Multilingual Pronunciation Practice Web Software
ST Lab
ST Lab, a sophisticated online pronunciation practice software, harnesses the power of speech recognition and text-to-speech technology, available in 16 diverse languages, including English, Chinese, German, French, Korean, and Japanese. Since its inception in April 2018, it has captivated approximately 1,500 registered users with over 120 unique materials across seven languages, meticulously crafted by many expert educators. Its reach extends beyond Japan, utilizing over 40 esteemed educational institutions domestically and globally. Testament to its value and effectiveness, the platform proudly boasts of an accumulated total of more than 200,000 exercises undertaken by its users. In response to requests from international users, the interface was made multilingual in 2023.
◆ Notice ◆
Fall 2023：Increase the number of correct answers from the current one to five.
Sep. 2023： A free workshop on creating and operating teaching materials held at Osaka Institute of Technology's Umeda Campus in Osaka, Japan.
Aug. 2023：The default setting for languages using Google synthesized speech has been changed from Microsoft to Google to improve quality.
Aug. 2023：The user interface is now multilingual. In addition to Japanese, English as well as Traditional Chinese are supported. Settings can be changed from the login screen and My Page.
Apr. 2023：Students can now create their own course materials with only the permission of the course instructor.
What is "ST Lab"？
Four types of training: "Read Aloud Practice," "Simulated Interpretation Practice," "Pinyin Read Aloud Practice (Chinese)," and "Four Tone Listening Practice (Chinese).
It can be used on tablets and smartphones as well as PCs.
A practice record is kept, and changes in the percentage of correct answers can be checked.
Synthesized voice eliminates the need to record teaching materials. Users can freely adjust volume, pitch, and speed.
Teachers with teaching credentials can create their own teaching materials simply by entering text. No programming skills are required.
Educational Institutions Using As of August 5, 2023
◆ University (Japan 37, Abroad 5, Educational Research Institution 1）
Aoyama Gakuin University, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka International University Junior College, Osaka Sangyo University, Osaka Jogakuin University, Osaka University, Okinawa Christian University, Okinawa University, Kansai Gaidai University, Kansai University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyushu University, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Keio University, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, International Christian University, Sapporo International University, Daito Bunka University, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies, Nagasaki University, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, Niigata University, Nihon University, Hiroshima University, Fukushima University, Hosei University, Hokkaido Gakuin University, Hokkaido University, Meiji University, Rikkyo University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Ritsumeikan University, University of the Ryukyus, Ryukoku University, Reitaku University, Waseda University
University of Maryland (US), Beijing Language and Culture University Tokyo School (China), Fu Jen Catholic University (Taiwan）, Soochow University (Taiwan), Tajik National Language University (Tajikistan)
Okinawa Prefectural Comprehensive Education Center
◆ Vocational School（３）
Okinawa Academy Vocational School, Okinawa Business Foreign Language School, Kobe Japanese Language School (Temporary Name before Opening)
◆ High School（4）
Kyoto Ryouyou High School, Tsukuba Kaisei International High School Okinawa Campus, Doshisha International High School, Mingdao High School (Taiwan)
◆Junior High School（1）
Kanonji Chubu Junior High School
Related Research Achievements
Development of Multilingual Teaching Materials to Encourage Speaking - Possibilities of Speech Recognition/Synthesis API in Foreign Language Education， Yukiko WATANABE・Tomomi OMAE，『2018PC Conference論文集』, pp.56-59, August 2018 ★Received Best Paper Award at the 2018 PC Conference held at Kumamoto University hosted by CIEC.
Investigating the Effect of Chinse Pronunciation Teaching Materials Using Speech Recognition and Synthesis Functions（利用语音识别及语音合成功能的汉语语音教学教材的教学效果研究）， Yukiko WATANABE・Tomomi OMAE・Satoru ODO, 『Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching（科技与中文教学）』, Vol.10(2), pp.102-124, December 2019.
Independent pronunciation learning with speech recognition， Tomomi OMAE・Yukiko WATANABE,『2019 PC Conference Papers』, pp.233-236, August 2020.
Teaching Online Chinese Pronunciation with Pronunciation Training Software: An Empirical Study （一个基于发音训练软件进行在线汉语发音教学的实证研究）， Yukiko WATANABE・Tomomi OMAE・Satoru ODO，『Online Chinese Teaching and Learning in 2020』, pp.234-246, National Foreign Language Resource Center University of Hawai'i at Manoa, June 2022.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research JP19K00879 and JP22K00682.
Okinawa University Multimedia Education Research Center