NVDA 2012.1j (nvdajp)

We would like to provide information on the activities of Japanese community of NVDA. Currently 2012.1j-beta2 is released.

Release by NVDA Japanese Project (nvdajp), based on NVDA 2012.1 from nvda-project.org.

Release manager: Takuya Nishimoto (nishimotz atmark gmail.com, Twitter @nishimotz)

This release is Japanese localization of the NVDA open-source screen reader for Windows.

Changes from original 2012.1:


  • Application icon is changed to the NVDAJP Telescope Goldfish.
  • NonConvert key of Japanese keyboard can be used as NVDA modifier key (optional).
  • Japanese Text-to-Speech engine JTalk is added (based on Open JTalk, MMDAgent, Mecab project)
  • Japanese input method editor (IME) support (for 32bit/64bit environment). Some applicaitions are not fully supported.
    You can disable this feature using “Keyboard settings” – “Support IME (nvdajp)”.
  • AppModules for Search Aid and VoicePopper (popular self-voicing applications in Japan) are added.
  • Japanese translations added for Input Help Mode: “IME Non convert”, “IME Convert”, “Pause”.
  • Character descriptions can be customized by user.
    If characterDescriptions-(locale).dic file is found in userConfig file,
    it supersedes built-in dictionary.
    This feature is requested from the Japanese users, because commercial screen readers use their own character description dictionaries, and the users preferences are so different.
    We are also developing alternative dictionary to replace the current Japanese dictionary.
  • Experimental JTalk2 driver: language switching among Japanese and other languages supported by eSpeak.
  • Experimental Japanese braille display driver DirectBM (for KGS devices).
    Japanese braille support requires the process of inserting spaces between words.
    Current implementation of nvdajp uses the text analysis module (mecab and naist-jdic) for both JTalk and DirectBM.
    Although we would like to accelerate the development, the development members have very limited number of devices.
  • “Braille Viewer” is added in Tools menu. Available for Japanese language.
  • Report Time (NVDA+f12) is modified for Japanese environment.
  • Help documents are opened by HTML application (HTA) window, not the system’s default web browser.
    This is because Japanese popular voice web browser for screen reader users is difficult to use with NVDA.

What’s New in this version:


  • NVDA 2012.1 (rev 5086) is merged.
    http://bzr.nvaccess.org/nvda/releases/2012.1
  • Some libraries are updated: liblouis 2.4.1 and espeak 1.46.12
  • Some Japanese translation of messages are modified.
  • Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) support is improved.
    This work is unfinished. Some limitations and bugs are remained.
  • JTalk (Japanese TTS) is updated.
  • Dictionary for Japanese text analysis is updated.

We use launchpad.net as bazaar source-code repository.

Versions of Japanese resources (shown in NVDA log):


  • nvdajptext.dll 20111017 mecab:0.98
  • nvdajp-jtalk-dic 20120403-053143
  • libopenjtalk 20120323-070011

Repositories are as follows:


  • lp:~nishimotz/nvdajp/releases_2012.1
  • lp:~nishimotz/nvdajp/MiscellaneousDependencies rev 77

Published by nishimotz

A freelance consultant. doctor of engineering. speech interface, open-source software, accessibility, #nvdajp. Facebook: http://bit.ly/ckUk20