How to Translate a Sign, Menu or Page with the Camera or a Photo

The problem

Signs, menus, packaging and forms are in a language you can’t read, and typing them in letter by letter isn’t possible with an unfamiliar script. Photographing and sending them to a website is slow and uploads your pictures. And translators that overlay text on the camera often need a connection.

How it works

LingoAI reads the text for you:

• Camera: point the camera at printed text, and tap to grab the text it recognises.
• Photo: choose a photo from your library and extract the text from it.

The recognised text goes into the source box. Then you translate it like normal text, copy it, share it or play it aloud.

Steps

1. Choose your target language.
2. Open the scan option and point the camera at the text, or pick a photo.
3. Review the extracted text. Fix obvious misreads before translating.
4. Translate.

Getting good results

• Fill the frame with the text and hold steady.
• Avoid glare from glossy menus and signs.
• Straight on beats an angle. Curved packaging and perspective hurt accuracy.
• Plain printed text works best. Handwriting, decorative fonts and very small print can be misread.
• Check the extracted text first. One wrong character can change a word.

If scanning isn’t available

Older devices may not support live scanning. You can still translate text from a saved photo, or type it.

FAQ

Does scanning need internet? No. Text recognition runs on the device, and translation does too unless you choose Cloud.

Can I translate text in a screenshot or photo? Yes. Pick the photo and the text is extracted so you can translate it.

Which devices support live scanning? Live camera scanning needs a device that supports Apple’s data scanner. If not, the app tells you scanning isn’t available.