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Microsoft Research/YouTube

Microsoft reveals real-time language translator for Skype calls

The feature allows users to speak to each other in their native language, which Skype then translates in real-time.

SKYPE HAS REVEALED a new real-time language translator feature which allows two people speaking different languages to communicate.

Skype Translator, which is being developed jointly by the Skype and Microsoft Translator teams. allows you to talk in your native language to another user who speaks a different language.

Skype then automatically translates what the person said into the other person’s native language.

At the Code Conference in California, Microsoft demoed the technology by translating a video call from English to German and vice versa.

The technology is the result of more than a decade’s worth of work from the company’s research division, mainly achieved through a technique called Deep Neural Networks, which is patterned after human behaviour.

MicrosoftResearch / YouTube

Speaking at the conference Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella said that one of the more fascinating developments from the project was its ability to learn a language, even when it was being taught another language.

The one fascinating feature of this is something called ‘transfer learning’ and what happens is you teach it English, it learns English. Then you teach it Mandarin, it learns Mandarin, but it becomes better at English. And then you teach it Spanish and it gets good at Spanish but it becomes great at both Mandarin and English, and quite frankly none of us know exactly why. It’s brain-like in the sense of its capabilities.


(Video: Microsoft)

The company plans to make the feature available as a Windows 8 app first before the end of the year. The company did not say when the feature would see an official release.

The service has more than 300 million monthly active users globally and sees more than one billion instant messaging sessions every month, according to Microsoft.

Read: Microsoft introduces Surface Pro 3 as ‘the tablet that will replace your laptop’ >

Read: Google’s next move could be home security as it eyes up WiFi camera company >

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25 Comments
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    Mute Tony Daly
    Favourite Tony Daly
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:00 PM

    FG is ideologically opposed to public funding of social housing.

    111
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    Mute Charlie Melia
    Favourite Charlie Melia
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:28 PM

    @Tony Daly: Wicklow County Council has announced close to a billion euro in funding for social housing over the last 3 years…. In that time it hasn’t even turned a sod on a single solitary social housing unit….. Not one house…….

    108
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    Mute FifiJamming
    Favourite FifiJamming
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:06 PM

    Isn’t Wicklow co co dominated by sf?

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    Mute Kilburtech
    Favourite Kilburtech
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:25 PM

    @Tony Daly: Social Housing worked excellently in council housing areas! No social repercussion at all, nope, none.

    35
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    Mute Chris Doherty
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:50 PM

    @FifiJamming: Sf have 19% of seats (28% including former members) while FF+FG collectively have 47% .
    So SF doesn’t dominate the council .

    49
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    Mute Chris Doherty
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:00 PM

    Messed up a bit.
    SF actually have 9% and formally 19%

    29
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    Mute Kieran W
    Favourite Kieran W
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 1:38 AM

    @FifiJamming
    God help Wicklow if that’s the case. Although does that mean anyone can now buy or build a house in Wicklow if they haven’t lived there for at least 15 years or more. Not an SF’er by the way!

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    Mute Claire Gallagher
    Favourite Claire Gallagher
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 3:10 AM

    @FifiJamming: 6 SF councillors out of 32 elected in 2014.
    Currently down to 3.
    Do your own math.

    11
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    Mute Patrick Doyle
    Favourite Patrick Doyle
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:40 PM

    In a capitalist meritocracy low and middle income workers should be rewarded first with scheme of “affordable housing” possibly in a public private partnership. The grey cotton tracksuit brigade should not be prioritised over those who are paying into the system.

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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:33 PM

    Biggest scam in the country is social housing.

    67
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    Mute Gulliver Foyle
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:58 PM

    The mini riot in Sweden reminded me of the million project they executed in the late 60s to fulfill the housing demands. It had a remit to build 1m housing units (a mix between 3 bed units and 1 bed units for students) over 10 years. At the end of the 10th year, there were 1,000,600 new units built, and public transit, schools, shops and community centres to all of them by the 3rd year. It has become an issue now as some areas have become ghettoed with immigrant numbers, but the idea was perfect in oversupplying the market, and subsidising it with 30% paid by the renters over the next 10 years. And we struggle to get a politician to actually plan over 100 houses. Something like this across the country would eliminate any social housing problems in areas where you can work.

