Cortana now provides translation services

Cortana continues to pick up new capabilities with the latest enabling her to translate words and phrases for you thanks to Microsoft's Translator Service.

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

September 2, 2015

1 Min Read
Cortana now provides translation services

Although the roll out of Cortana on Windows 10 to other countries continues at a very slow pace for many, new features and capabilities continue to be added on a regular basis.

That in turn means a great experience will be waiting for users once those locales finally have access to the Microsoft personal digital assistant. 

The latest addition to Cortana's repertoire is native translation support for users in the US and China on Windows 10.

The power behind this feature is the Microsoft Translator service which is already available over the web and built into many of Microsoft's current app offerings.

Cortana has three methods for providing these translation services:

  1. If you have Hey Cortana setup on your device then you can just say "Hey Cortana, translate XXXXXXXXXXXXX in French"

  2. Click the microphone icon next to Cortana's search box and use the same phrase as #1 above. You can drop the "Hey Cortana" but the process still works if you say it.

  3. Type the request into Cortana's search box like this "Translate XXXXXXXXXXXXX to German"

Cortana can translate phrases and words into 40 different languages - including Klingon.

You can see the entire list of languages and additional info about the feature at the Microsoft Translator blog.

Microsoft did not provide a timeline for the expansion of this feature to other countries.

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

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