There are still many challenges even with consecutive interpretations. A ministry official said that to improve accuracy in simultaneous interpretation, it is necessary to develop technologies that can infer subjects often omitted in Japanese sentences and anticipate contexts of speech.
Pocketalk, a best-selling translation device in Japan by Pocketalk Corp. in Tokyo, combines translation engines by NICT, Google, and other companies with each other to support 82 languages. The product is increasingly used in the medical field in addition to travel and language learning.
Earphones, glasses
Portable translation devices are the most common on the market. Pocketalk, for example, is a palm-sized terminal about 10 centimetres long and six centimetres wide. The size of such devices can be reduced as technology improves. Google and Chinese information technology companies have also been developing and releasing earphone-type and glasses-type “wearable” translators. Consumers’ options are expanding and convenience is increasing.
The market of machine translation is expected to grow, intensifying development competition.
“Understanding someone who speaks a different language … can be a real challenge. Let’s see what happens when we take our advancements in translation and transcription and deliver them in your line of sight,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience at an event in May when introducing a prototype of a glasses-type translator.
Tobishima Corp., a construction company in Tokyo, developed a glasses-type translator with a display screen for one eye and has already put it into use at construction sites. The company said that the device has proved very helpful in communicating with foreign employees who do not understand Japanese well.
A Tobishima employee said, “The device can translate technical terms in the construction field, too. In addition, as translations are displayed on the screen, there is no problem even when it is used in a noisy environment.”
Kazuma Kikuchi
The Japan News
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