JAWS PANKRATION 2024 is an event organized by JAWS-UG (AWS User Group – Japan), bringing together AWS experts from around the world for technical talks and cultural discussions. To ensure seamless communication for a global audience, the event has adopted the real-time translation tool VoicePing as a key solution to overcome language barriers.
In this article, we interview the members of the JAWS PANKRATION 2024 organizing committee to explore how VoicePing supported the event and facilitated smooth global communication.
This was the second edition of the event, which brought together AWS titleholders from across Japan and the world for a 24-hour online exchange of technology and culture. Held from noon on August 24 to noon on August 25, 2024, the event aimed to foster strong collaboration with international engineers and encourage local engineers to participate in global events, promoting both technological innovation and global networking.
The event featured professional technical talks on a variety of topics, including AWS (Amazon Web Services), cloud computing, data management, and AI. In the Ask the Speaker segment, participants joined VoicePing’s virtual office, where they could ask speakers questions in real-time using their native languages. This feature enabled participants and presenters to engage in meaningful conversations about their technical interests without any language barriers.
This Year’s Theme: “No Border”
The theme of JAWS PANKRATION 2024 was “No Border”.
In keeping with the spirit of the theme, speaking in English was not a requirement. Presenters delivered 15-minute talks in their native languages, and participants were free to communicate with others in their own languages. The event was a tremendous success, attracting more than 600 participants from 32 countries. Speakers from 25 countries—including Japan, the United States, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, and Kenya—represented every continent. The event truly embodied the theme of “strong collaboration between international and local engineers” and “technical discussions across borders.”
A key tool that made this seamless communication possible was VoicePing. By using real-time translation, VoicePing helped remove language barriers for participants, ensuring the success of JAWS PANKRATION 2024.
In the following interviews with the event organizers, we’ll delve deeper into how VoicePing contributed to the success of the event and enhanced global communication.
Exclusive Interview:
“No Border” – Blending Local and Global Communities
Introduction of Organizing Committee Members
– Thank you for joining us. Could you briefly introduce yourselves and tell us about your roles in the organizing committee?
Yoshie: My name is Shun Yoshie, and I served as the chairman of the organizing committee for JAWS PANKRATION. In this role, I was responsible for overseeing the entire event, from the planning stages to execution, providing directions and coordinating efforts to ensure a smooth operation.
Abe: I’m Takumi Abe. During this year’s JAWS PANKRATION, I was involved in creating the event’s website during the preparation phase. On the event day, I took on the role of an operator, guiding speakers through the process of joining VoicePing, explaining session details, and sharing key instructions.
Shibao: I’m Tetsuya Shibao. My primary role involved communicating with international participants and inviting speakers from overseas. After sending out invitations, I managed the organization of materials to ensure smooth communication with the speakers. On the event day, I facilitated sessions through Zoom and later guided speakers into VoicePing to create a space where they could connect with participants and continue discussions beyond their sessions.
– Thank you. Could you give us a brief overview of the purpose behind hosting JAWS PANKRATION in 2024?
Yoshie: We first hosted JAWS PANKRATION in 2021 with the goal of creating a fully online, global event spanning 24 hours. Typically, onsite events provide opportunities for participants to attend sessions in person, have spontaneous hallway conversations, or interact during “Ask the Speaker” sessions. Our goal with JAWS PANKRATION was to recreate this kind of free and open event space online—a place unrestricted by time or location, where participants could engage in discussions and exchange ideas freely, just as they would at an in-person event.
– The theme for JAWS PANKRATION 2021 was “Up till Down.” This year, the theme is “No Border.” What was the reason behind choosing this theme?
Yoshie: After the 2021 event, I joined a workshop in Bangkok focused on the APAC region. While the event helped activate regional communities, it highlighted the challenge of language barriers in global collaboration. For instance, in India, user groups often cater to English speakers despite the large Hindi-speaking population. Similarly, in Australia, some Indigenous communities don’t speak English, limiting their participation.
We also discussed how talented non-native English-speaking engineers struggle to connect globally. If they had more opportunities to overcome language barriers, they could have a greater impact.
