Microsoft on Monday launched Spanish-English real-time translation for its Skype messaging service. The feature is part of the Skype Translator preview program, and had its first trial with school children in Mexico City and their counterparts at a school in Tacoma, Washington.

"One classroom of children speaking Spanish and the other speaking English, Skype Translator removed this language barrier and enabled them to communicate," said Microsoft's Gurdeep Pall.

Skype Translator relies on machine learning, which means that the more the technology is used, the smarter it gets.

Microsoft plans to expand the real-time voice translator to more languages.