REDMOND, USA - Microsoft Research is actively working on a software solution to enable real-time translation of telephonic conversations. The application currently in early research phase is already showing signs of working, albeit somewhat slowly, and is showing-off what might be possible soon with this impressive piece of technology.

The organization recently showcased the app during its annual TechFest, where the test scenario of German-to-English translation worked pretty well. Microsoft admitted that the project was in a very early phase of development. The point here was that even though the application was showing a quite sluggish response time, it definitely worked.

In February, Google revealed that it is working on real-time phone conversation translation as well. The search giant is expected to build the technology into its  Android platform, and Google's head of translation, Franz Och, believes that the technology will "work reasonably well in a few years' time". Google has also been working hard on showing-off prototypes that can translate dinner menus into English.

The technology holds promise for having the ability to connect people across regions without being stuck with the language barrier.