This year’s event aimed to blend “local” and “global.” We created an environment where participants could communicate freely—not just during presentations but also in conversations between speakers and attendees. To support this, we used multilingual tools like VoicePing for seamless interpretation. After much discussion, we landed on the theme: “No Border.”
– How was the outcome of the event?
Shibao: Yes, after the event, we conducted a survey, and the feedback was very positive. Many participants from various countries mentioned that they appreciated being able to communicate with each other through VoicePing. The live captions allowed participants to follow the presentations in their native languages, which was also highly praised.
Yoshie: One of the key achievements was the participation of multinational speakers and attendees. This year, we had around 621 registrants from 32 countries. In previous years, we had participants from about 13 to 14 countries, but this year we saw a significant increase, with speakers from 25 countries. One particularly interesting point was that after Japan, the highest number of participants came from India, followed by Kenya. We also had speakers from other African countries, such as Kenya and Nigeria. Although this event was hosted in Japan, it wasn’t an official AWS event—it was a community-driven event. I think it’s quite rare to see such a diverse range of countries represented at a non-official event like this. The fact that people from such a variety of nations could connect and engage across language barriers was the greatest success of this event.
Abe: Absolutely. Up until 2021, most of the sessions were either in English or Japanese. However, this time, presenters were able to give talks in their native languages, and participants could view translations in their own languages. I remember being in the waiting room when one of the speakers said, “So this is what a global event feels like. I thought I’d need to speak in English, but I’m so happy I can present in my native language.” That really struck a chord with me.
VoicePing’s Role in Supporting Multilingual Events
– What were the main challenges of the event?
Yoshie: The biggest challenge was “creating an environment where people could communicate freely in their native languages.” In 2021, we provided speakers with translation devices and told them they could speak in any language. However, despite having speakers from 13 countries, the options were still limited to English or Japanese. As a result, the sessions ended up relying on Japanese and English interpreters, which made the event feel more like a conventional bilingual setup.
Our task this time was to create a truly multilingual environment. One of the solutions was to integrate VoicePing’s virtual office and real-time translation features into the “Ask the Speaker” section. It was a breakthrough to see participants communicate effortlessly in their native languages—Japanese participants using Japanese, Koreans speaking in Korean, and attendees from Hong Kong chatting in Cantonese.
– We’re thrilled to hear that VoicePing was able to help. How did you first learn about VoicePing?
Yoshie: I discovered VoicePing at the AWS Summit Tokyo 2023, when I stopped by the AWS Startup booth. That was the first time I encountered the service and learned that it was built on AWS. I also had a chance to see a brief demo of its translation capabilities, and I thought, this could be exactly what we need for the event.
Device-Free, Intuitive Operations: Stress-Free Multilingual Events
Yoshie explains why VoicePing was chosen
– What made you choose VoicePing out of the many available services?
Yoshie: The biggest reason was that VoicePing didn’t require any dedicated devices or apps for simultaneous interpretation. We wanted to achieve device-free multilingual interpretation for the 2024 event, without needing to distribute translation devices to every participant. VoicePing perfectly aligned with this goal, and we incorporated the idea as soon as we heard about it.
Another key reason was that VoicePing offers both a virtual office feature and real-time translation. Since the event was held online, participants needed to connect through virtual avatars in the “Ask the Speaker” section and have their conversations translated in real time. When we saw the demo, we were impressed by both the translation accuracy and the intuitive user interface, which made our decision to use VoicePing an easy one.
– What was your overall experience with VoicePing?
Abe: The best part was being able to communicate in our native languages without needing any devices. In previous online events, even if a virtual office was used, there were no built-in translation functions. We would often rely on participants who spoke English or use translation devices, which added complexity. But with VoicePing, those barriers were removed. Thanks to the chat and translation functions in the rooms, speakers could talk freely without worrying about language constraints.
There was a memorable moment that even got featured in a news report: Mr. Yoshie, a speaker from South Korea, and I were all conversing in our native languages via chat. Although it might have looked chaotic from the outside, it was incredible how smoothly everything worked, and that experience really left an impression.
