Latest Microsoft Skype Preview Adds Real-Time Voice Translation For Phone Calls

Microsoft has added the ability to use Skype Translator on calls to mobiles and landlines to its latest Skype Preview app. From a report on ZDNet: Up until now, Skype Translator was available to individuals making Skype-to-Skype calls. The new announcement of the expansion of Skype Translator to mobiles and landlines makes Skype Translator more widely available. To test drive this, users need to be members of the Windows Insider Program. They need to install the latest version of Skype Preview on their Windows 10 PCs and to have Skype Credits or a subscription. Skype Translator, available in nine languages, uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as deep-learning to train artificial neural networks and convert spoken chats in almost real time. The company says the app improves as it listens to more conversations.

Morning

[Infiniti2000]

I wonder if it will convert "Morning!" to "Morningwood!" like the Microsoft text translator.

Re:

[Infiniti2000]

I have a friend from Sweden, who though he doesn't actually write in Swedish, sometimes the translator will translate his comment "morning" to "morningwood." It's neither him nor I who does this, but the crowdsourcing of the translator knowledge. So, the more that it relies on crowdsourcing of translations, the more odd things happen.

Translation Telephone

[Cryacin]

Remember the game of telephone? Let's try it with google translate!

Original English
Slashdot brings all sorts of rubbish shill marchitecture from companies like Microsoft to the masses. Let's celebrate how consistently Gartner's hype curve is demonstrated when something emerging appears and promote it to the masses prematurely.
English to German
Slashdot bringt alle Arten von Müll-Shill-marchitecture von Unternehmen wie Microsoft an die Massen. Lassen Sie uns feiern, wie konsequent Gartner Hype-Kurve wird gezeigt, wenn etwas Auftauchen erscheint und fördern sie an die Massen vorzeitig.
German to Japanese
Microsoftmarchitecture
Japanese to Chinese
SlashdotmarchitectureGartner
Chinese to Italian
Slashdot è una raccolta di tutti i tipi di rifiuti microarchitettura ciliegia da aziende come Microsoft masse. Alcuni, come per visualizzare, sul modo in cui il pubblico quando sono guidati, così abbiamo sempre celebriamo display della curva campagna pubblicitaria Gartner.
Italian to English
Slashdot is a collection of all kinds of waste microarchitecture cherry from companies such as Microsoft masses. Some like to see, on the way the public when they are driven, so we always celebrate display of Gartner hype curve.

I will sincerely wait to see how card read good Skype translate to faux eat lemons!

Re:

[Cryacin]

Well the Chinese and Japanese characters were lost, but you can happily reproduce my results!

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Except this is meant for one person talking to another, not translating through 6 different languages and back again.
Also the 'game' of telephone demonstrates that error happen even in the same language

but you know, this is Slashdot, and that was a dig against Microsoft so +5 and all that.

Re:

[Cryacin]

The Literallati strike again.
You must be an absolute hit at parties.

Re:

[elfprince13]

http://www.translationparty.co... [translationparty.com] takes 22 rounds to find a fixed point with just English and Japanese.

NSA Transcription Service?

[Anonymous Coward]

So, will this also be sending a copy, translated to the local official language, to the governments of each party on the call?

Will Microsoft store, index, and data-mine the transcribed conversations for advertising purposes?

Will 4chan figure out how to train the AI into the next Tay?

Re:

[Cryacin]

Look Sir!

It says he'll faux eat lemons! Faux eat lemons sir!

Stop giving Microsoft free advertising!

[hackel]

Please, for the love of god. No one wants to hear about their proprietary garbage.

Re: Stop giving Microsoft free advertising!

[Anonymous Coward]

You are an idiot, nobody cares what you think.

Skype + Skype for Business

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

As a corporate user, my favorite thing is having both Skype for Business and Skype installed, because while the company uses Skype for Business for internal chat, you need "the real Skype" if you're actually going to be making any external calls.

Re:

[ma++i+ude]

Only if your admin has configured Skype not to allow external calls. SfB can place POTS calls just fine.

Re:

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> Only if your admin has configured Skype not to allow external calls

It's more than that. Skype for Business is notoriously crashy...not something anyone trusts important/client-facing phone calls with. And the Mac version is just trash.

Re:

[ma++i+ude]

Do you mean the new Mac version of SfB, or the old Lync? I've been pretty happy with the new Mac version.

Well, they might as well.

[Bender Unit 22]

They are probably recording and indexing it in text already, might as well add translations as a feature.

Last time i tried installing...

[gTsiros]

... skype, it downloaded ~230 MB worth of programs and libraries, presented me with an interface that looks like it's 1995 all over again... ...and didn't work. I sent messages, they never got delivered (while the software did not report the failure) and i never received messages.

I didn't even *dare* try voice/video.

Eels

[Anonymous Coward]

My eels are going to stay just where they are.

--
signed: A hovercraft owner.

But what's the point

[netean]

I'm quite conflicted by this:
On the one hand, if it works as advertised, this is incredibly cool and insanely clever.
Yet, on the other hand, I ask myself, what on earth is the point?
In reality, how often would you ever have a phone (or video) call with someone who doesn't speak your language, nor your speak theirs? I mean, maybe if you have that burning need to talk to your young Russian/Thai/Vietnamese etc.bride you bought on the Internet who doesn't speak a word of . Just to ensure she's still patiently