Multilingual Speech Translation Application
VoiceTra

News & Update History

Server Oct. 29, 2024
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Arabic speech recognition accuracy
- Added terms related to disaster prevention provided by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) to the dictionary (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, etc.)
Android Aug. 20, 2024
VoiceTra ver.9.0.4 has been released.
- Supported Android 14
Server Mar. 29, 2024
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Brazilian Portuguese, Ukrainian, and German speech recognition accuracies
- Improved Ukrainian translation accuracy
- Supported Ukrainian (female) text-to-speech
- Added IT-related terms provided by Pastem to the dictionary (Japanese, English)

App Dec. 7, 2023
VoiceTra ver.9.0.3 has been released.
- Minor bug fixes
Server Dec. 6, 2023
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Supported language identification feature for Filipino and Brazilian Portuguese*1
- Improved Chinese, Korean, and Hindi speech recognition accuracies
- Supported Arabic text-to-speech*1
- Improved Filipino, Brazilian Portuguese, Khmer, Nepali, Mongolian, Italian, Ukrainian, German, Hindi, and Russian text-to-speech quality by introducing neural network-based methods*2
- Added terms related to infection control provided by the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control to the dictionary (Japanese, English)
*1 Supported with VoiceTra Ver9 or later
*2 After this update, text-to-speech for the supported languages would all be using neural network-based methods
Server Aug. 8, 2023
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Mongolian, Russian, Arabic, German, Italian, Hindi, and Ukrainian speech recognition accuracies
- Added IT-related terms provided by Incept Inc. to the dictionary (Japanese, English)
Android Jun. 20, 2023
VoiceTra ver.9.0.2 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Fixed an issue where the app would crash during speech input
- Fixed an issue where the app would crash during speech output
App Jun. 9, 2023
VoiceTra ver.9.0.1 has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- The animation effect of the mic button has been removed
- The "Hold device to your ear to speak" feature has been removed
- Minor bug fixes
- The supported OS versions are: iOS14 or later, Android8 or later
iOS Mar. 29, 2023
VoiceTra ver.8.9 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Italian and Hindi speech recognition have been supported
- Italian and Hindi text-to-speech have been supported
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS/iPadOS 14 or later," including iOS/iPadOS 16
Android Mar. 29, 2023
VoiceTra ver.8.8 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Italian and Hindi speech recognition have been supported
- Italian and Hindi text-to-speech have been supported
- Fixed a bug where the app sometimes would crash on launch
Server Mar. 28, 2023
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Vietnamese and Brazilian Portuguese speech recognition accuracies
- Improved Myanmar (male and female voices) and Indonesian (male voice) text-to-speech quality by introducing neural network-based methods
- Added terms related to fire and emergency provided by the International Fire Service Information Center (IFSIC) to the dictionary (ja, en)
- Added ICT-related terms provided by the Tokai Bureau of Telecommunications and The Association for Promotion of Public Local Information and Communication（APPLIC), to the dictionary (ja, en)
- Added terms related to Japanese cuisine to the dictionary (ja, th, vi, es, fr)
Server Nov. 29, 2022
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Khmer, Arabic and German speech recognition accuracies
- Improved French (male and female voices), Spanish (male and female voices), Thai (male and female voices), and Indonesian (female voice) text-to-speech quality by introducing neural network-based methods
iOS Aug. 2, 2022
VoiceTra ver.8.8 for iOS has been released.Here are some of the updates:
- Ukrainian translation, speech recognition, and text-to-speech have been supported
- Arabic speech recognition has been supported
Android Aug. 2, 2022
VoiceTra ver.8.7 for Android has been released.Here are some of the updates:
- Ukrainian translation, speech recognition, and text-to-speech have been supported
- Arabic speech recognition has been supported
- Supported Android 12
Server Jul. 27, 2022
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Spanish, French, Filipino, Nepali, Khmer, Mongolian speech recognition accuracies
- Added antimicrobial chemotherapy terms provided by the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy to the dictionary (ja, en)
- Supported Russian (female voice), Nepali (female voice), Khmer (male voice), Mongolian (female voice) text-to-speech
Server Mar. 23, 2022
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Mongolian speech recognition accuracy
- Added terms concerning the Christian culture in Nagasaki to the dictionary (ja, en)
- Improved speech synthesis quality by introducing neural network-based methods (ja, en, zh, ko, vi)
iOS Dec. 21, 2021
VoiceTra ver.8.7.1 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Push-to-talk has been disabled
- Speech recognition is now available when pressing down the mic button longer than before
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS13 or later," including iOS15
Server Nov. 30, 2021
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added terms related to business to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko, etc.)