Yoshie: Speakers from India and Hong Kong also said they found VoicePing “fascinating.” One of the speakers from Hong Kong even commented, “This is an amazing service.” We also enjoyed chatting in Japanese with speakers from Spain, Indonesia, and Korea using VoicePing. It felt like we were experiencing something straight out of a scene from ‘Doraemon,’ with the ‘Translation Gummy’ that lets everyone speak different languages seamlessly.
VoicePing truly is an excellent service. Having VoicePing as a sponsor also allowed us to showcase how AWS could be utilized to power it, which was another great outcome of the event.
– Thank you. Were participants able to quickly adapt to the VoicePing virtual office features, even if it was their first time using the platform?
Abe: Yes. We prepared a Google Document in advance to share instructions, including how to set nicknames and join the meeting rooms. Our organizing team entered the translation rooms ahead of time to familiarize ourselves with the setup and invited speakers to the rooms before their sessions started. When the speakers joined VoicePing, we assisted them by setting their names and session numbers, which helped ensure the process ran smoothly. Thanks to these preparations, participants were able to get accustomed to the platform without much trouble.
– Could you give us some examples of the languages used by participants in the virtual office?
Shibao: A variety of languages were spoken. Not everyone used their native language, but we saw Indonesian participants speaking in Indonesian and Chilean attendees using Spanish. There were also participants from Spain who used Spanish. Some Japanese participants joined the conversations, and many attendees opted to speak in English. However, in the “Ask the Speaker” sessions and upon first joining, we also heard people speaking in German, Korean, and Cantonese.
– How did participants react when everyone spoke in their native languages?
Abe: Most participants expressed excitement, saying things like, “I can understand what’s being said!” Even though I can understand some English, I was amazed that I could follow conversations in Spanish and other languages that I don’t speak at all. On the other hand, some participants told us, “I can’t understand Japanese at all, yet I can follow everything perfectly!” It was a fascinating experience, and it made me really happy to see how well it worked.
– Were there any areas for improvement or feedback?
Yoshie: Yes, we encountered some issues during continuous use over the 24-hour period. Specifically, we experienced session interruptions, especially when international speakers transitioned from their presentations to the “Ask the Speaker” section. I waited for speakers in VoicePing to discuss the event and ask technical questions. However, I noticed some interruptions—when I tried to speak in Japanese, the session unexpectedly disconnected, or the translation feature stopped working during the final four hours. As a result, I ended up communicating in English on my own. We’re not sure what caused these issues, but other team members faced similar problems. It would be great if these could be improved.
Aside from that, the speech-to-text conversion and translation were very fast, making it an excellent environment for Q&A sessions.
– That’s an important point. We’ll look into improving the session interruptions moving forward. How was the translation of technical terms?
Yoshie: In some cases, the translation worked well, but there were times when it didn’t. It might have helped if we had used VoicePing’s dictionary feature to pre-register frequently used service terms related to AWS. However, we didn’t have enough time to prepare for that. We had to make tough decisions about where to prioritize our efforts to ensure the event’s success.
Going forward, it would be great if there were industry-specific dictionary packages that could be pre-installed and selected during the initial setup. For example, having a dictionary package for IT terminology that users could install and fine-tune automatically during setup would be ideal.
Shibao: Another issue we noticed was when participants shared their screens in VoicePing’s meeting rooms. Occasionally, people would accidentally hide behind the shared screen, leading to confusion like, “Are you here? Or not?” It would be more user-friendly if the screen and user icons didn’t overlap, making it easier to manage participants visually.
Exploring New Frontiers in Online Events with Real-Time Translation Tools
– What role do you think tools like VoicePing will play in large-scale global online events, such as JAWS PANKRATION 2024?
Abe: Recently, concepts like online events and remote work have become more common. In remote work environments, especially when collaborating with multinational and diverse teams, the demand for systems that overcome language barriers will only grow. In the past, when I worked with people from Vietnam, we needed either someone who could speak Japanese or a dedicated interpreter. However, with a system like VoicePing, we could save time and communicate instantly without needing to learn each other’s languages.
