Businesses have welcomed the news that a preview version of Skype Translator is now accessible to all.

The service, which sees texts sent written in one language arriving converted into a preferred language, was launched late last year on a test basis.

In a blog post, Yasmin Kahn of Skype said: “We are breaking down language barriers that have historically made it challenging for people to connect. Our goal for Skype Translator is to translate as many languages as possible on relevant platforms, and to deliver the best speech translation experience to our more than 300 million customers.”

Earlier this year, Google launched a feature for its Translate app that allows people to pair any two of 38 language
options for translation.