pointed at the tank. Each at a different angle. Yet even with the extra desks and equipment, the room gave off an open, comfortable feel.
Chris bent down as they approached. “Welcome, Sofia. We’re very excited to have you here. My name is Chris. This is Lee and Juan. We all work together here at the center.” He glanced briefly at Alison before winking at her. “But Alison here is the boss.”
Sofia giggled.
Together, Chris and Alison eased her chair up to the desk. “Do you know what we do here that’s so special?”
“You talk to dolphins.”
“That’s right. Would you like to talk to them?”
“Yes!”
Alison locked one of the wheels in place and bent down on the other side of Sofia.
“They’re very excited to meet you.”
Lee stepped around Alison and slid a small vertical microphone closer to Sofia before hitting a few buttons on the keyboard. “Just speak right into here. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready, Sofia?”
She looked excitedly at her mother. “What should I say?”
Her mother laughed. “What happened to the million questions you had in the car?”
With one final keystroke, Lee nodded. “Okay. Go ahead.”
Sofia leaned forward. “Hello?” she asked. Unsure what to do, she turned back to Alison just as the whistles and clicks emanated through the tank’s underwater speakers.
Sally was still studying her and replied immediately. Hello. How you Sofia?
She gasped and looked at her mother again. “They know my name!”
Alison’s entire team smiled. There obviously was no translation equivalent for the name Sofia so they made one up. Similar to their own names, they created a manual translation in the database that was tied to a random set of clicks and whistles –– sounds the dolphins could repeat and IMIS would then associate with “Sofia.” And now, having her so excited that the dolphins knew her name made it more than worth the effort.
Finished with his display, Dirk glided in smoothly and stopped next to Sally. We happy meet you.
Sofia listened to the mechanized voice of each dolphin and watched their words simultaneously appear on the screen in front of her. “I’m happy to meet you too. Do you live here?”
Dirk bobbed his head. We live ocean. We come here. Eat much.
Alison laughed and turned to her parents. “If you’ve heard teenage boys could eat a lot, you should see a teenage dolphin.”
“They’re teenagers?”
“Yes. They were mostly grown by the time they came to live with us. But now they can come and go whenever they like. One thing we’ve learned is that they definitely don’t like to be in captivity.”
“What’s captivity?”
“It’s when we keep them in the tank all the time.”
Sofia thought a moment, still turned toward Alison. “Do any animals like it?”
“Mmm...We’re not sure about all animals. But I doubt it.”
The young girl frowned, but let it go. She spoke into the
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