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Twitter brings Tweet translation to iOS, Android and Windows 8 phones

Almost two years after its initial release on Windows Phone 8, Twitter brings bing translator to iOS and Android platforms.
Written by Eileen Brown, Contributor
Twitter has introduced Tweet translation for its iOS and Android users. It has partnered with Bing Translator to translate tweets into your chosen language.
Twitter brings Tweet translation to iOS, Android and Windows 8 phones ZDNet
Eileen Brown

Bing Translator for Twitter is not completely new.

Microsoft announced the feature for the Twitter app on Windows 8 phones at the Build conference in June 2013.

In June 2014 Twitter added the feature to iOS. It is now also available for the Android platform.

Currently Bing Translator can can translate between over 40 languages.

Twitter has enabled the feature across its platform to encourage tweets written in other languages to be broadcast more widely across Twitter.

You can access this via a browser, Tweetdeck and Twitter apps for mobile devices.

To enable the translation service log into Twitter from your laptop or desktop and open the browser.

Go to your Account settings, in the Content area and select the tweet translation service to turn the setting on or off.

When a tweet is displayed in a different language a globe icon appears next to the tweet. Clicking displays the 'View translation' link which then shows the translate tweet underneath the original.

Twitter brings Tweet translation to iOS, Android and Windows 8 phones ZDNet
Twitter
Twitter brings Tweet translation to iOS, Android and Windows 8 phones ZDNet
Twitter

Errors do sometimes happen. Bing says this is down to a variety of factors The translator site explains that language translation is extremely difficult, as the meaning of words and phrases often depends on the "context and specialized knowledge of the domain area or culture".

Bing also notes that sentence structures and grammatical rules often vary significantly between two different languages, which "adds to the complexity of the translation challenge".

In many cases human skills are still required to accurately translate sentences without. Bing translator also admits that the quality of today's most advanced translation software is "well below the accuracy and fluency of a professional translator".

Many sentences are simply not understandable due to these differing grammatical rules and contexts.

Bing says that its researchers are "continuously working" on improvements, but it admits that it may be "many years before high quality translation can be consistently offered by a computer".

Bing offers both the original text and its translation. It anticipates that users of the software will find it easier to "understand the translation and to compare it with the original content" if needed.

This translation service is a great move to enable us to spread worldwide news and information. We can now follow people tweeting in multiple languages across our Twitter network, breaking down barriers to understanding in a truly global context.

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