If the application can be stuffed into a smartphone, it would be a boon to international travelers. Language training is also a good fit for the technology.

Microsoft's vision in the translation space is broader than what has been produced by its rivals. It wants to use lifelike virtual avatars that not only mimic your looks but also your voice and the movements of your lips when you speak. The results produced from that vision can be impressive, but they can be , too.

Google, which has a widely-used has also been delving into speech-based translation.

Google's approach is to enable you to speak into a device in your native tongue and have the device turn your speech into the language you want and send it out its speaker in a synthetic voice.

The person you're speaking to can then answer you in their native language, which your device will translate into your language.