Popular_Science_Australia_November_2016

POPSCI.COM.AU 69

The Internet connected us

all—but what good is that

if we can’t understand each

other? Skype’s artificial-

intelligence-based Translator

is our digital Tower of Babel.

It lets us talk to anyone,

anywhere, regardless of

mother tongue. Made

available on Windows in late

2015, Translator uses layers of

machine-learning algorithms.

When a user speaks, the AI,

drawing on millions of speech

examples, analyses the words

and transcribes them into

text. The text is then scrubbed

of “ums” and word repetitions,

and run through a translator.

The AI is self-learning; the

more it “hears” a regional

accent or slang, the smarter

it gets and the better it

functions. Callers can receive

audio in eight languages and

see transcripts in more than

50.Canyouhearusnow?

MICROSOFT SKYPE TRANSLATOR

The End

of the

Language

Barrier

SOFT

-

WARE

By DAVE GERSHGORN + LINDSEY KRATOCHWILL Photograph by SAM KAPLAN