Microsoft has announced that it is aiming for the end of summer this year for the rollout of its real-time translation technology in Skype for Windows.
The technology will first be offered in Skype for Windows 8.1, with other operating systems expected to get it in the near future. It is also expected that Windows 10 will ship with the feature.
"To bring Skype Translator into more people's lives, today we are happy to announce that the Skype Translator preview technology will be coming to the Skype for Windows desktop app," said the company in a blog post. "We are targeting the end of summer 2015 for the roll-out to begin."
Microsoft first opened up testing of the Translator software in December 2014, at which time it was only available in a closed beta. The second phase kicked off in April, with the company opening it up to whoever wanted to test it. The technology was still, however, only available for those willing to download separate software, and it was not available in the core version of Skype.
Currently, the service only supports English, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin as far as spoken languages go, however, it also supports translation for instant messaging in a total of 50 languages.
One of the great things about the new technology is that it learns as it goes, meaning that as more people use the new Skype, the better at translating the feature will get.
"We are thrilled with the positive response from around the world, and especially thankful to ALL of the early adopters who downloaded the application, and use it every day! Remember: Skype Translator uses machine learning, so the more people use the technology, the better the experience for everyone!" continued the company.
Of course, the company has yet to offer a specific date for the release of the new Skype, and it is likely that we won't get a date until it is actually released. It is highly possible that the feature will be released in Skype alongside the release of Windows 10, which is currently set with a release date of July 29. In fact, it is expected that the Skype for Windows 10 app will be previewed within the coming weeks.
Windows 10 is Microsoft's next computer operating system, and it is expected by many to be its best release to date, especially after Windows 8, which was largely a flop.
