Skype Translator unveils the magic to more people around the world

Since December 2014, when the Skype Translator preview app was released, hundreds of thousands of people have used the app and have given instrumental feedback.

Today, Skype are thrilled to start rolling out the Skype Translator magic to millions of people – by introducing six voice languages, English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, and 50 messaging languages into the Skype for Windows desktop app.

It has been a long-time dream at Skype to break down language barriers and bring everyone across the globe closer together. Researchers, engineers, and many others across Microsoft have been working hard to make this dream a reality and we are looking forward to bringing this preview technology to more devices.

Now, you have even more reasons to chat with people around the world – bringing together family, friends, and students. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities to do even more together across not only distances, but also languages.

Built on world-class machine learning technology that gets smarter with usage, Skype Translator preview gets better the more it’s used.  Already, early users of the preview have helped it improve tremendously, and now with this broader release we are excited to see the additional progress we can make from expanded use.

Translator. Some of  Skype’s favorite inspirational uses of it are below.

• A student who planned her yearlong study abroad trip to China only through Translator
• A multicultural, newly-engaged couple who kept in touch with each other’s families via weekly video chats
• An owner of a small business who communicates with his best suppliers through IM
• A PhD student who enhanced his thesis research with the help of experts in other countries
• A non-profit worker who used Skype Translator to unite donors and those in need
• An Australian world traveler who found his way across continents by translating key phrases

The update is being introduced to the Skype for Windows desktop app over the next few weeks. When you see these NEW Skype Translator icons within your updated app (shown in the red box below), Skype Translator is ready to use.