After announcing availability of the Skype Translator Preview app for general users last month by removing the sign-up requirement, Microsoft on Monday said the service would now be reaching Skype for Windows desktop app by the "end of summer 2015", roughly at the time of the Windows 10 launch on July 29.
The firm announced that while Skype Translator Preview supports four spoken languages: English, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin, apart from 50 written instant messaging languages, it will "continue to expand the repertoire of languages" as soon as support meets its "quality standard".
The app translates the users' one-on-one voice or video chats as and when they speak, in both directions. Option to only hear or only view the transcript is also present.
Since the removal of sign-up process last month, Skype Translator preview has seen a 300 percent increase in the usage, according to the company. Microsoft had first unveiled the Skype Translator service in May last year, and made it available for registered Windows 8.1 in December.
While Microsoft failed to reveal the exact launch date, it is being speculated that the Skype service will reach alongside Windows 10, which is set to debut on July 29 this year. It is worth mentioning that Microsoft has already started showcasing the Windows 10 version of the app to its partners and it's likely that we'll see a streamlined version of Skype on PCs, tablets and smartphones. Microsoft has not yet mentioned the app's availability for Windows Phones.
Microsoft is expecting more feedback from users now that it has been made available to all. The firm demonstrated the 'breakthrough technology' publically almost a year ago at the Code Conference technology gathering in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.