Konica Minolta to Provide Schools with AI-Powered Real-Time Translation Service Using Tablets

Konica Minolta, Inc. will launch 'KOTOBAL,' a multilingual interpreting service using tablets and other devices, for use in schools.
As the number of foreigners living in Japan has increased, the number of children with foreign backgrounds enrolled in childcare centers and schools has been rising sharply, and the service is designed to support communication between teachers and other children.
Three municipalities have already introduced the service on a pilot basis since April, and the company aims to have 30 municipalities adopt it by the next fiscal year.
KOTOBAL is an AI-assisted, real-time automatic translation service, and is available in 23 languages, including English, Chinese and Vietnamese. The service enables students to check in their native language what the teacher is saying in Japanese during class via a tablet or other device. The service is also intended to be used for conversations between foreign and Japanese students during break times.
A service in which remote interpreters respond to users' questions will also be available in approximately 20 different languages. A system will be set up to provide counseling on higher education and bullying. Also, parents and guardians of the students will be able to participate in meetings with teachers with no appointment necessary.
According to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the number of foreign students requiring Japanese-language instruction in public schools was 57,718 in 2023, about double compared to nine years earlier. A survey showed that about 30% of them do not understand classes held in the Japanese language, which has become an issue in the field of education.

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