Mitsubishi Electric offers 2 MelBridge services that overcome language barriers at the workplace through real-time translation: Translation Signage and Shaberi-gaki Translation. Following on-site research, the services progressed from pilot operations to official launch with the aim of solving workplace challenges.
As the number of employees who speak multiple languages increases at manufacturing sites, the problem of incomplete communication of instructions at morning briefings and other occasions has become apparent. Mitsubishi Electric’s Eriko Okamura (岡村 衣里子) and colleagues visited workplaces to hear about their challenges and confirmed that gaps in understanding were arising between foreign and Japanese employees.
They visited the Shizuoka Works and the Gunma plant and considered applications for translation tools based on on-site needs. Rather than simply introducing translation functions, they envisioned services that would comprehensively improve work frequency and the flow of information, and began developing 2 services.
Translation Signage is suited to one-to-many situations such as morning briefings and training. It displays multiple languages simultaneously on a large screen and features a back-translation function that retranslates spoken content for display. Shaberi-gaki Translation is intended for one-to-one explanations and interviews, providing real-time translation display.
Pilot operations began at morning briefings at the Gunma plant in December 2023, followed by the official launch in April 2025. Shaberi-gaki Translation became available in November of the same year. The services have now been deployed at more than 75 external companies, and rollout to sites nationwide is progressing.