Not to mention, it literally does what the app name says, and nothing more.

You’ll also have the ability to save previous translations and share them through social media, SMS and email.Īs for the disadvantages, you’re only allowed five picture translations per day if you’re subscribed for the free service, and similar to other apps, an internet connection is required. The app boasts faster response time than similar products and features cheaper rates for premium services. Looking for a well-received app that supplies fast, reliable translations? Scanner & Translator is a strong contender. On the other hand, some students will love all the contextual info that comes with their searches. Some people just want an app that provides the translation, nothing more. No ads!Īlthough this isn’t really a disadvantage, one might be overwhelmed with the amount of information supplied when looking up a certain word or scanning text via the camera. A leader among language dictionary apps, capabilities include a document reader, flashcard study tool and stroke order diagrams.Īnother thing that puts it above the rest? There are no ads.

One of the most popular translation apps out there, Pleco Chinese Dictionary takes the cake in terms of a well-rounded language translation app. Some are equipped with extras, such as flashcards that enable you to use the app as a study tool or audio-to-text translation. Some have full dictionary features, while others are solely OCR translation apps. There are several app types that have OCR capabilities. Optical character recognition, or OCR, is something all Chinese learners can benefit from, whether we’re ordering at a local restaurant, navigating the street or simply wondering what all the Chinese text surrounding us is about. Upon researching the various translation apps out there, it’s surprising that not every one of them has optical character recognition, which lets you snap a photo of characters or upload a screenshot. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you In China, you’ll find that a lot of local places have their list of food items on the wall, with no English translations and no images to accompany them.Įven though I studied Mandarin for most of my childhood and know a variety of restaurant phrases, I still have trouble identifying some food items here and there.Ĭhinese character recognition apps have been game changers.īelow are a few good ones to get you started! Have you ever had to order from a Chinese menu with no pictures?

Translate chinese characters from image