Talkman Developer Interview

We sit down with Talkman developer, Yoshiteru Yamamoto, for a little... talk.

Liam O'Connor: It’s been rumoured that you came up with the idea for Talkman after you were sitting next to an Italian woman on a bench and could not find a common language to communicate with. Is there any truth to this rumour?

Yoshiteru Yamamoto: Yes, it is true. Everybody must have a similar experience or two and Talkman is here to help.

Li: The PSP obviously offers many advantages: the machine is portable and the UMD format allows for some impressive storage. Did you, however, find any disadvantages working with the hardware? Was coding for the PSP difficult? Do you feel that the loading times associate with UMD break the flow of the conversations?

Yoshi: The loading time was a problem. However, I was not trying to make a simultaneous translator, but an ice breaker that would make an Italian woman smile. To do this, I put priority on CG and natural voice.

Li: What were your reasons for choosing situational translations? Talkman is an amazing piece of software, but it often feels clumsy to swap between situations when asking routine questions. Was the decision a matter of interface, or did situational translation help with the development and coding?

Yoshi: For routine questions, we have the bookmark function where you can register and use lines from any situation. However, once you start to know Max (what he can say in each situation), you will only need to choose the situation and say the line into the microphone, a lot faster than an electronic dictionary where you need to button your way through various layers to get to a certain line. As explained in my next answer, Talkman is something you show to people and using the microphone is also to show off.

Li: Max certainly breaks down any hostilities that someone might feel when working with translation software. His presence is a reassuring anchor amongst the interface. What was the reasoning behind including a mascot character? Do you think that he helps create an all-ages feel for the software?

Yoshi: Talkman is something you “show” to people. Communication is not only about language, but also about expression, gesture, and opportunity. Talkman supports all of this. Showing Max gets people’s attention, that’s the opportunity, and once Max starts talking, his expression and gesture will add spice to what he says that makes people smile. And a smile is very important for communication.

Sometimes what you see (ex. drawings, photos, street signs, etc.) convey messages better than words especially when the two can not speak the other person’s language. Whoever sees Max will not feel danger which is very important. When approaching a stranger, you need to convey that you are not there to harm that person. Max is a sign of peace.

Li: Talkman has some useful features for learning language and pronunciation. It’s especially useful because it doesn’t limit itself to formal language. Would you like to see Talkman become a staple of second language classes?

Yoshi: One of the reasons why I made Talkman is not to have to go through the pain of learning a new language again. That’s why Max talks for you. I really had a tough time learning French and Russian which I still cannot use at all. The only reason why I can use English is because I was brought up in the USA. My advice as a former teacher is to first have fun, continue the experience, and get closer to the language. Max’s reaction to your pronunciation is the fun part and the scores you get and the puzzle that needs to be completed are what make you continue. Believe it or not, just by playing Talkman, an audio from a Spanish movie rang a bell. Although I couldn’t remember the meaning, Spanish definitely felt closer.

Li: Talkman marks, for New Zealand at least, the first of the PSP’s non-gaming packages. Do you think that the PSP could be home to similar applications? Do you have any plans to develop some yourself? Are there any other projects you are working on that gamers should look out for?

Yoshi: Although a non-game approach is very new for the game industry and presently a big boom here in Japan, we need to be very careful. Are they really entertaining? We should always go back to the basics of entertainment which for me is making people smile. Game or non-game, I will continue providing contents that make people smile.

You can check out our Talkman review here.