Microsoft launched the Bing Translator for Windows Phone last November, but today it’s now available on Windows 8 and supports more than 40 languages.
The Windows 8 version includes several of the same features, like text translation, text-to-speech and offline support.
My personal favorite is how the app combines augmented reality with a camera and speech/text translation so that you can simply place your tablet in front of text and translate content immediately. For example, if you’re in a foreign country and can’t understand a street sign, you can just hover your camera over the words and everything will be translated into English in seconds (see photo to the right). The feature is supported by seven languages.
You can also highlight text anywhere on your Windows 8 device and then use the Share Charm to translate it quickly. Bing Translator for Windows 8 is available in the Windows Store.
Previously on GeekWire: Language breakthrough: Microsoft system turns English into Mandarin, in speaker’s voice
