Google's trying to break the language barrier

Google and Microsoft want to make the language barrier obsolete.

Translating websites and emails into scores of different languages has become commonplace online, but now the two tech giants are taking the next step—real-time translation. Google plans to update its mobile translation app soon with the ability to turn spoken popular languages into translated text, according to The New York Times.

The news follows Microsoft's decision last month to roll out a preview version of Skype Translator, which enables real-time, spoken-word translation for English and Spanish speakers using the video messaging service.

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Microsoft plans to offer speech translation in other languages, and it now allows users to send instant messages across 40 languages.

It's unclear exactly when Google plans to update its translation app.