Server Jul. 19, 2021
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added terms related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko, etc.)
- Added terms related to employment to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko, etc.)
- Added terms related to welfare to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko, etc.)
- Improved Thai, Indonesian, Spanish, Nepali, Khmer, Mongolian, and Russian speech recognition accuracies
Server Apr. 12, 2021
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added names of famous sports players to the dictionary (ja, en)
iOS Mar. 24, 2021
VoiceTra ver.8.6 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Supported Mongolian text-to-speech
- The list of languages has been reordered
Android Mar. 24, 2021
VoiceTra ver.8.6 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Supported Mongolian text-to-speech
- The list of languages has been reordered
Server Mar. 23, 2021
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved translation accuracy of heteronyms
- Improved Nepali, Khmer, Mongolian, and Korean speech recognition accuracies
- Added names of dinosaurs to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
iOS Dec. 7, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.5 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Notifications for new announcements will now be indicated with a red dot within the app
- Supported Mongolian speech recognition
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS12 or later"
Android Dec. 7, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.5 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Notifications for new announcements will now be indicated with a red dot within the app
- Supported Mongolian speech recognition
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "Android6.0 or later"
Server Dec. 1, 2020
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added names of plants to the dictionary (ja, en)
iOS Aug. 13, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.3 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Supported French and Spanish language identification
- Supported Nepali text-to-speech
Android Aug. 13, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.3 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Supported French and Spanish language identification
- Supported Nepali text-to-speech
Server Aug. 12, 2020
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Nepali speech recognition accuracy
- Improved French and Khmer text-to-speech quality
iOS Apr. 8, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.2 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Added a new feature which automatically determines the translation direction between 2 languages
- Minor bug fixes
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS11 or later".
Android Apr. 8, 2020
VoiceTra ver.8.2 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Added a new feature which automatically determines the translation direction between 2 languages
- Minor bug fixes
Server Mar. 24, 2020
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Brazilian Portuguese, Nepali, and Khmer speech recognition accuracies
- Improved French, Spanish, and Filipino text-to-speech quality
- Added names of animals to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
- Updated names of sake in the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
Server Dec. 10, 2019
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Indonesian speech recognition accuracy
- Improved Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Myanmar, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Filipino translation quality
- Improved Brazilian Portuguese and Filipino text-to-speech quality
iOS Dec. 5, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.1 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Minor bug fixes
Android Dec. 5, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.1 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Minor bug fixes
Server Oct. 8, 2019
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Filipino text-to-speech quality
- Added disaster-related terms to the dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
iOS Oct. 3, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.0.1 (for iOS) has been released.
- Fixed display bugs in several areas
Android Oct. 2, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.0.1 (for Android) has been released.
- Fixed an issue where the app could not be launched
iOS Oct. 1, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.0 (for iOS) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Language identification feature, which automatically detects what language is being spoken, has been added
- The maximum length for speech input has been increased from 10 to 20 seconds
- The maximum number of characters for text input has been increased from 100 to 250 characters
- The app icon has been updated
- The list of languages has been reordered
- Now supports "all-screen" devices
Android Oct. 1, 2019
VoiceTra ver.8.0 (for Android) has been released. Here are some of the updates:
- Language identification feature, which automatically detects what language is being spoken, has been added
- The app icon has been updated
- The list of languages has been reordered
Server Jul. 23, 2019
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Khmer speech recognition accuracies
- Added nursing care terms to the dictionary
- Deep learning has been applied to English text-to-speech (female voice)
- Improved Brazilian Portuguese text-to-speech quality
Android Jul. 23, 2019
VoiceTra ver.7.2 for Android has been released.
