Achtung! Внимание! Attenzione! Aufmerksamkeit! 注意! Attention! Today we are releasing an updated version of the Translator App for Windows Phone powered by Bing.
Over the last decade, world class researchers - both at our own research labs and around the world have been working on the problem of language translation, the results of which you enjoy today on Bing. Now you can take that experience with you as you travel across the globe with the new Translator app for Windows Phone. Let’s check it out:
Point, Scan and Translate
With the Translator App for Windows Phone you can now translate printed language by simply pointing the camera. From street signs and posters to transit schedules and restaurant menus translating is now a snap. Well, easier than a snap – all you do is point and scan. Think of this as automatic subtitles for everyday life- a view that provides continuous translation smoothly overlaid over the original language (English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Chinese Simplified.) To see it in action, check out this video:
Offline Translation
No network connection in Barcelona? No hay problema. Simply download the language pack you need and the Translator App is functional offline. The highly optimized and compressed translation system was built using the same technology that powers Bing’s translation features your familiar with on the Web.
Type and Translate
Have a word in mind? The Translator App also enables instant translations using keyboard input. When online, the supported languages for translation expand to over 30 (see the Bing Translator language list here). For several of the languages you can also playback the spoken version of the translated sentence. This is particularly handy for languages in a script you can’t read.
Speak and Translate
Want to have a conversation with a local? With the voice translation you can communicate in English (both US and UK), German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Once in the mode and connected online, you simply tap the icon, speak and tap to translate. Voila!
With Windows Phone, you literally have translations at your fingertips. Simply pin your preferred mode (or all of them) to the Windows Phone home screen. It is one of the shining ways in which we were able to take full advantage of Windows Phone’s innovative design that puts people at the center of the experience. You can also pin the app itself to the home screen – to unlock a useful “live tile”, helping deliver a translation a day in the language of your choice. Thanks to this feature, you can learn a new language one word at a time.
If you are an existing user of a previous version, you should shortly see a notification to update. Translator for Windows Phone is now available completely free, on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
In building this app, engineers and researchers on our team solved tremendous technical challenges, and dealt with the nuances of voice, cameras, data availability and language complexity. Yet, our focus was on delivering a scenario that was truly useful to you so we would love to hear your feedback and feature suggestions on our user forums.
Happy travels, feliz viajes, bon voyage, gute reise...
- Vikram Dendi, Director of Product Management, Microsoft/Bing Translator