The government plans to accelerate the development of automatic voice translation technology that instantly translates spoken words into other languages ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Demand for translation has been growing due to a rapid increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan. The government will spend a total of about ¥10 billion over five years from fiscal 2015 to develop the technology, and promote the efforts by involving both the public and private sectors.

It is possible that “omotenashi” hospitality could be realized through automatic translation machines by around 2020.

If you say “Please form a single line,” in Japanese through a megaphone-type automatic translation device now being developed by Panasonic Corp., synthesized sounds translated into such languages as English and Chinese come out its speaker.

It is effective for giving instructions at places where many random foreigners gather, such as stations or sightseeing areas. The device was used to provide evacuation guidance at a disaster drill conducted by the Tokyo metropolitan government earlier this month. More.

See: The Japan News

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