- The maximum length for speech input has been increased from 10 to 20 seconds.
- The maximum number of characters for text input has been increased from 100 to 250 characters.
- Now supports 64-bit devices.
- Minor improvements.
Android May 21, 2019
VoiceTra ver.7.1.1 for Android has been released.
- Fixed an issue where Zawgyi font (Myanmar) wasn't properly displayed on some devices.
- Minor improvements.
iOS Mar. 27, 2019
VoiceTra ver.7.1 for Android has been released.
- Supported Filipino text-to-speech.
- Minor improvements.
Android Mar.27, 2019
VoiceTra ver.7.1 for Android has been released.
- Supported Filipino text-to-speech.
- Minor improvements.
Server Mar. 26, 2019
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Filipino, and Khmer speech recognition accuracies
- Improved French and Spanish text-to-speech quality
- Added terms related to anime and manga, and television and computer games to the proper noun dictionaries (ja, en, zh, ko)
iOS Dec. 12, 2018
VoiceTra ver.7.1 for iOS has been released.
- Supported French text-to-speech.
- You can now change the translation target language by tapping the globe button on the bottom left of the main screen.
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS10 or later".
Android Dec. 11, 2018
VoiceTra ver.7.0 for Android has been released.
- Supported French text-to-speech.
- Changing the translation target language is now available by tapping the globe button on the bottom left of the main screen.
- Improved response time.
Server Dec. 4, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar, Spanish, and French speech recognition accuracies
iOS Oct. 3, 2018
VoiceTra ver.7.0 for iOS has been released.
- Filipino speech recognition has been supported.
- Khmer text-to-speech has been supported.
- Improved response time.
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "iOS9 or later".
Android Oct. 3, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.9 for Android has been released.
- Filipino speech recognition has been supported.
- Khmer text-to-speech has been supported.
- The supported OS versions have been updated to "Android5.0 or later".
Server Oct. 2, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added names of Olympic venues and airports to the proper noun dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
- Improved Khmer speech recognition accuracy
Server Aug. 6, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added names of tourist spots in Gifu Prefecture to the proper noun dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
Android Jun. 14, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.8 for Android has been released.
- Spanish, German, and Russian speech synthesis have been supported.
- Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Hindi, Portuguese, and Malay speech recognition have been disabled.
- Turkish, Hungarian, Hindi, Polish, Malay, and Mongolian speech synthesis have been disabled.
- Minor bug fixes.
iOS Jun. 14, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.4 for iOS has been released.
- Spanish, German, and Russian speech synthesis have been supported.
- Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Hindi, Portuguese, and Malay speech recognition have been disabled.
- Turkish, Hungarian, Hindi, Polish, Malay, and Mongolian speech synthesis have been disabled.
- Minor bug fixes.
Server Jun. 5, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Thai speech recognition accuracy.
- Added names of tourist spots in Tohoku Region to the proper noun dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko, zh-TW)
- Added names of tourist spots in Gifu City to the proper noun dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko, fil, pt-BR, zh-TW)
- The speech synthesis volume level has been increased for all supported languages speech output is available with.
Android Apr. 25, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.7 for Android has been released.
- Minor stylistic fixes.
iOS Apr. 25, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.3 for iOS has been released.
- Added a field for Inquiry Number in the settings screen.
Android Apr. 11, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.6 for Android has been released.
- Added a notification feature which will display notifications accordingly.
- The screen displayed during speech input has been updated.
- Minor bug fixes.
iOS Apr. 11, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.2 for iOS has been released.
- Added a notification feature which will display notifications accordingly.
- The screen displayed during speech input has been updated.
- Minor bug fixes.
Server Apr. 4, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Japanese and Spanish speech recognition accuracies.
