Real-time machine translations breaks new ground for instant communication between those who don't speak a common language
Skype Translator offers the stuff of sci-fi: real-time (or as close as possible to real-time) translations of a voice conversation in two different languages. When one user speaks, a computerized voice speaks the translation to the other user, and vice versa. A running transcription of the original and translated words appears in a sidebar, ensuring that any misunderstanding from the machine is obvious to the speaker.