Using Speech Recognition for an Automated Test of Spoken Japanese

Various kinds of IT and computer technology have enabled language tests to be delivered online or on computer, and to have much faster scoring time. Such computer-based tests can well assess three skill areas such as reading, writing, and listening comprehension. However, in many cases, speaking ability is still inferred by the scores obtained for those three skill areas. Ordinate Corporation and the Institute for Digital Enhancement of COgnitive DEvelopment (the Institute for DECODE) at Waseda University have been jointly working to develop a completely automated test of spoken Japanese, Spoken Japanese Test (SJT). SJT is intended to provide automated test administration and scoring service by delivering the test over the telephone and by scoring the test using speech recognition technology and other computerized systems. Ordinate and the Institute for DECODE are currently collecting speech data from native and non-native speakers of Japanese to develop a speech recognizer optimized for the Japanese language and for non-native speakers of Japanese.