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Skype Demoes Real Time English To Spanish Translation

Skype Demoes Real Time English To Spanish Translation
Skype

Microsoft announced an exciting new feature that enables real-time translation on its Skype messaging service. The service debuted with spoken translation of Spanish and English and textual translation of 40+ languages.

"Today, we are excited to announce the first phase of the Skype Translator preview program," said Microsoft's Gurdeep Pall on the Skype blog. The feature is available to Skype customers who have signed-up via the Skype Translator sign-up page and are using Windows 8.1 on the desktop or device.

In this video, school children from Mexico city and Tacoma, USA play a game of 'Mystery Skype', asking questions in English and Spanish to determine the location of the other school. “Skype Translator removed this language barrier and enabled them to communicate – the video shows their wonderful reactions.” Pall said.

Skype Translator uses speech recognition, automatic translation, and machine learning technologies. “The more the technology is used, the smarter it gets… As more people use the Skype Translator preview with these languages, the quality will continually improve.”

The Skype Translator service was first demoed in May this year, where it was compared to the Universal Translator featured in the Star Trek science fiction series.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.