How to translate any language on your iPhone

If you happen to be a frequent flier, perhaps one of the biggest issues you may have encountered anywhere you go, is language. Whether it is signboards on the street, menus in a restaurant, or even directions on maps. However, that shouldn’t stop you from exploring new places. Well, this is where your iPhone steps in, with its in-built translate app. Read on.

How to use the Translate app on your iPhone

Every iPhone comes straight with the Translate app pre-installed. Here’s how to use it.

1. Open the Translate app on your iPhone

2. Tap on the arrow symbols and select the language you’d like to be translated, and the one you’d like to translate it in.

3. Following this, enter whatever you’d like to translate in the text box below, or dictate it.

4. And that’s it, the app will translate whatever you feed in, in real-time.

Let’s say you want to converse with someone though. What do you do then? Well, the app can play the translated text out loud and also shows the conversation between you and another person in a chat window. Each line displays whatever both people say in both languages, the one being translated, and the one it is being translated into.

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For the same, one needs to tap the microphone icon for each person and enable auto-translate in the three-dot menu.

How to translate text via your camera

One isn’t necessarily limited to using only text-based translation on their iPhone. You can also translate text using the iPhone’s camera.

1. Open the camera menu on the translate app.

2. Ensure that the text to be translated is clearly visible in the frame.

3. Tap on the circle to pause and view translations.

Here, one can copy and paste the translated text into their favourites section for frequently used phrases, and even listen to both, the original and translated text. Additionally, one can also select a photo that contains text. The Translate app detects the same and translates it, as long as it is in a supported language.

Third-party app support for Translate

That’s not all. Apps such as Mail for iPhone, the Safari browser, and other third-party apps also come with an in-built integration for the Translate app. This means one can translate text in real-time, by selecting it, tapping on the right arrow menu, and then, on the “Translate” option.

While the Translate app is extremely handy, it is important to remember that it currently supports only 19 languages. A few major ones being French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Italian amongst others.