That communication must evolve to meet the changing needs of the Japanese population is a given, how it does so with technology is the interesting part.
On August 26, the popular Casio series of Ex-word electronic dictionaries will be the first of its kind to offer a Russian-Japanese dictionary, the Ex-word XD-SP7700. (Available HERE)
In Japan, owning an English-Japanese electronic dictionary is like owning a calculator, an occasionally useful relic from one’s school days or a crucial business tool. Throw in the extra usage of overseas travel and you can imagine that most households have one of these lying around.
Of course English is not the only useful foreign language (even if it is the most studied one) and new languages are added to the line up of electronic dictionaries to reflect the growing interest in travel or business to a particular country. The Ex-word is already available in Chinese, Korean, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
We aren’t sure whether the perceived demand for the new language is indicative of the growth of Japanese-Russian business relations, but, needless to say, the dictionary makes use of all the latest features, like handwriting and touch screen panels and native pronunciation recordings of 10,000 words and 2,100 conversational phrases. There is also a Russian-English dictionary included.
On a different note, but still on the “changing communication needs” theme, Dai Nippon Printing has developed a new typeface that promises to be easier on the eyes of the growing elderly population. Shueiyokobuto Mincho, based on Dai Nippon’s original Shuetai Mincho typeface, will feature thicker horizontal lines while promising the maintain the flavor of the Ming-style font.
Dai Nippon intends the new typeface to be used for headlines and large-type books, and has 9,000 kanji characters already with 20,000 planned by the end of the year.
