Imagine a future where there aren’t any barriers in communication. Maybe you have family overseas that you’ve never met in person or can’t really speak their language, or maybe you’re traveling to a foreign country and need to ask for directions, but not sure how. With the advancement in automated translation we’re one step closer to a future where language barrier could be non-existent.

Three years ago Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, a move which had some in an uproar. However, it seems like it was a wise investment. A few days ago at the Code Conference in California, Microsoft and Skype revealed its own “universal translator” with the Skype Translator, and by the looks of it it’s quite impressive how two people speaking totally different languages are able to communicate in real time.

Check out this video demonstration of the translator in action:

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing this technology advance more and more. I have many foreign friends around the world, and while we mostly use English to communicate, I feel hearing them speak their native language and being able to understand them is also a cool thing. Maybe a few years down the road we’ll all be able to have wearable translators!

For more details, you can also check out Geek.com and Microsoft’s blog.

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