Microsoft Translator App Guide

Overview

Microsoft Translator is a cloud-based machine translation service provided by Microsoft. It is part of Microsoft's cognitive services, and it can be integrated into other Microsoft services and products such as Office and Azure. It supports more than 70 languages and offers various functions like text translation, speech translation, and image translation, although not all functions are available for all languages.

Key Features

• Text Translation: Translates written text from one language to another. The service can be used in apps, websites, and bots to provide multi-language user interfaces and content.
• Speech Translation: Translates spoken language into written text, providing real-time translation for web chats, meetings, and more.
• Image Translation: Translates text in images, which is useful for reading signs or menus in different languages. However, it's not clear which languages support this feature.
• Phrasebook: The Microsoft language translator comes with a phrasebook that contains common phrases for topics such as travel, food, emergencies, health, and technology. It's not very extensive, but it can be useful for those interested in learning a language.

How to Use

Microsoft Translator can be accessed via the Microsoft Translator app, which is available for desktop, iOS, and Android. You can't access the desktop version via your web browser - you need to download the app first. Microsoft Translator is also integrated into Microsoft Office package, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

The guide provided earlier in this conversation can be referred to for detailed steps on how to use Microsoft Translator for different purposes.

Using Microsoft Translator in Microsoft Word

1. Open the document you wish to translate.
2. Go to the "Review" tab. Here you will find the "Translate" button. Click on "Translate".
3. A window will open on the right side of your screen. You can then click the tab "Selection" to translate only a certain part of the text or you can click on the tab "document" to translate the entire document.
4. You can use automatic language detection for the source language or you can set the source language yourself, just like the target language.

Using Microsoft Translator in PowerPoint

1. Select the paragraph you want to translate.
2. Create a new slide and insert the translation there.

Using Microsoft Translator in Excel

1. Open the translator as described above.
2. Click on the cell you wish to translate and the translation will appear in the Window on the right.

Quality of Translation

The translation quality of Microsoft Translator is not always reliable. It has been observed that the service sometimes struggles with simple sentences, but performs better with longer texts that provide more context. It's also worth noting that the translation results tend to be better for languages that have been fed with a lot of data.

While the service can be handy for understanding the rough context of a text or for casual translation requirements, it's not recommended for professional contexts where high accuracy is required.

Cost

Microsoft Translator is a free service.