On October 12, Poketalk released “Poketalk Simultaneous Interpretation,” PC software that enables real-time translation. This is an evolution of the currently released “Poketalk Subtitle,” and in addition to the function of immediately displaying subtitles in the language spoken by the other party, it also outputs the translated content in audio. The release date is currently under development and will be available this winter.
At the presentation, Noriyuki Matsuda, President and CEO of Pocket Talk and Chairman and CEO of Source Next, explained “Pocket Talk Simultaneous Interpretation” and business strategies.
Poketalk started its business in 2001 based on the concept of “eliminating language barriers” by Mr. Matsuda, and released a compact interpretation terminal “Poketalk” five years ago. In February, the company split off from Source Next to focus on the business and established the brand name Pocket Talk Co. In April, the company also released the “Pocket Talk App” for iOS and Android devices, and explained that it now offers a lineup of three types of software: dedicated handsets, mobile apps, and PC software.
Although Poketalk had been steadily increasing sales, the environment surrounding the company worsened as the number of foreign visitors to Japan plummeted and the number of Japanese leaving the country dropped significantly due to waterfront measures against the new coronavirus infection that began to spread in 2020.
However, with the recent removal of the cap on the number of visitors, the relaxation of border control measures, and the lifting of the ban on individual travel by foreign tourists, the environment has improved, and the airport is now attracting tourists from many countries, the company explained. The company believes that the tourism industry will be boosted by these developments, and explained that it will conduct a campaign to lend Poketalk free of charge to businesses until November 30 as support for the tourism industry.
Matsuda said that many businesses are taking time to make various preparations, and he hopes that this campaign will help the tourism industry in any way possible.
The company is also expanding its business in the U.S. and explained the current situation there. Sales are growing steadily here as well, and in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, sales were up 3.4 times compared to the previous year. Demand for Corona Disaster is also strong in the medical field, schools and other educational facilities, driver’s license centers, and the transportation industry, and there are many cases of schools installing large lots of 1,000 units. He explained that there is a great need for the system because of the large number of immigrants whose native language is not English and the shortage of labor force.
The decrease in the working population in Japan is also an urgent issue, and many companies want to accept foreign workers but are hesitant to do so. He also introduced the fact that the language barrier is a very big reason for this. In the past, we have provided solutions to solve the language barrier in tourism to Japan, but we will also focus on smooth communication in the workplace on a global scale and humanitarian assistance amidst the unstable global situation. With this in mind, we have decided to release Pocket Talk Simultaneous Interpretation. He appealed that it would be a powerful solution for preventing the loss of business opportunities by making communication with foreigners less time-consuming and expensive.
In the demonstration, a simple conversation was held with an English-speaking man via PC. Like Pocket Talk Subtitles, Pocket Talk Simultaneous Interpreter is a resident software program that immediately analyzes audio input and displays subtitles on the screen when it detects it. In addition, it also outputs audio, a new feature. After the subtitles are displayed, the software speaks the translated content in synthesized Japanese after a short delay.
Mr. Matsuda said that the ability to hear and understand Japanese is very significant. “Subtitles for movies and TV dramas have a problem that the human brain cannot keep up with them unless they are abbreviated considerably. If there is also audio, the difference in comprehension is about three times greater, depending on the individual,” he said, adding that the new functionality will lead to smoother communication. As for the expected usage scenarios, he explained that in addition to online meetings, the system can also be used in business negotiations and other situations where there is a foreign speaker in a face-to-face meeting.
Mr. Matsuda has lived in the U.S. for the past 10 years, and after seeing many things in the U.S., he feels that having English as a native language, the global standard, is a huge advantage. He said that if the current situation continues, the gap between the U.S. and Japan will continue to widen, and that he would like to continue to develop services based on the concept of “eliminating the language barrier” in order to close this gap.
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