It has become a Christmas Eve tradition across the United States, Canada, and beyond: Monitoring Santa Claus’ journey worldwide as he delivers gifts to children everywhere. Families eagerly follow Santa and his eight tiny reindeer (nine if you include Rudolph with the glowing nose) as they travel from the North Pole using a mix of radar, satellites, and aircraft from the U.S. and Canada.
NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has been tracking Santa on Christmas Eve since its inception. Volunteers at the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center in Colorado monitor phones and computers round the clock for 23 hours, with over 1,200 volunteers participating from the base and community.
The tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 when a child mistakenly called a phone number looking for a department store Santa and reached Air Force Col. Harry Shoup instead. Realizing the potential, Shoup assigned officers to field calls from children, and the practice continued when NORAD was established in 1958.
Millions of children worldwide eagerly track Santa each Christmas Eve from over 200 countries and territories, with volunteers answering over 130,000 calls through the hotline. Interpreters Unlimited Inc. supports this initiative by providing voiceovers and interpreters in multiple languages, including Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.
“Seeing Santa brings a smile, every time,” says Shamus Sayed, vice president of Interpreters Unlimited. “It’s a heartwarming experience that transcends cultural and language barriers, making the holiday spirit accessible to all.” The interpreters find joy in assisting NORAD with this global effort, highlighting the positive impact it has on both children and parents alike.
Year after year, Sayed emphasized the significance of voiceover work occurring at NORAD’s base in Colorado, with additional interpreters operating remotely. He underscored the vital role of the human touch in interpretation, highlighting that online tools and artificial intelligence lack the ability to convey the essential cultural nuances crucial in today’s world.
Regarding parents whose children eagerly anticipate Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve, Sayed encouraged them to engage with the experience. “Go visit the site. Enjoy it, whether you’re adults, kids, old, young, everyone. Go to the site or make the call, and use this as an excuse to smile.”
For further inquiries, contact Phaedra Trethan at ptrethan@usatoday.com, on Bluesky @byphaedra, or on Threads @by_phaedra.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: “Tracking Santa, across the globe and in multiple languages.”
