Machine Translation

Machine Translation is one of the most important applications of Natural Language Processing. Formed in 2002, the Machine Translation Group, part of the broader Speech and Language group at Microsoft AI and Research, focuses on eliminating language barriers and enabling global communication for written and spoken languages. Our team of research scientists and engineers are working on breakthroughs in deep learning, along with scalable and high performance systems, to deliver the best translation quality to Microsoft and our customers. Our team is working on innovations that are used by millions of users on daily basis, and to deliver on the fabled “universal translator” showed – so far – only in sci-fi movies.

Our work powers Microsoft Translator API, which has been used by Microsoft products since 2006, and has been available as an API for customers since 2011. It’s now used extensively within familiar Microsoft products such as Bing, Cortana, Microsoft Edge, Office, SharePoint, Skype, Yammer, and Microsoft Translator Apps.

Check out these videos to see how the Microsoft Translator API live feature powers real-time multi-device translations among staff and parents of the Chinook Middle School in the Seattle area.