This face-to-face translation tool is being tested in a Tokyo train station

Installed on the counter of a train station ticket booth, this window-like device makes it easy to communicate with the agent on duty. — AFP Relaxnews

In Japan, a new type of multilingual device is currently being tested in a Tokyo train station. It enables users to converse face-to-face with a transport company agent, while speaking their own language, and seeing the agent's responses translated and automatically displayed in front of them.

For the moment, the use of this tool is an experiment being carried out only at Tokyo's Seibu-Shinjuku Station. Taking the form of a transparent screen – much like a ticket-office window – this intelligent translation tool interprets the words of foreign travelers so that the ticket agent can answer their questions. The idea is to provide a simple, natural form of assistance to tourists, who can often be bewildered or require information.