Microsoft has an in-house experimental projects initiative called Garaga that has delivered a few nifty apps in recent memory such as the Trove app which pays users for submitting photos that go towards AI training, Sketch Pal drawing app, and Journal to name a few. The latest one to come out of Garage is called Group Transcribe, and it might be the most advanced and useful one yet.

It also allows users to save and share their meeting transcripts with ease

As the name makes it abundantly clear, it can transcribe group conversations in real-time. Additionally, it is also able to recognize languages spoken in over 80 regions across the world and can translate an ongoing group conversation as well. The Group Transcribe app is already out and can now be download on iPhones from the App Store. However, Microsoft has not revealed IF, or WHEN, the app will make it to the Android ecosystem.

However, there is a caveat. The app only is only intended for in-person meetings, with Microsoft recommending that users keep their phone within arm’s reach during meetings for the best experience. Yes, it can work in socially distanced meeting scenarios, but there the in-person rule still stands for the Group Transcribe app to work efficiently. Microsoft notes in the FAQ section that the app works best in meetings with up to four people.

The app is meant for in-person meetings and works best in convos with up to four people

The most impressive part about the app is its ability to translate and transcribe so many languages as they’re being spoken. Microsoft says it has employed a cutting-edge speech and language recognition technology that has been in the making for a while. Moreover, the app allows you to save and share transcripts of a multi-lingual meeting, all of which can be accessed anytime they want for future reference. Right now, it supports the following languages:

Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cantonese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and more.

Download Group Transcribe on App Store