RE: RE: microsoft way ahead of the game In 2010, Microsoft made another breakthrough, it says, by analyzing speech with computer programs that patterned themselves on human behavior. Microsoft says it was able to "reduce the word error rate for speech by over 30 percent compared to previous methods."
The MIT Technology Review notes that the tech giant has previously demonstrated "synthesized speech to match a person's voice," but the prototype was only able to speak typed text. This latest translator quickly understands spoken words (which is a feat in itself), while also picking up on the cadence of a user's voice.
"In other words, we may not have to wait until the 22nd century for a usable equivalent of 'Star Trek’s universal translator," Rashid said. "[A]nd we can also hope that as barriers to understanding language are removed, barriers to understanding each other might also be removed."
Of course, Microsoft has plenty of competition in the realm of voice recognition software. Apple has produced Siri, the iPhone's voice-controlled assistant, while Google has created the Google Search voice app, dubbed the "Siri Killer." But both consumer products are still rife with errors, leading some customers to mock these services via Tumblr and snarky blogs.