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Microsoft showed off a cool, forthcoming feature of its Skype software tonight at the inaugural Code conference in California: Real-time audio- and text-based language translation.
In this demo, Skype translates a conversation between two Microsoft employees—in English and German—almost live. It’s easy to see how this could be a compelling feature, especially for business, if it works well.
The feature will roll out gradually across Skype software starting sometime later this year. (Now wait for Google to announce a similar feature for Hangouts and Apple for FaceTime calls.)
Either way, the initial reaction from Code sounds promising: