Skype Translator is getting smarter with every new update, and with the latest, this trend continues. As it stands right now, Microsoft has proven that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks after all.
The Skype team has reported in a blog post that it is now possible for the popular Voice over IP platform to understand Arabic. For those who speak the language, it should now be possible to translate Arabic to English or from English to Arabic without much fuss.
With the addition of Arabic, Skype Translator now supports 8 spoken languages, with the others being English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. Furthermore, the platform supports over 50 written languages for those folks who would rather type that chat.
According to the Skype team, the plan to add Arabic support has long been in the works. The team also said the release was very important to them, and they are happy with the results so far.
"The Arabic language release is especially important to us, because there is such a diverse Arabic speaking population all over the world. The ability to communicate with someone in their own language has the potential to enhance and build important relationships," according to the Skype team in a blog post. "Arabic is the official language of 22 countries. It's the native language of more than 200 million people."
While the addition of Arabic is great, Microsoft did note that Skype Translator works best when translation is done from English to one of the additional 7 supported languages. The company is doing what it can to make thing better when translating between other languages, so until then, just hold tight.
New features being added to Skype is always a good thing, but they also mean some previous features tend to get pushed back or completely removed. Skype TV for example, is one of the apps that is no longer available. Apparently, most users are taking advantage of Skype on their mobile phones instead of their television sets, so there's no reason to continue with its development.
In the coming months and years, the Skype team will no doubt add more interesting features, and we can't wait to see what they are.