Buzz
Are you overseas but not familiar with the local language? Fortunately, you can use the Google Translate app on your phone to scan (scan) text and translate it into your native language. This guide will show you how to scan and translate using the camera when using the Google Translate app on Android, iPhone, or iPad devices.
Steps
Using an Android Device
- If you haven't installed Google Translate yet, you can download this app for free from the Google Play Store.
Tap the language in the top-left corner of the screen. A list of available languages will appear in a dropdown menu.
Choose the language you want to translate. The language you select is called the source language.
- If you want the app to automatically detect the source language, tap on Detect Language. This feature is helpful if you're unsure about the source language.
Tap the language in the top-right corner of the screen. A list of languages will appear in a dropdown menu.
Pick the language you want to translate the source language into. If this language isn't already installed on your phone or tablet, you'll need to download it.
Tap the scan (scan) icon. This icon looks like two square brackets with a line in the middle [|], located at the center of the bottom of the screen.
Align the text that appears on the screen. The app will automatically select each word when you take a snapshot.
Tap the circular button. The camera will scan everything on the screen and frame each word.
Use your finger to highlight the text you want to translate. You can also choose the "Select All" or "Clear" options at the bottom of the screen to modify your text selection.
- Once you've selected the text, you'll see two text bars in white and blue at the top of the screen. You can tap on them to view the entire source language and translation.
Using an iPhone or iPad
- If you don't have the Google Translate app, you can download it for free from the App Store.
Tap on the language in the top-left corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear with a list of available languages.
Select the language you want to translate. This language is referred to as the source or original language.
- If you want the app to automatically detect the source language, you can select Detect Language.
Tap on the language in the top-right corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear showing a list of languages.
Pick the language you want to translate the source language into. If the language isn’t available on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to download it.
Tap the scan icon. This icon looks like two square brackets with a line in the middle [|] and is located at the center of the bottom of the screen.
Align the text displayed on the screen. The app will highlight individual words when you press the capture button.
Tap the circular button. The camera will scan everything on the screen and frame each word.
Use your finger to select the text you want to translate. You can also choose the "Select All" option or the "Clear" option at the bottom of the screen to modify your selection.
- After selecting the text you want to translate, you will see two text bars, one white and one blue, appear at the top of the screen. You can tap on them to view the original language and its translation.
