After Cortana, its voice-activated personal assistant designed to rival Apple's Siri, Microsoft introduces a test version of its real-time, spoken-word translation service for Skype calls. This is the first time the world’s largest software company has demonstrated the breakthrough technology publicly in the U.S..
Skype Translator allows speakers in different languages to hear the other's words spoken in their own language, according to a demo introduced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the Code Conference technology gathering in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
"It is going to make sure you can communicate with anybody without language barriers," said Nadella, Skype Translator is the Microsoft's keen determination to re-establish the company to be once again a technology leader after a decade slipping behind Apple and Google in mobile computing.
Nadella described the underlying technology as "magical," but said the task now was to turn it into a real product rather than just a research project.
The reaction to the demo, featuring an English-speaking Microsoft executive chatting with a German counterpart, was mixed. One German-speaking audience member said the translation was good enough for vacation, but not for business.