Microsoft to translate voice calls on Skype

BANGALORE, INDIA: Microsoft is working on a new capability for Skype. In a Microsoft official blog post, Gurdeep Pall, corporate VP of Skype and Lync at Microsoft has revealed that Microsoft has developed a real-time audio translation feature combining Skype voice and IM technologies with Microsoft Translator, and neural network-based speech recognition.

At the ongoing Code Conference in California, Microsoft has staged a first time demo of the feature in the presence of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

In the blog post, Pall said, "Skype breaks down communications barriers by delivering voice and video across a number of devices, from PCs and tablets, to smartphones and TVs. But language barriers have been a blocker to productivity and human connection; Skype Translator helps us overcome this barrierhow the language barriers have been a blocker to productivity and human connection; Skype Translator helps us overcome this barrier."

Microsoft claimed that Skype has more than 300 million connected users each month, and supports more than 2 billion minutes of conversation a day.

The feature is developed jointly by the Skype and Microsoft Translator teams.

Microsoft intedns to unveil the Skype Translator later this year as a beta app for Windows 8.