Trial launch of “transparent translation display” at Seibu Shinjuku Station.Look at the other person’s face and have a natural conversation, strengthen the entry acceptance in 12 languages-Travel Observation

Seibu Railway Co., Ltd. will conduct a demonstration experiment at Seibu Shinjuku Station and launch a transparent display “VoiceBiz UCDisplay” that supports translation, aiming to strengthen the reception system for foreign tourists visiting Japan. The time is from July 10 to the end of September (7:00 to 20:00).

VoiceBiz UCDisplay is a system provided by Toppan Printing that can display the translation results of words spoken to each other on a transparent display. It uses a domestic translation engine developed by NICT (National Institute of Information and Communication Technology), Japanese is stronger than the general translation system from English, and the translation accuracy from Japanese to multiple languages ​​is high.

Support 12 languages

Simultaneously translate what the other person is saying

The biggest feature is that you can raise your head and see the other person’s face through the transparent display, which is different from the conversation you have while operating the translation app on your smartphone.

The voice content is displayed on the display in the form of a balloon, allowing the user to check whether the voice content is correctly recognized. Also, if you take photos of complex content instead of memos, it has the advantage of being able to look back many times later.

Supports 12 languages ​​(English, Korean, Chinese (simplified), Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Spanish, French, Tagalog, and Japanese). The monitor enclosure measures 69 x 75 x 3 cm (L x W x W) and the monitor measures 31.5 inches.

Inbound demand has increased rapidly since border measures were eased last October, with Seibu Railway recovering to around 70% of 2019 levels in May. Seibu Shinjuku Station in particular has a large number of users. The Tokyu Kabukicho Tower near the station will open in April, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Along the line are Chichibu, Kawagoe, Seibuen Amusement Park, Belluna Dome (Seibu Jomae Station), and Moomin Valley Park (Hanno Station). Further success is expected with the opening of the “Harry Potter Tokyo Making Tour” (Toshimaen Station) in June.

Mr. Tomonobu Nosaka (left), Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. Information and Communication Business Division, who are responsible for the development of the system, and Mr. Ayano Yajima (right), Inbound Manager, Transportation Division, Railway Headquarters, Seibu Railway Co., Ltd.

Seibu Shinjuku Station is a must-stop for many foreign tourists visiting Japan.There are monitors at the manual information desk next to the limited express ticket office

With this system, as the working population decreases, smooth face-to-face multilingual communication and smart station operations can be achieved without the need for foreign language staff.

In this demonstration experiment, we will verify its effectiveness and the accuracy of unique word translation, and strive to fully introduce it around the fall of 2023.