SwiftKey is helping Android users translate their messages

SwiftKey has integrated Microsoft Translator into its Android keyboard so users can translate messages in real-time.

The company, whose keyboard has been installed on hundreds of millions of devices across the world, said the new feature will work in messages that are sent and received via email or apps such as WhatsApp.

Android users can select the Microsoft Translator icon from the Toolbar above their SwiftKey keyboard and choose the source and target language. As they type in the source language, the message will appear inside the text box, translated in the target language.

“Thanks to SwiftKey’s new integration with Microsoft Translator, you’ll be able to quickly and easily translate on your SwiftKey Keyboard, without having to leave your in-app conversations,” SwiftKey said in a blog post.

“Designed to break the language barrier regardless of where you are or your level of language comprehension, Microsoft Translator makes it seamless to translate conversations in real-time. Today’s update on SwiftKey for Android makes it easy to not only understand messages you receive but also translate outgoing messages, making sure your message is understood every time.”

Installing the Microsoft Translator app will also let people use the service when they are offline.

SwiftKey for Android can be downloaded from the Play Store from today.

It is the latest feature released by the company, which was bought by Microsoft in 2016. In March it rolled out SwiftKey 7.0, which introduced Toolbar – an expandable menu – and Stickers that can be added to messages.

The keyboard also contains neural network technology that is better at suggesting words as people type. Having previously seen the phrase “Let’s meet at the airport”, it is able to infer that “office” or “hotel” are similar words that could also be appropriate predictions instead of “airport”.

It also understands that “Let’s meet at the airport” has a similar sentence structure to “Let’s chat at the office”. This allows SwiftKey to offer users the most appropriate prediction or autocorrection based on the sentence being typed.