Sharing the Animals’ Latest Moments with Guests Around the World
Fast, multilingual hospitality with the reassurance of Back Translation

Kaiyukan, located in Osaka’s Minato Ward, is known as one of the world’s largest aquariums and welcomes many visitors from Japan and abroad. As inbound tourism has grown, inquiries have increased in multiple languages, including English, Korean, and Chinese. To meet this demand, Kaiyukan uses Yaraku Translate (introduced at the time under the distributor’s former name, “Biz Honyaku”). Previously, translation requests had to be submitted on paper, causing delays. With Yaraku Translate’s secure environment and Back Translation feature, staff can now check for themselves whether translated content accurately reflects the original. By eliminating these delays, Kaiyukan can deliver timely information unique to an aquarium. We spoke with Atsumi, who led the implementation, and Sugioka, who handles day-to-day operations.

■ Paper-based translation requests stood in the way of fast customer service

In recent years, Kaiyukan has seen an increase in visitors from many countries, including the United States, Australia, and India, as well as growing demand for support in English, Korean, Chinese, and other languages. Providing multilingual support had therefore become an urgent priority. The aquarium receives daily email inquiries about tickets, opening hours, lost property, and more. Before introducing Yaraku Translate, staff were frustrated by their inability to respond quickly to multilingual inquiries. Free translation services could provide immediate translations, but because the work involved responding to customer inquiries, there were security concerns, including the possibility that entered data might be reused. Kaiyukan needed a solution that could protect important information while keeping pace with frontline operations.

The aquarium receives daily email inquiries about tickets, opening hours, lost property, and more. Before introducing Yaraku Translate, staff were frustrated by their inability to respond quickly to multilingual inquiries.

「Previously, every time we needed a translation, we had to submit a request on paper. We would hand over the document and receive the translation later, so there was inevitably a delay before we could reply to customers by email. That was a major challenge.」（Sugioka）

Before introducing Yaraku Translate, staff were frustrated by their inability to respond quickly to multilingual inquiries. Free translation services could provide immediate translations, but because the work involved responding to customer inquiries, there were security concerns, including the possibility that entered data might be reused. Kaiyukan needed a solution that could protect important information while keeping pace with frontline operations.

■ The reassurance of Back Translation—a feature you won’t find in free tools

With fast responses essential, the biggest factor in Kaiyukan’s decision to adopt Yaraku Translate was the ease of use they experienced during a one-month free trial. In addition to its simple operation, frontline staff especially valued the Back Translation feature. Yaraku Translate’s Back Translation feature translates foreign-language output back into Japanese with a single click. This lets people who are not fluent in the target language check for unintended mistranslations or unnatural nuances themselves, helping them maintain a reasonable level of accuracy in outgoing content. As a result, frontline staff can handle multilingual communications directly. The ability to check accuracy intuitively without relying on translation specialists gave the team significant peace of mind and strongly supported the decision to adopt the tool.

「We tried it during the free trial, and above all, it was very easy to use. Being able to use Back Translation to check the translated text and easily confirm that the meaning was accurate made a big difference.」（Atsumi）

In addition to its simple operation, frontline staff especially valued the Back Translation feature. Yaraku Translate’s Back Translation feature translates foreign-language output back into Japanese with a single click. This lets people who are not fluent in the target language check for unintended mistranslations or unnatural nuances themselves, helping them maintain a reasonable level of accuracy in outgoing content. As a result, frontline staff can handle multilingual communications directly. The ability to check accuracy intuitively without relying on translation specialists gave the team significant peace of mind and strongly supported the decision to adopt the tool.

Step 1
Translate an inquiry in Korean into Japanese

Step 2
Write the response in Japanese and translate it into Korean

Step 3
Use Back Translation to check the Korean text

Related article: How to Use Back Translation: Its Purpose, Benefits, and Practical Examples

■ Delivering up-to-date information in multiple languages the same day

Yaraku Translate is used for a wide range of purposes, from replying to inquiries from international guests to creating foreign-language content for the website. For email correspondence, a safe and reliable workflow has become standard: “receive and translate a foreign-language message” → “draft a reply in Japanese and translate it into the foreign language” → “perform a final check with Back Translation and send.” The tool is also used for signs and notices inside the aquarium. No longer having to wait several days for a paper-based translation request means Kaiyukan can quickly deliver fresh, real-time information about its animals to guests around the world—an especially meaningful achievement for an aquarium. The PR team also maintains its own Glossary to streamline its workflow.

「Rather than having everyone use different tools, we can now use one standardized tool when communicating with customers. That has made our internal response workflow much easier to understand.」（Sugioka）

heck with Back Translation and send.” The tool is also used for signs and notices inside the aquarium.

「For example, when exhibit or event information changes on the day—situations where real-time updates matter—we can translate the information immediately, which is extremely helpful.」（Atsumi）

or signs and notices inside the aquarium. No longer having to wait several days for a paper-based translation request means Kaiyukan can quickly deliver fresh, real-time information about its animals to guests around the world—an especially meaningful achievement for an aquarium. The PR team also maintains its own Glossary to streamline its workflow.

■ Going beyond language barriers to connect warmly with every guest

Kaiyukan uses Yaraku Translate in departments such as public relations and advertising. Having easy access to a secure translation tool on their computers has significantly reduced the time staff spend on translation. Kaiyukan expects to welcome even more inbound visitors from an increasingly diverse range of countries. To continue providing reliable guidance not only in English but also in Chinese, Korean, and other languages, Yaraku Translate has become an essential part of its operational infrastructure.

「Since Yaraku Translate supports so many languages, what I find most helpful is that I can now communicate effectively even with customers who speak languages I don’t understand.」（Sugioka）

Kaiyukan expects to welcome even more inbound visitors from an increasingly diverse range of countries. To continue providing reliable guidance not only in English but also in Chinese, Korean, and other languages, Yaraku Translate has become an essential part of its operational infrastructure.

■ Post-interview note

One comment from Sugioka during the interview particularly stayed with us: “What has helped is being able to communicate with guests who speak languages I don’t understand.” Technology may make it easier to overcome language barriers, but at the heart of it all is the deep hospitality of Kaiyukan’s staff and their desire to “provide accurate, warm guidance to guests visiting from around the world.” Their commitment to preserving even the nuances of language through Back Translation reflects the spirit of omotenashi—Japanese hospitality—that is all the more meaningful in the age of AI.

*Kaiyukan introduced Yaraku Translate through Terilogy Serviceware Corporation, a distributor of Yaraku Translate.