An upcoming program from Microsoft hopes to break down language barriers by offering automated voice translations through its Skype communication service.

Similar to the universal translators used in Star Trek and other science fiction, Skype Translator allows people who speak different languages to communicate by voice in real-time, with the help of speech recognition and intelligent translation technology.Just say something into the mic and Skype will play back an audio translation of your message to your conversation partner, along with an on-screen transcript, as demonstrated in the video below. Skype Translator will be available in preview form later this month to select Windows 8.1 users who sign up on the program's website. It is invite-only for now. The program launches with English and Spanish as the only two spoken languages, and over 40 instant messaging languages.According to Microsoft, the technology behind Skype Translator is designed to learn from its users, so the more people test it out, the more intelligent the program becomes.The Skype team's goal for the project is to incorporate as many languages as they can. People who register now for the closed preview can select their language preferences and help shape the future of the project with their feedback.Skype Translator is part of Skype's mission to make global communication more accessible. Last month, Microsoft announced Skype For Web , which will make the messenger service functional in a browser.

Chloi Rad is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @_chloi