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  • Skype's New Translator Tool
Technology Articles > Software > Communications > Skype's New Translator Tool

Skype introduced a new translation app today that’s really unique. The app will help anyone using Skype to translate a conversation into a variety of languages, so you can put down that translation book, ditch frantically searching through Google translate, and simply use your Skype chat to get your point across sufficiently.

Here’s what you need to know about Skype’s latest feature.

How it All Works

Today, Skype is testing the translation app that Microsoft has been working on for a long time. Right now, the app will only translate English and Spanish, and it works something like this: you speak in your native tongue to someone else, and they hear what you’re saying in their native language. For example, I could be speaking to someone in Spanish by speaking in English into my headset or computer. The Skype translate app would then translate what I’m saying, so that the person on the other end hears Spanish, not English.

At the moment, Skype Translate works on Windows 8.1, and with Windows 10 if you have a preview copy. Since this technology is new, the Skype Translate app only translates from English and Spanish and from Spanish into English, but it’s the first of its kind, and it’s a really big breakthrough for Microsoft, and for the Skype program. Never before has Skype offered this kind of voice translation, and it’s bound to be a majorly important tool for both business and personal use in the very near future.

A School Tool

Microsoft has done something interesting with the marketing of this new feature. The company is aiming the Skype Translator tool at schools right now, and the Skype commercial that has just rolled out on the Internet is an actual test between a school in Mexico and one in the United States. The video makes the whole thing seem seamless, and the kids operating the technology in the video aren’t having any issues with the translator. What’s more, the translator translates in a person’s actual voice, so you won’t hear any strange robotic sounds when you use this tool.

If you want to be a part of the Microsoft Skype text test, you can let the company know that you want to participate. Skype Translator will also be translating text messages in the near future, so you can easily let someone know what you’re writing in another language without the need to look things up or try to translate badly on your own. The Skype Translator tool is available to anyone using Skype right now. As with most Skype tools, this one is free, but do keep in mind that Microsoft might monitor conversations.

A Breakthrough

Microsoft’s new technology is getting a lot of press today largely because it is a major breakthrough for the company. Skype hasn’t seen a lot of new features lately (other than some emojis and other basics), so a translation tool that works as well as this one does is really something to write about. If you want to check out the new Skype Translator tool, log into your Skype account, choose the tool, and start chatting - but do keep in mind that you need to have the latest versions of Windows to do so.