Hands-free speech translation app gets trialed at Narita airport

The "NariTra" multilingual translation app employs noise-canceling techniques and recognizes a wide range of speech. Offered by the airport at no cost, the app is designed to work hands-free -- and therefore suitable for foreign visitors who have just arrived and who have their hands full with luggage. The tests will see the app deployed on a shuttle bus running between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, translating Japanese into English, Chinese and Korean, and vice versa. The airport operator plans to roll out the app by the time the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games take place.