KDDI Research Institute, a wholly owned subsidiary of KDDI Corporation, has the responsibility of gathering and synthesizing information about the telecommunications industry. The telecommunications industry today is rapidly globalizing, and understanding overseas markets and regulations is imperative in order to be able to formulate effective business strategies.

The Challenge
Why They Chose Amikai
Using Amikai Enterprise
The Online Advantage
Future Plans

The Challenge

KDDI Research analysts need to examine large volumes of information which are often only available in English and other foreign languages. Although most of the researchers possess some English skill, reading through a 3 inch stack of documents in their non-native language on a weekly basis is slow and stressful. KDDI Research looked into translation solutions to increase their efficiency: "At first we considered outsourcing to translators and received various estimates. We had tried packaged translation software before but found that it was difficult to use and the translation quality was not very good -- so we didn’t consider it to be a valid option," says Hiroaki Koga, manager of the research department. They discovered that outsourcing translation was not only expensive but took at least one week turnaround, which would not leave enough time to prepare their reports. "That’s when we discovered Amikai’s online translation service," says Koga. KDDI Research concluded that Amikai provided translation quality that fulfilled their needs, contacted Amikai, and agreed to participate in the Amikai Enterprise trial program.

Why They Chose Amikai

KDDI Research needed a solution that would allow them to save time and relieve the stress of reading enormous volumes of foreign information. Amikai Enterprise solved both of these problems. "It made our work so much easier. Of course, we can read the English if we try, but it’s hard to do all the time," says Akiko Yamajo, lead researcher. The researchers translate documents from English to Japanese using the "Translate Document" feature in the Microsoft Word plugin menu, scan the translated text quickly, and then carefully reread the essential translations while looking at the corresponding original text to gain a more thorough understanding. Their productivity has increased dramatically using Amikai Enterprise. "Even if there are 100 pages, if you click the Translate Document button and take a quick break, by the time you get back to your seat, the translation is complete," adds Koga.

The Noun Dictionary was another key factor in choosing Amikai Enterprise. "There are many terms specific to the telecommunications industry that should be translated differently in our context. With packaged software, the dictionary is often difficult to use and can’t be shared because it is installed on one computer. With Amikai Enterprise, the dictionary is editable online and can be shared with the entire group. And it’s wonderful how easy it is to manage," comments Koga. The KDDI Research Institute decided to license Amikai Enterprise as soon as their trial ended.

Using Amikai Enterprise

KDDI Research’s favorite feature is the English to Japanese document translation function in the plugin menu. "The TranslationPad is useful, too, but we mainly use the Japanese translation function in Word," says Koga. They do not perform translations on a daily basis; rather they encounter certain times when they need to comprehend multiple documents at once. "Also, in research, we often have to review previous documents and quickly search for key points. This can take a lot of time. However, by flipping through a Japanese translation, I can quickly understand the content just by glancing at the text and can easily find what I am looking for in a short amount of time," says Koga. Most of the translated documents are saved and archived so they can be easily referenced later.

The Online Advantage

Amikai Enterprise’s unique online approach provides multiple advantages. "You don’t have to worry about your PC specs, and it takes up minimal space on your hard drive. Since the translation is handled by Amikai there is very little load on the client. As long as you are connected to the internet, you can use it anywhere. And the shared dictionary is extremely useful," comments Koga. Editing the noun dictionary online in real-time is also a major benefit of the system. "When you perform the Translate Document command and notice new terms that have cropped up, you can just add those words and translate it again. Then you immediately get better translation results," says Yamajo.

Future Plans

KDDI Research’s biggest request is to increase the languages supported in Amikai Enterprise. They would be interested in accessing German and French news resources even if they could be only translated into English and not Japanese. "But then our work might increase if we can read additional languages," jokes Yamajo. "I would also like to be able to download and upload the noun dictionary," says Koga. The KDDI Research Institute plans to increase the number of employees using Amikai Enterprise in order to reduce time spent on translation, save costs, and focus on their core business - researching the telecommunications industry.