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Skype now translates in real-time into seven languages
Redmond's also teaching it to speak hipster with Slack integration
Microsoft has delivered its promised real time translation service in Skype.
Redmond's VoIP service can now comprehend Mandarin, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish and convert one to another as you chat.
With one caveat: it's on Windows only for now, although Microsoft promises more languages and platforms real soon now.
Redmond's also made it possible to integrate Skype and enterprise chat tool Slack, which perhaps means it's added hipster to the dialects with which Skype is comfortable.
Microsoft says Slack users can now participate in Skype calls with our without a Skype ID. Slack's becoming very popular but lacks voice and video tools, so Skype integration looks like it can help both companies. Microsoft gets another way to encourage users to adopt its products and does so in a fast-growing environment. Slack gets voice and video without having to stray from its core products. ®