In June 2023 alone, more than two million tourists arrived in Japan. This technology may make their stay a little easier.
A new device is allowing tourists in Japan to ask questions in their native language.
According to Lonely Planet, a 2017 survey suggests 10% of adults say lack of knowing another language prevents them from traveling.
Even though about 125 million people in the world speak Japanese, many travelers going through Tokyo’s Seibu-Shinjuku train station do not. That’s where these smart screens come in handy.
Visitors’ questions are translated into Japanese for the human attendant to answer. The worker’s response is then displayed on the screen, called VoiceBiz, in one of eleven different languages.
Questions and answers are translated without the use of a third-party app, like Google Translate.
“It's also much faster than pulling up your phone, typing everything out, showing it and there's misunderstandings,” one tourist told CBS News. “It might sound a bit weird, but like you feel safe immediately because you know there's a human on the other side.”
In June alone, more than two million tourists arrived in Japan. This technology may make their stay a little easier.
