USS Missouri had an astounding career over five decades secured its place in history as the site of Japan’s formal surrender ending World War II. USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc. is selected for donation of the decommissioned battleship and oversees her care and preservation. In December 2022, the memorial introduced QR Translator to enable displays in 10 languages. After more than a year since its implementation, we interviewed Hitomi Foronda, Japanese Sales and Marketing Manager, to learn about her decision to incorporate QR Translator and the impact it has had on the memorial experience.
Please tell us about the Battleship Missouri Memorial and its history.
Since opening in January 1999, the Battleship Missouri Memorial has attracted more than 10-million visitors from around the world with a fascinating tour experience showcasing the USS Missouri’s unique place in history. Located a mere ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Mighty Mo completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the “day of infamy” and sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and ends with Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
How did you discover QR Translator?
During my trip to Japan's Toyosu Market, I came across the QR Translator, which was already installed there.
What prompted the decision to offer the Memorial's display panels in multiple languages?
We wanted to help visitors from all over the world to view the panels in their native language.
Please share the reasons behind your decision to employ QR Translator.
The primary reason is that it creates one QR Code for multiple languages. This allows us to add more information on the signage in text and through audio.
What kind of response have you received from visitors and stakeholders?
Although we have not had much opportunity to hear directly from visitors yet, we’ve had some visitors were surprised and expressed appreciation for the multilingual support system.
How do you use QR Translator? What valuable information do you aim to gain from the scan data of the QR codes?
We use QR Translator when we make new/update signage throughout the open public area in the ship and pier. We will have 21 signs/QR codes eventually, each supporting 10 languages (English, Japanese, Chinese (simplified), Korean, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Ukrainian and Vietnamese). We’d like to get information on the total scan numbers and the percentage breakdown of each language and device per day/week/month/year. It will help us learn more about the demographics of our visitors.
To what kind of organizations or companies would you recommend QR Translator?
As the number of travelers increases and as traffic around the world becomes more active after COVID, I think it will continue to be necessary to support a variety of languages on panels. To make effective use of limited exhibit space, we recommend the multilingual QR Translator.
QR Translator is a web service developed by PIJIN Co., Ltd.. Founded as a start-up company in 2011, PIJIN carries on its mission to free the world from language barriers while preserving cultural and linguistic diversity. PIJIN holds patents for QR Translator in Japan, China, Korea, the EU and others.
Contact
Murasaki Fujiyama Marketing / Public relations Shin-Marunouchi Center Bldg. 21F, 1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 Japan Tel: +81(3)-4531-9690 Email: Contact form
The Battleship Missouri Memorial is dedicated to preserving the Battleship Missouri and sharing her story and place in history. It has attracted over 10 million visitors from around the world since its opening in 1999.
Contact
Jaclyn Hawse Director of Communications / Business Development 63 Cowpens Street Honolulu, HI 96818 Tel: +1 (808) 455-1600 Email: Please refer to https://ussmissouri.org/about-us/contact-us
