At its Build conference today, Microsoft reps showed off how the feature can translate Spanish and Chinese sentences in real-time. It worked pretty well for the Spanish sentence, delivering a readable translation on the first try. It took a few more tries for it to understand the Chinese phrase for "AI is fantastic."

While it's still in its early stages, the feature is a smart way for Microsoft to demonstrate the translation capabilities of its Cognitive Services tools. Developers can use that technology to make videos easily searchable, or quickly index a series of images. It's a big part of Microsoft's AI play, so it's wise for the company to give us a useful example of how it could benefit average consumers.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Microsoft's Build 2017.