Build 2017: Microsoft PowerPoint Gets Real-Time Speech-to-Text Translation

At Day 1 of the Build 2017 developers conference on Wednesday, Microsoft introduced a new interesting tool that it says will help eliminating language barriers in work environments. The tool is called Presentation Translator, and it essentially translates speech-to-text on a PowerPoint presentation, in a language that you prefer.

Presentation Translator is an Office add-in for PowerPoint that enables presenters to display translated subtitles in real time. All you need to do is download the Translator app and sync it to your PowerPoint presentation. The link provided will then translate on top of the PowerPoint slide automatically.

It supports more than 60 text languages, and the add-in allows you to display subtitles real-time directly on your PowerPoint presentation, as you speak. At once, up to 100 people in the audience can follow along the presentation in their own language, and on their own phone, tablet, or computer. This is done by sharing a QR or five letter conversation code with the audience, and they can follow along with your presentation, on their own device, in their chosen language.

The ad-in supports real-time subtitling of 10 supported speech languages - Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. These languages can be subtitled onto PowerPoint into any one of the 60+ text translation languages. The tool also translates text showing up on PowerPoint without ruining the formatting.

Microsoft notes that this tool also gives the deaf and hard-of-hearing the opportunity to join the presentation without the need for a physical interpreter with closed captions. The Presentation Translator add-in is powered by the Microsoft Translator live feature, and is available through an invitation on the Garage site. This add-in is most compatible with Microsoft Office 365 and Windows 10.