Panasonic's Multilingual Megaphone Translates as You Speak Simply speak into the microphone and the device takes care of the rest.

By Stephanie Mlot

This story originally appeared on PCMag

Panasonic via PC Mag

As Japanese tourism grows, businesses struggle to bridge the language divide between international visitors and locals. Panasonic, however, may have a solution: a multilingual loudspeaker.

The Megahonyaku -- an amalgamation of "megaphone" (megahon) and "translation" (hon'yaku) -- automatically translates Japanese into English, Chinese and Korean.

Simply speak into the microphone; the machine listens and analyzes sentence structure, and transcribes the words. Using the integrated touch screen, pressing the respective dialect button outputs your sentence in one of the three available languages.

Aimed at corporate customers including train stations and airports, the amplifier could prove very useful in crowded locations and tourist destinations where information is dispensed to groups who may all speak different languages.

The Megahonyaku, The Japan Times reports, comes pre-installed with 300 common sentences in Japanese, including "The train has been delayed" and "Watch your step." Additional phrases will be available via Web-based updates.

Making your voice heard in a congested, noisy terminal isn't always an easy task -- even with a portable PA system. But the Megahonyaku's speech recognition system is unaffected by background noise, the Times said, and is "almost certain" to recognize preset sentences if not spoken verbatim.

Panasonic did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

The megaphone is expected for launch Dec. 20, on sale for less than ¥20,000 ($183) per month on a three-year contract, which includes future updates and maintenance.

Panasonic is also developing a number of other audio solutions, with an eye on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which promises throngs of international travelers spilling into the capital city.

Stephanie Mlot

Reporter at PCMag

Stephanie began as a PCMag reporter in May 2012. She moved to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in journalism and mass communications.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Devices

Save 45% on an iPad Air With This Holiday Sale

You got gifts for everyone else—now it's time to treat yourself.

Business News

A New Hampshire City Was Named the Hottest Housing Market in the U.S. This Year. Here's the Top 10 for 2024.

Zillow released its annual lists featuring the top housing markets, small towns, coastal cities, and geographic regions. Here's a look at the top real estate markets and towns in 2024.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business Ideas

Is Your Business Healthy? Why Every Entrepreneur Needs To Do These 3 Checkups Every Year

You can't plan for the new year until you complete these checkups.

Leadership

The End of Bureaucracy — How Leadership Must Evolve in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

What if bureaucracy, the very system designed to maintain order, is now the greatest obstacle to progress?

Business News

'We're Not Allowed to Own Bitcoin': Crypto Price Drops After U.S. Federal Reserve Head Makes Surprising Statement

Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments on Bitcoin and rate cuts have rattled cryptocurrency investors.