An employee uses VoiceBiz, an audio translation app, at the Ayase city office in Kanagawa Prefecture. (Courtesy of Toppan Printing Co./Jiji-Press)

Audio translation app with 30 languages to spread in Japan 

Faradita Prayusti
Business & Industry
Sci-Tech
Jun 17, 2019
2128

Visiting and working in Japan would be easier for foreigners, as Toppan Printing Co, one of Japan’s printing companies, released an audio translation app called VoiceBiz that includes 30 different languages. 

As a new visa system has been started since April 2019, the government expects the number of foreigner workers in Japan is going to rise. it is predicted around 345,000 foreigners will work in Japan For the next five years. Therefore the use of multilingual translation tools is spreading in Japan.

In order to help foreigners in administrative procedures, numerous local governments, labor association and other corps currently have decided to introduce translations tools. Through translator devices, local officials and other officers able to talk to such applicants in their native languages and vice versa. An official from Tokyo’s Sumida Ward said it is easier if officers could talk in applicants' own languages to show cooperative stance. 

Users could download to access VoiceBiz onto their devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. According to the company, the App will be available in eight towns including Osaka and Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture. 

In 2020, Toppan Printing is planning to introduce the app to 600 local governments. 

Not only for business, high demand for the app is also coming from the education sector.  Foreigners who work in school, such as teacher must have the ability to communicate with their students, however, the language barrier could exist and causing serious problems.  

According to Toppan Printing, the company will pitch the app so that 7,000 schools in Japan could use VoiceBiz. 

Japan is one of the favorite destination countries to visit. It is reported 31.19 million tourists from outside Japan visited the country last year, 8.7 percent higher than in 2017. The upcoming events, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will also contribute to increasing the foreigner visitors.  

Source: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005813945

Translation , Tool , VoiceBiz , Language , Foreigner , Japan