Amid the increase in the number of Thai visitors, Fukuoka-based translation and interpreting agency BeBorn will launch a Thai telephone interpreting service on Apr. 14. Thai telephone interpreting is a rarity in Japan, and BeBorn expects to receive calls from hotels and rent-a-car companies having trouble communicating with Thai customers who can’t speak Japanese. Initially, the service will be available year-round 8:00~20:00 with future plans to switch to a 24-hour service like the company already does for English, Chinese and Korean. BeBorn handles 1,000~1,500 interpreting requests every month, and according to its calculations, adding a Thai language service will allow it to offer support to 83% of foreign visitors to Japan. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 4/11
Photo: (from unrelated event in 2012 http://fukuoka-now.com/2012/05/thai-airways-and-tourism-authority-of-thailand-celebrate-20-years-in-fukuoka/)
