The program translates the user's speech into any one of 26 foreign languages while mimicking the person's own voice and speaking patterns—so the translated words sound genuine and not mechanical.

The creators of the software say that it takes about an hour for the program to absorb the user's speaking. They foresee the device helping travelers in foreign countries to be able to speak and be understood, as well as potential applications in GPS devices. Ideally it will be available on the ubiquitous smart phones (Rob Waugh, "Star Trek Becomes Reality as Microsoft 'Universal Translator' Turns Spoken English Into Any of 26 Different Languages," DailyMail.co.uk, March 13, 2012).