Pictures and camera

Two tools read text from the world instead of from a file: Pictures for a photo or screenshot you already have, and Camera for pointing the phone at a sign and reading it live. Both recognise the text on your device and translate it with the same engine as everything else.

Pictures

Drop or choose an image (or share one to Traxlate from your phone's share sheet). Pick the language the picture is in — the recognizer works best when told — and press Read and translate. The recognised text appears line by line, then the translation. With the original shows the two together; Text only gives you something to copy.

The first time, the page asks to download the recognizer's language data (1 to 5 MB per language). It comes through traxlate.com and stays on your device; the run itself contacts no other host. Pressing Not now leaves the picture unread and says so.

Camera

Point the camera at text and the recognised lines are translated as they settle. Pause freezes the frame and stops the run, so you can read a long sign without holding the phone still. If the camera is denied, the page says so and offers the file picker instead.

Getting a better read

• Fill the frame with the text and keep it level. A tilted photo reads worse than a small one.
• Choose the picture's language. Naming it helps with accents and word breaks; the page tells you when it is reading with a different language's letter shapes.
• Good light matters more than resolution.

Limits, honestly

Handwriting is not supported. Decorative or very small type may read wrong, and a wrong read translates confidently; compare with the original view before trusting a sign that matters. An unusual layout can change the reading order.

Are my photos uploaded?

No. The picture is read and translated in your browser or app, and the only download is the recognizer's language data, once.

Which languages can it read?

The recognizer covers the languages offered in the picture-language picker. Translation then covers the full list.