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    Mute Willy Malone
    Favourite Willy Malone
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:41 PM

    Hard to believe Richie is lying ☺

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    Mute Fandango Morgan
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:47 PM

    You’re a coward Willy

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    Mute Catherine Hayward
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:52 PM

    Everyone knows no social houses are getting built anyone on the housing list has rented houses pushed upon them and landlords don’t want them it’s a horrible situation fine gael has put upon families

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:11 PM

    The party of lies and spin.
    The Irish Tories.

    53
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    Mute Dan Henry
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:59 PM

    Fat check go Enda go

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    Mute Fandango Morgan
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:05 PM

    Coming from dirty Dan here la

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:13 PM

    It could be any number now as theres an election on the horizon. False promises and all that!

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    Mute Trevor Beale
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:32 PM

    Fine Gael and lies seem to go hand in hand, and you’ll still get morons to justify their position and vote for them.

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    Mute ciaran
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:58 PM

    fact checking a political promise? especially from fg? that the best you can do? you do know they fg are the first to tell you it means nothing!
    if you ever need a sounding board on what to fact check let me know and I will tell you if its an exercise in futility

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:21 PM

    Planning to build and actually building! Fake News was invented by FineGael and Labour and probably or possibly by Fianna Fail!

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    Mute jinn
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:03 PM

    Why am i paying a mortgage and people are getting same house for nothing? Is it because i am working since im 15? Surely i should be rewarded for my contribution and good behaviour. Whilst people who contribute nothing get rewarded for bad behaviour. Raising my kids i never reward them for bad behaviour. A welfare bubble is developing..it is a sinkhole for tax payers money.

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    Mute Benny McHale
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:16 PM

    Yep. Richard has been known to deliver an occasional porkie.

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    Mute Science of beer
    Favourite Science of beer
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:26 PM

    Simple answer none cos they will be gone before a brick is layed

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    Mute Alan Tyrrell
    Favourite Alan Tyrrell
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:59 PM

    in fairness to him he built a load of housing in Collinswood and told no one about this we’re not against social housing but not 100 % its already a problem so be careful what you want

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:52 PM

    It’s much much cheaper for council to build they’re own houses than buy in ptivate estates, firstly they own the land ,and 50 % of a private house is taxes and fees therefore they should be able to build two houses for everyone private, also we who work are wonder why bother buy your house when the council can give you one for less than half a morgage, leaving you more pjamas time and an audi and a foreign holiday as I can see from my sitting room window ,wondering why bother working hard went your taxes are being used to fund some strangers leisure lifestyle .

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    Mute John Smith
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:42 PM

    Wow talk about splitting hairs!

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    Mute Barry C Mc Govern
    Favourite Barry C Mc Govern
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 8:58 PM

    John, “splitting hairs” or “alternative facts”?

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    Mute Dave cullen
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:01 PM

    ,Brutons record with the truth isn’t the best,fact check on pill hogans expense account in Brussels compared to Hayes,excluding secretarial stuff as hogan is finding it hard to replace his other Secetary.

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 9:02 PM

    @John Smith: talk about accuracy.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:02 PM

    @John Smith: It’s not splitting hairs, it’s either not knowing the correct information or just bare faced lying by Bruton…I’d go with the latter though.

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    Mute John Reid
    Favourite John Reid
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:02 AM

    While new houses, “social” or otherwise, are desperately needed, the housing problem will never be solved by convincing the Government itself to build a small token number of new housing units. What truly needs to happen is for the Government to unleash the private building market, so that the private sector can quickly and efficiently build the huge number of new houses that the Irish nation needs.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 5:47 PM

    Fg and ff are couring the masses on social housing just as ff have over Irish water even though it’s like playing total con artists on the big screen. Parties should be heavily fined for carrying on a pretence of intention like this.

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