DOCOMO to Conduct Second Trial of Cloud-based Translator Phone Service
— Expanded trial to cover 10 languages and 10,000 users —
Products & Services
TOKYO, JAPAN, May 14, 2012 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today its second trial of an experimental service for real-time interpretation between Japanese and other languages via mobile devices, which will take place from June 1 to September 30.
In the first trial involving some 1,000 DOCOMO subscribers between November 2011 and March 2012, about 70 percent of the participants reported that they would like to use the service again. In response, DOCOMO will launch this second trial for 10,000 users. Also, the trial will expand to 10 languages besides Japanese, as compared to English, Chinese and Korean in the first trial. Seven of the languages will be available for face-to-face communication between people talking in the presence of each other.
The translator phone service utilizes DOCOMO’s “network cloud,” which integrates the company’s cloud and mobile network resources to handle the heavy processing required for rapid real-time interpretation. Interpretation generally is handled in three steps: machine recognition of spoken words, rendering into another language, and conversion into a voice readout that the other party hears. Thanks to the network cloud, interpretation will be processed at the same rapid speed even after the seven additional languages are introduced.
DOCOMO has enhanced its experimental service with two major upgrades in response to feedback from the first trial. First, the user interface now has a Repeat button, which enables the speaker to replay the last interpretation if the other party is unable to hear it. Second, a new start-up procedure enables users to launch the service faster.
DOCOMO expects to further enhance its translator phone service based on feedback from this second trial, aiming to launch a commercial service by March 2013.
Details of Trial Service
| Period |
June 1 to September 30, 2012 |
| Participants |
Subscribers to DOCOMO’s FOMA™ and Xi™ mobile services |
| Compatible Devices |
Smartphones and tablets running Android™ OS 2.2 or higher |
| Languages |
Remote
Communication |
Japanese — Chinese/English/Korean |
Face-to-Face
Communication |
Japanese —
Chinese/English/Korean/French/German/Indonesian/Italian/ Portuguese/ Spanish/Thai1 |
| Charges |
Free2 |
| Application |
Individual
Customers |
Register via smartphone or tablet
Online: http://pr.docomo-translation.com (Japanese only) |
Corporate
Customers |
Please contact a DOCOMO’s corporate sales office |
- 1: A separate multilingual app is required for French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai.
- 2: Using the trial service from overseas may incur communication charges. Please view online site (above) for details.
(Attachment 1) Using Translator Phone Service
(Attachment 2) Compatible Devices
- About NTT DOCOMO
- NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading integrated-services company centered on mobility. The company serves over 60 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.com for more information.
FOMA and Xi are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and / or other countries.
