Microsoft have launched a test version of Skype Translator. The tool decodes conversations in Spanish and English as they happen, and will allow people speaking with others who speak another language to talk freely.
Microsoft’s Gurdeep Pall says that the tool is the result of ten years’ worth of investment, saying that users will no longer need to see geography and language as obstacles once it becomes commonplace. Pall claimed “Skype Translator will open up endless possibilities for people around the world to connect, communicate and collaborate”.
The tool is currently being trialed in schools in Mexico City and Washington, with one classroom conversing in Spanish whilst the other speaks in English. Although the service is available in Spanish and English, it’s said that more languages will be built into it in the future. It’s said that Skype attracts 300 million users each month, which equates to 2 billion minutes of talking every day.
Are you looking forward to the arrival of Skype Translator? Will you be using it regularly? Maybe you fear that it won’t be as reliable as it needs to be? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.