Server Feb. 6, 2018
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved Japanese, Indonesian, Spanish, and French speech recognition accuracies
- Improved Korean speech synthesis quality
- Added names of Japan's World Heritage sites, National Treasures, Shinto deities, and Buddhas to the proper noun dictionary (ja, en, ko)
- Added names and titles of Japanese Cabinet Ministers to the proper noun dictionary (ja, en, zh, ko)
- More Japanese corporate names have been supported (ja, en)
Android Jan. 29, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.5 for Android has been released.
- Speech recognition and synthesis for Chinese (Traditional) have been supported.
- Yamaha Corporation's "OMOTENASHI GUIDE" app can now be activated via VoiceTra.
iOS Jan. 26, 2018
VoiceTra ver.6.1 for iOS has been released.
- Speech recognition and synthesis for Chinese (Traditional) have been supported.
- Yamaha Corporation's "OMOTENASHI GUIDE" app can now be activated via VoiceTra.
Android Dec. 6, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.4 for Android has been released.
- You can now choose between male/female voices for speech output.
- Now supports Android8.
iOS Nov. 23, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.0 for iOS has been released.
- Screen rotation is now supported for iPads.
- You can now choose between male/female voices for speech output.
Server Nov. 7, 2017
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Improved English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Myanmar speech recognition accuracies.
- Added generic names of pharmaceuticals to the dictionary. (ja, en)
iOS Sep. 22, 2017
VoiceTra ver.5.7 for iOS has been released.
Supports iOS11.
Server Sep. 12, 2017
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Deep learning has been applied to Japanese speech synthesis.
- Added names of tourist spots in Japan which were provided by Recruit Communications Co., Ltd. as part of the results from the commissioned research carried out with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
- Added names of tourist spots near Omagari, Akita Prefecture to the proper noun dictionary. (ja, en, ko)
Android Sep. 1, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.3 for Android has been released.
Android Jul. 11, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.2 for Android has been released.
Khmer speech recognition has been supported.
Now supports Zawgyi-One for Myanmar.
iOS Jul. 4, 2017
VoiceTra ver.5.6 for iOS has been released.
Khmer speech recognition has been supported.
Server Jun. 28, 2017
The following updates have been made to the server:
- Translation accuracies between Japanese and English have improved significantly with the implementation of AI translation technology.
- Improved Korean speech recognition accuracy.
- Added medical-related terms to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
Android Jun. 1, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.1 for Android has been released.
Spanish speech recognition has been supported.
iOS May 25, 2017
VoiceTra ver.5.5 for iOS has been released.
Spanish speech recognition has been supported.
iOS Apr. 27, 2017
VoiceTra ver.5.4.4 for iOS has been released.
Server Apr. 25, 2017
The following updates have been made to the server:
  • Added names of food and drink menus provided by BizitJapan Inc. to the dictionary. (ja, en)
  • Added proper nouns related to sightseeing in Kyushu provided by Kumamoto Institute of Computer Software Co., Ltd. to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
  • Added proper nouns related to sightseeing in Hokkaido provided by Docon Co., Ltd. to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
  • Added terms related to shopping which were provided by Panasonic System Solutions Japan Co., Ltd. as part of the results from the contract research carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, to the dictionary. (ja, zh)
  • Added terms related to school/education which were provided by the following organizations, with the support from Visiting Associate Professor Hideki Wakabayashi of Faculty of International Studies, Utsunomiya University, to the dictionary (Speech Translation: ja, en, zh, ko / Text Translation: (in addition to ja, en, zh, ko) Spanish, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Filipino):
    - Faculty of International Studies, Utsunomiya University:
    “Vocabulary List of Junior High School Subjects”
    - Sano City Board of Education:
    “List of Event Names in Multiple Languages”
    - Council of Local Authorities for International Relations:
    “Standard Translation List in Multiple Languages”
    - Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education Secretariat:
    “List of Sample Words and Conversations in School Life”
  • Added the following proper nouns to the dictionary:
    - Names of local mascot characters (ja, en, ko)
    - Names of VIPs (key officials) of the world (ja, en, ko)
    - Names of roadside stations (ja, en)
  • Improved Japanese, English, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Myanmar speech recognition accuracies.
