Language software company Sakhr Software has announced the availability of four additional languages supported by its Language Buddy app for the iPhone (News - Alert). The translation app – which works via speech or text input – enables live, interactive translation from English to French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The product is pitched to enhance “language learning, cultural exchange and foreign travel assistance,” according to the company. Users can either speak or type an English sentence and view the foreign language translation in text form.

The four newly-enabled languages follow the successful 2009 launch of the company's Arabic Language Buddy app. Sakhr has said that it launched Languages Buddy for non-Arabic languages to demonstrate “the integration possibilities between its mobile technology platform and other enabling language technologies that are provided through third parties.” In the coming months, Sakhr plans to continue launching new mobile applications leveraging technology from both Sakhr and its language partners.

The machine translation for Language Buddy is powered by Google (News - Alert) Translate and is intended for rapid translation of words or simple phrases to express the gist or overall meaning. Each language requires its own application download, and is priced at $1.99 for each download.

In 2009, Sakhr Software launched the first commercially available smartphone-enabled speech-to-text and speech-to-speech language translation with Arabic Language Buddy on iPhone and a two-way S2S Arabic Translator for Android (News - Alert), iPhone and BlackBerry. The company has patented proprietary Arabic speech and language technologies, including speech recognition, machine translation and text-to-speech. In 2010, the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID) recognized Arabic Language Buddy with an eContent Award, selected from over 2,000 company submissions.