Something amazing happened as GPS navigation devices started making their way into the hands and cars of people around the world – it created a new band of adventurer. Road maps were discarded, atlases gathered dust and schedules filled with more destinations. The GPS gave it’s user that bit of extra confidence to boldly go where they might have otherwise had to spend time preparing to go.

With the new Translator app for Windows Phone, you will be well equipped for an adventure of your own – especially in going to places where you don’t read or speak the local language. With the app on hand, translating printed language on street signs, posters, transit schedules, restaurant menus, etc., is a snap. Well, easier than a snap – all you do is point and observe! The brilliant video mode translation equips you with the magical experience of just looking through the camera to see everything continuously translated, nicely overlaid over the original language.Think automatic subtitles for everyday life. Able to work entirely offline after downloading a small language pack, this feature relies on a highly optimized and compressed translation system, one built using the same technology that powers Bing’s other translation features.

Here is a behind the scenes look at the app:

You can learn more about the functionality of the app on the Bing blog. If you are an existing user of a previous version, you should shortly see a notification to update.Translator for Windows Phone is now available completely free, on the Windows Phone Marketplace. We would love to hear your feedback and feature suggestions on our user forums.

In building this app, engineers and researchers on our team solved tremendous technical challenges and dealt with the nuances of voice, cameras, data availability and language complexity. Yet, our focus was on delivering a scenario that was truly useful to our users. If we are able to provide you that little bit of extra confidence that makes the difference between going somewhere and not – then we would have succeeded.

– Vikram Dendi,
Director of Product Management,
Microsoft/Bing Translator