Facebook agreed to buy voice recognition translation app maker Mobile Technologies, stating that voice technology has become “an increasingly important way for people to navigate mobile devices and the web”.

Mobile Technologies makes the free Jibbigo Translator iOS and Android mobile app, which translates speech and text for more than 25 languages.

Facebook could potentially use the technology for voice search, translated News Feed posts and cross-language chat.

“Voice technology has become an increasingly important way for people to navigate mobile devices and the web, and this technology will help us evolve our products to match that evolution,” said Facebook management director Tom Stocky in a blog post announcing the deal.

Google-owned Motorola recently unveiled its Moto X smartphone which features voice recognition capability, while Apple’s Siri system has been available for some time.

Facebook told TechCrunch that it plans to support the Jibbigo app for “the time being”.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.