AI-Mimi is building inclusive TV experiences for Deaf and Hard of Hearing users in Japan

AI-Mimi 正在为日本的听障人士打造包容性的电视体验

Around the world, there is an increased demand for subtitles. In the United Kingdom for instance, the BBC reports that subtitles are primarily intended to serve viewers with loss of hearing, but they are used by a wide range of people: around 10% of broadcast viewers use subtitles regularly, increasing to 35 percent for some online content. The majority of these viewers are not hard of hearing.” Similar trends are being recorded around the world for television, social media and other channels that provide video content.

全球范围内，对字幕的需求日益增长。以英国为例，据英国广播公司（BBC）报道，字幕最初旨在服务听力受损的观众，但现在被广泛使用：约 10% 的广播电视观众经常使用字幕，而在某些在线内容中，这一比例高达 35%。其中大多数观众并没有听力障碍。电视、社交媒体及其他提供视频内容的渠道在全球范围内也呈现出类似的趋势。

Is it estimated that in Japan, over 360,000 people are Deaf or Hard of Hearing – 70,000 of them use sign language as their primary form of communication, while the rest prefer written Japanese as the primary way of accessing content. Additionally, with nearly 30 percent of people in Japan aged 65 or older, the Japan Hearing Aid Industry Association estimates 14.2 million people have a hearing disability.

据估计，日本有超过 36 万名听障人士——其中 7 万人以手语作为主要交流方式，其余人则更倾向于通过书面日语获取信息。此外，由于日本 65 岁及以上人口占比接近 30%，日本助听器工业协会估计，该国共有 1420 万人患有听力障碍。

Major Japanese broadcasters have subtitles for a majority of their programs, which requires a process that includes dedicated staff and the use of specialized equipment valued at tens of millions of Japanese yens. “Over 100 local TV channels in Japan face barriers in providing subtitles for live programs due to the high cost of equipment and limitations of personnel” said Muneya Ichise from SI-com. The local stations are of high importance to the communities they serve, with the local news programs conveying significant updates concerning the area and its population.

日本各大广播公司的大部分节目都配有字幕，但这需要专门的工作人员和价值数千万日元的专业设备。来自 SI-com 的 Muneya Ichise 表示：“由于设备成本高昂和人员限制，日本 100 多家地方电视台在为直播节目提供字幕方面面临障碍。”地方电视台对其所服务的社区至关重要，其本地新闻节目传达着与该地区及其居民相关的重要动态。

To address this accessibility need, starting 2018, SI-com and its parent company, ISCEC Japan, have been piloting with local TV stations innovative and cost-efficient ways of introducing subtitles to live broadcasting. Their technical solution to offer subtitles for live broadcasting, AI Mimi, is an innovative pairing between human input and the power of Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service, creating a more accurate and faster solution through the hybrid format. Furthermore, ISCEC is able to compensate for the shortage of people inputting字幕 locally by leveraging their own specialized personnel.

为了解决这一无障碍需求，自 2018 年起，SI-com 及其母公司 ISCEC Japan 开始与地方电视台合作，试点引入创新且经济高效的直播字幕方案。他们提供的直播字幕技术解决方案“AI-Mimi”，通过人工输入与微软 Azure 认知服务（Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service）的创新结合，以混合模式实现了更准确、更快速的字幕生成。此外，ISCEC 还能通过调动其专业人员，弥补地方字幕输入人员的短缺。

AI-Mimi has also been introduced at Okinawa University and the innovation was recognized and awarded a Microsoft AI for Accessibility grant. Based on extensive testing and user feedback, themed around the need for bigger fonts and better display of the subtitles on the screen, SI-com is able to create a model with over 10 lines of subtitles on the right side of the TV screen, moving away from the more commonly used version with only two lines in display at the bottom.

AI-Mimi 也已被引入冲绳大学，该创新项目获得了微软“AI for Accessibility”（人工智能无障碍）奖项的认可与资助。基于广泛的测试和用户反馈（重点在于对更大字体和更好屏幕显示效果的需求），SI-com 开发出了一种可以在电视屏幕右侧显示超过 10 行字幕的模式，打破了以往屏幕底部仅显示两行字幕的传统做法。

In December 2021, they demoed the technology for the first time, in a live broadcast, partnering with a local TV channel in Nagasaki. The live demo was evaluated by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, rating the experience highly and confirming their accessibility needs and wishes were met. Equally, the local TV station emphasized the benefits of using ISCEC’s model without the requirement or cost of specialized equipment, instead providing increased flexibility.

2021 年 12 月，他们与长崎的一家地方电视台合作，首次在直播中演示了这项技术。此次现场演示得到了听障群体的评估，他们给予了高度评价，并确认该技术满足了他们的无障碍需求和愿望。同时，该地方电视台也强调了使用 ISCEC 模式的优势：无需购买昂贵的专业设备，且提供了更高的灵活性。

Mr. Ichise said: “We are so surprised that we got positive feedback from so many people, commending the tech innovation that plays an important role in promoting the use of subtitles across all live broadcasts and ensuring accessible experiences for the communities.”

Ichise 先生表示：“我们非常惊讶能收到如此多人的积极反馈，他们称赞这项技术创新在推广所有直播节目的字幕使用、确保社区获得无障碍体验方面发挥了重要作用。”