Not all of us are able to learn at least one foreign language. But what if you need to travel abroad and lack knowledge of the local language? Use an online translator, of which there are a great many on the Internet. But they all have one drawback: they need an internet connection. But Microsoft recently introduced a fairly high-quality offline translator that works on the basis of neural network algorithms and does not require an Internet connection.
Of course, some will say that there are quite a few standalone translation programs out there without being constantly online. Yes, but the quality of the translation in them leaves much to be desired, and such a translation is popularly called "Prompt" (in honor of one of the first translation programs that were popular in the early 2000s). Translation using programs built on neural network algorithms is much more accurate. According to the developers themselves from Microsoft, “The redesigned version of Microsoft Translator supports updated neural network language packs for the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai. The quality of translation has increased by 23% on average compared to other similar programs."
It is worth noting that the neural network translation function has been available since the fall of 2017, but only on a small number of devices with a dedicated chip for neural network computing, and even with the requirement for constant online work. Moreover, according to the statement of the same Microsoft, third-party developers, whose programs are adapted to work with the Microsoft Translator API, can also use the offline translator function. It will be possible to download the updated version in stores for iOS and Android very soon.
I would also like to mention that the well-known translator from Google works with neural network algorithms, but only when connected to the Internet. Having learned from the bitter experience of believing in the sweet speeches of PR departments of large companies, we could not help but personally check how well the vaunted translators based on neural networks work. In our opinion, both developments are far from ideal and, although they cope better than the ever-memorable PROMPTA, they can still make rather gross mistakes.
Of course, you can translate a couple of phrases with their help. But it's unlikely to fully communicate. You can repeat our little experiment yourself, given that both translators are absolutely free. But you can see the results of our little experiment below.
Vladimir Kuznetsov
Promotional video: