The new coronavirus infection has brought about a major change in people's outing behavior. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan reported on changes in outing behavior and consumption in major countries, and in the second quarter of 2020 (April-June quarter), the United States, Europe, and Japan experienced a significant reduction in their outing behavior. Under the influence of stay-at-home due to the Corona disaster, technologies that enable non-contact and non-face-to-face activities are rapidly advancing in various situations. Among them, the virtual space built in the network and the metaverse are attracting attention in various fields. VR (Virtual Reality) is used in the field of education, and various learning contents have been developed. However, there are no VR teaching materials related to medical English and medical interpretation in Japan. The objective of this study is to develop practical teaching materials that allow medical interpreter learners to practice speaking in a VR virtual space as a solution to the loss of opportunities for practicing medical English and medical interpreting.

In 2022, Juntendo University built "Juntendo Virtual Hospital". In 2024, a VR facility for medical interpretation was added in "Juntendo Virtual Hospital" in collaboration with a company.In 2023, we drew up a plan to build equipment for medical interpretation, and in 2024, we added a space for practicing medical interpretation and avatars, so that people can communicate via voice and text chat. It became possible to warp from the reception desk of a general hospital to an examination room, and practice interpreting with multiple avatars.

The expected utilization of the developed system is as follows. First, it is assumed that it will be possible to have a simulated experience without spending human resources outside the hospital. Second, there will be no limitations of time and space. VR technology overcomes the difficulties of conducting hospital training. Virtual space has the power to expand and enhance the physical world in which we live, freeing us from the boundaries of space and time in the real world. It allows learners to have various experiences while staying home. Third, it will be possible to practice medical interpretation safely. With VR, it is possible to experience situations that cannot be reproduced normally. By creating places, spaces, equipment, and situations such as operating rooms and sterilization rooms, which are difficult to experience even in on-the-job training, it is possible to have a simulated experience close to practical training in the field. The results of this research will contribute to the construction of a new next-generation learning model required in the post-corona era in the field of medical English and medical interpretation.

Keywords: VR, Virtual Reality, medical interpreting, education, development.