  • French speech recognition server, formerly operated by The Computer Science Laboratory for Mechanics and Engineering Sciences (LIMSI ? Laboratoire d'Informatique pour la Mecanique et les Sciences de l'Ingenieur), is now being operated at NICT.
Android Apr. 21, 2017
VoiceTra ver.6.0 for Android has been released.
Now supports screen rotation (tablet devices only).
Server Feb. 14, 2017
The following updates have been made to the server:
  • Added names of tourist spots in Japan and names of hospitals provided by JTB Corporate Sales, Inc., to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
  • Added terms related to 1) aircraft and ships (ja, en, zh, ko), 2) Japanese culture, festivals, and events (ja, en, zh, ko), 3) food and cuisine (ja, en, zh, ko), and 4) sake (ja, en, zh), to the dictionary.
  • Improved Thai, Chinese, and Korean speech recognition accuracies.
  • Switched the speech synthesis voice for Thai from female to male in order to match the gender of the translation results.
iOS Dec. 6, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.4.3 for iOS has been released.
Android Dec. 6, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.4.3 for Android has been released.
Server Dec. 6, 2016
The following updates have been made to the server:
  • Added 500 names of the best regional products of Japan provided by Revamp Corporation, to the dictionary. (ja, en)
  • Added about 84,700 terms related to culture, food, sports, animals and plants, roads, and sightseeing, to the dictionary. (ja, en)
  • Improved Vietnamese speech recognition accuracy.
  • Improved translation accuracies on topics such as residence, consumption, telecommunications, child rearing, employment, education, and vacation, between each of the following languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Brazilian Portuguese.
  • Thai speech synthesis server, formerly operated by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) is now being operated at NICT.
Server Oct. 4, 2016
The following updates have been made to the server:
  • Added the following proper nouns to the dictionary:
    - Names of railway companies (ja, en)
    - Ward names of ordinance-designated cities in Japan (ja, en)
    - Street names and intersection names of Kyoto City (ja, en)
    - Winning techniques in Sumo (ja, en)
    - 44 terms related to disaster prevention, such as “Regional disaster prevention radio” and “emergency route” (ja, en, zh)
  • Added names of sightseeing spots in Kanagawa Prefecture provided by the Kanagawa Taxi Association, to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
  • Added names of sightseeing spots in Japan provided by “japan-guide.com,” to the dictionary. (ja, en, zh, ko)
  • Added 599 terms used in rugby provided by the Japan Rugby Football Union and the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee, to the dictionary. (ja, en)
  • Improved English, Indonesian, and Myanmar speech recognition accuracies.
  • Fixed the issue where ordinal numbers were missing in the translation results of some of the languages, such as Italian and Portuguese.
iOS Oct. 3, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.4.2 for iOS has been released.
Android Oct. 3, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.4.2 for Android has been released.
Server Sep. 12, 2016
Aug. 29 The following updates have been made to the server:
- Added names of IC transport cards, trains, railway lines, music genres,Pokemon characters, etc.
- Improved Chinese and Korean speech recognition accuracies.
iOS Jul. 13, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3.2 for iOS has been released.
- Now supports speech synthesis and recognition for Brazilian Portuguese.
Android Jul. 13, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3.2 for Android has been released.
- Now supports speech synthesis and recognition for Brazilian Portuguese.
iOS Jun. 1, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3.1 for iOS has been released.
- Some of the languages that were available as trial versions have been officially supported.
Android Jun. 1, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3.1 for Android has been released.
- Some of the languages that were available as trial versions have been officially supported.
Android May 17, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3 for Android has been released.
iOS May 9, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.3 for iOS has been released.
iOS Feb. 4, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.2 for iOS has been released.
Android Feb. 3, 2016
VoiceTra ver.5.2 for Android has been released.
Android Dec. 2, 2015
VoiceTra ver.5.1 for Android has been released.
iOS Dec. 1, 2015
VoiceTra ver.5.1 for iOS has been released.

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