Skype Translator Coming To Windows Desktop Client Late Summer

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

Skype's Yasmin Khan said in a company blog that Skype Translator technology will begin to roll out to Skype for Windows desktop by the end of summer 2015. Currently, Skype Translator supports four spoken languages (English, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish) and 50 instant messaging languages.

Skype users on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Technical Preview not wanting to wait for the desktop client rollout can download and install the standalone Skype Translator "preview" from Windows Store here. The company removed the sign-up requirement back in May, which according to Khan led to a 300 percent increase in Skype Translator usage.

"Skype Translator uses machine learning, so the more people use the technology, the better the experience for everyone!" Khan said. Skype Translator Preview was originally released back in December 2014.

To use Skype Translator, customers open the program, choose a friend, toggle on "Translator" and then select the friend's native language. For a better experience, customers are encouraged to use a headset with a built-in microphone, to speak clearly, and wait for the translation to finish before speaking or typing again.

Obviously, the end result should provide both translated speech (if supported) and translated text. However, if Translator doesn't hear the user correctly, he/she can correct the translation in the chat window. As Khan pointed out, the translation aspect will get better as the software learns how Skype users are talking to each other. Naturally, the more people use this feature, the better Translator will get.

News of Skype Translator arrives after the beta of Skype for Web was launched in North America and the UK on Friday. To take advantage of this client, users merely head to Skype.com, click on the link and sign in with their usual login credentials. This solution is ideal for Skype users who are accessing a computer that's located in a friend's home or in an internet café, or for those who simply don't want the Skype app installed on their computer or mobile device.

To see how Skype Translator works, head here.

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Kevin Parrish
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Vlad Rose
    Good luck with that since I know translation between English and Mandarin is spotty at best through any current translator program out there. I don't believe skype's will be much different. At least the tech will be there and continue to improve.

    English to Spanish/Italian should be much better though since they're all latin based.
    Reply
  • Dr_b_
    English isn't latin based.
    Reply
  • WilliamChan4
    English isn't latin based.

    Latin Characters.
    Reply
  • Vlad Rose
    You're right, Old English is Germanic based. However 29% of modern English is Latin influenced, with another 29% Germanic, 29% French influenced, and the rest being of other European languages.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_influence_in_English
    Reply
  • Jake Hall
    Your mom is latin-based
    Reply
  • aldaia
    Even if some English words have a latin influence, English grammar is very different from latin languages. Automatic translators do a mediocre work when translating from English to Spanis/Italian or viceversa. Of course they do even worse with Chinese (which has nothing to do with the use of latin characters). The only case where translators do a good job is translating Spanish to/from Italian.
    But in that case no translator is needed, spaniards and italians can understand eachother without the need of translators.
    Reply
  • jaber2
    As long as it requires 4 steps to translate it will always be inaccurate and slow, it has to be in 2 steps just like how we do it, listen translate.
    Reply