Looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks. Microsoft has rolled out a new update for its Skype Translator that has granted it the ability to support Arabic, adding one more skill to its ever-growing repertoire.
Introduced in 2014, the addition of Arabic now allows Skype Translator to support eight spoken languages, with others being English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. It also supports more than 50 written languages for those who simply want to text rather than speak.
The move to add Arabic support to the Skype Translator has been along time coming, according to the Skype team, who note this release was of particularly importance to them due to how many people speak Arabic all around the world.
"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," the blog post reads. "Arabic is the official language of 22 countries. It's the native language of more than 200 million people."
Specifically, Skype Translator now supports Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), used in Middle East and North Africa. It was chosen since not only is it widely understood and spoken among Muslims around the world, but that particular form is taught in schools and used in Arabic-based journalism.
For those looking to try it out, the new Arabic setting can be found under the Skype for Windows desktop app under the "globe" icon. Clicking the icon will open up a drop-down menu where Skype Translator can be enabled as well as selected "preferred" in messaging and spoken language preferences. Microsoft does note however, that the translator works best when translating between English and another one of its seven supported languages.
In related news, Skype added the ability for users to call and chat while in Office Online and OneDrive - an update that the team says will aid in the "collaborative experience."
"This creates a natural, collaborative experience where you can co-edit a document right alongside a chat so that the chat is in context of the topic being discussed," the team wrote. "Best of all, this chat history stays connected to the document the next time you open it to help you pick right up where you left off."
However, as new support features get added for Skype, pre-existing ones get left in the dust. Microsoft has reportedly announced that it is ending support for the Skype TV app, since most Skype users are using the program on their mobile devices rather than a television set.
