November 6, 2014

DOCOMO to Introduce "Jspeak" Translation App for Travelers to Japan

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Products & Services

TOKYO, JAPAN, November 6, 2014 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC., a personalized mobile solutions provider for smarter living, announced today it will launch its JspeakTM face-to-face mobile translation service for smartphones and tablets, targeting travelers from abroad, on November 10.

Jspeak is modelled on DOCOMO's Hanashite Hon'yakuTM, the mobile-based automatic translation service now offered exclusively to DOCOMO subscribers in Japan. Jspeak will enable Japanese and non-Japanese speakers to enjoy face-to-face conversations simply by speaking into a smartphone or tablet to get a translation as screen text and voice readout. Ten languages — Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai — can be translated into Japanese and vice versa.

The service will offer a friendly interface and a preinstalled list of over 700 handy phrases for transportation, restaurants, hotels, shopping, hospitals and other common encounters. Users can create their own lists of favorite, frequently used phrases.

"We invite foreign travelers to experience the ease and convenience of international communication with our unique smartphone-based translator to make staying in Japan even more enjoyable," said Hozumi Tamura, Senior Vice President, and Managing Director of Smart-life Planning Department and Global Service Planning Office at NTT DOCOMO. "We expect Jspeak to enhance cross-cultural communication as the world increasingly turns its eyes toward Japan, host of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020."

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, foreign visitors to Japan reached a record 10 million in 2013. The Japanese government aims to double this figure by 2020.

Jspeak is available to mobile users from Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The app can be downloaded from Google PlayTM with smartphones or tablets running on AndroidTM 4.0 to 4.4. Two plans will be offered — 0.99 US dollar for one week or 2.99 US dollars for one monthnotice1, payable via the user's Google Play account. Additional data charges may apply depending on the user's mobile operator or network environment.

Hanashite Hon'yaku was launched in November 2012 and won several world-renowned technology awards, including a 2013 Emerging Technology Awards from CTIA—The Wireless Association, an international wireless-communications industry organization.

Image of Jspeak

  • notice1 Service fees may vary depending on the user's home country or region. The fee shown above applies to users in the United States. The monthly fee is renewed automatically unless cancelled by the subscriber.
  • noticeJspeak is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.
  • noticeHanashite Hon'yaku is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.
  • noticeAndroid is a trademark of Google Inc.
  • noticeGoogle Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
  • noticeAll other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 64 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) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/ for more information.

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