BY <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/author/quentin-hardy/">QUENTIN HARDY</a> -<br><br>The tech industry is doing its best to topple the Tower of Babel.<br><br>Last month, <a href="http://blogs.skype.com/2014/12/15/skype-translator-preview-an-exciting-journey-to-a-new-chapter-in-communication/">Skype, Microsoft’s video calling service</a>, initiated simultaneous translation between English and Spanish speakers. Not to be outdone, Google will soon announce updates to <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate&hl=en">its translation app</a> for phones. Google Translate now offers written translation of 90 languages and the ability to hear spoken translations of a few popular languages. In the update, the app will automatically recognize if someone is speaking a popular language and automatically turn it into written text.<br><br><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/language-translation-tech-starting-to-deliver-on-its-promise/">READ MORE ON THE NEW YORK TIMES</a>