These kinds of systems will unlock new opportunities for collaboration, allowing people to work together seamlessly. As the title of this event, “No Border,” suggests, I believe we are getting closer to a world where people can share ideas and engage in meaningful discussions across national and linguistic boundaries. Tools like this will play an increasingly important role in shaping that future.
Yoshie: Looking ahead, I think the topic of generative AI will be a key focus. If generative AI continues to evolve, it could enable systems to provide more accurate and faster translations by simply processing a prompt. This would allow services to offer even more natural and smooth communication. For this event, we prioritized real-time translation, so we were focused on delivering translations as quickly as possible for the “Ask the Speaker” sessions and speaker presentations.
For these sessions, We used VoicePing and Amazon Translate for speaker translations, which we found to be the most effective solution in terms of speed. However, it will be interesting to see how much generative AI can improve and possibly replace existing translation solutions in the future. Just three years ago, many of us had no idea what generative AI was. Now, we’re living in a time where we actively utilize these technologies.
As for the next event—whether it’s four years from now or sometime else—we can’t say for certain. But one thing we do know is that we want to create a future where people from diverse countries and languages can come together and engage in lively discussions about AWS technologies.
– All of you are actively involved in various communities, such as AWS Heroes and AWS Community Builders. As members of the AWS community, could you share your vision for the future?
Abe: In Japan, I organize study groups for the JAWS community not in major cities like Tokyo or Osaka but in rural areas. Recently, I learned that other countries face similar challenges, which broadened my perspective. I realized that it’s not just our issue, but a global one. Moving forward, I’d like to create opportunities to gather and share knowledge on how to better utilize IT in non-urban areas. I believe tools like VoicePing could enable these types of meaningful discussions across regions.
Shibao: As a Community Builder, I’ve had some unexpected experiences through my activities on LinkedIn. One day, someone from Germany who had translated an AWS-related book into Japanese reached out to me and even offered to send me a copy. I live in Saga, a small town in Japan, so the idea of receiving a book all the way from Germany was truly surprising. There aren’t many companies in Saga that use AWS yet, but I want to grow the community in this region. Through these experiences, I also hope to expand my perspective beyond Saga and connect with people all over the world.
Yoshie: We may not host the event next year (laughs), but if this event hadn’t taken place, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to connect with people from Africa. I’d love to have more opportunities to communicate not just with people from Africa but also with people from other countries I haven’t interacted with yet. Thinking about that, I feel motivated to organize another event like this through the Japanese AWS User Group.
This event made the concept of “global” feel much more real to me. It also encouraged me to start posting in English on LinkedIn, which I hadn’t done before. These experiences have been incredibly valuable, and I hope to keep learning and taking action moving forward.
Summary
Our company’s representative also presented at JAWS PANKRATION 2024!
JAWS PANKRATION 2024 was more than just a platform for technical discussions. It reaffirmed the importance of bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures and enabling them to communicate freely in their native languages. We are honored that VoicePing was selected as a key tool to support global communication at the event. This event demonstrated that technology tools are not merely for support but play a vital role in fostering international exchange and connection—a true embodiment of the “No Border” theme. JAWS PANKRATION 2024 has paved the way for new possibilities in global communication, setting a meaningful precedent for the future.
A New Communication Experience with VoicePing
In international events and multinational teams, language barriers often limit participants from expressing their ideas freely. Traditional translation devices also bring challenges, increasing both costs and complexity.
With VoicePing, these issues are solved through real-time multilingual translation. There’s no need for special devices—every participant can communicate freely in their native language. At JAWS PANKRATION 2024, participants from Korea, Japan, and Germany engaged in vibrant discussions in their respective languages, while VoicePing’s fast and accurate translations ensured smooth communication. Its simple interface makes it easy for first-time users to get started, and specialized terms and technical vocabulary can be quickly registered, allowing users to join high-level discussions from anywhere.
Save Time and Cut Costs with VoicePing—Break Language Barriers and Make Your Voice Heard Globally!
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