The Translate app constructed into your iPhone is a hidden gem when you’re touring overseas. It provides you the power to obtain languages upfront, so that you don’t have to fret a couple of dodgy mobile connection.
The digital camera allows you to translate textual content in-line of a restaurant menu or parking meter — it may make it easier to out of a sticky scenario. The Translate app’s dialog view makes it simple having a back-and-forth with somebody who doesn’t communicate your native tongue.
Right here’s how you can take advantage of out of the built-in Translate app.
use the Translate app on iPhone
The Translate app doesn’t assist as many languages as others like Google Translate. However Apple’s consumer interface, in my view, is far nicer.
The Apple Translate app helps Arabic, Chinese language (simplified and conventional Mandarin), Dutch, English (U.S. and U.Ok.), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain), Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Desk of Contents:
- Be sure to have it put in
- Choose a language and translate
- Level the digital camera
- Write out in a dialog
- See your favorites for simple entry
- Obtain a language upfront
- Guides to extra iPhone apps
Be sure to have it put in
For those who can’t discover it in your telephone, it’s attainable you deleted it earlier than. Obtain it once more from the App Retailer right here — it’s free.
Choose a language and translate
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Choose two languages from the dropdown menus. You possibly can faucet on both discipline to sort one thing in and see the interpretation within the reverse language.
The Fullscreen button will put the interpretation in large textual content, making it simple to indicate another person, with a Play button to talk the interpretation by means of the audio system. Faucet the Dialog button to get again to the primary display screen.
The Star button will add this translation to your favorites for simple entry later.
The Guide button will allow you to faucet on any phrase to see the direct translation and attainable alternate meanings.
The Copy button will copy the textual content so that you can paste elsewhere.
After you dismiss the keyboard, you’ll see a Play button on the fitting to play both phrase out of your telephone’s audio system.
Level the digital camera
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Faucet the Digicam tab on the underside to translate one thing in entrance of you. Faucet the shutter button to pause the freeze the picture and get in-line translations. The app will put translated textual content on prime of the picture; faucet on a line to see it extra clearly.
This doesn’t take an image, so that you don’t have to fret about it filling your library with random photos of Italian restaurant menus. (However when you like, you possibly can faucet the Share button and hit Save Picture.)
Write out in a dialog
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If it’s good to have a back-and-forth with somebody, faucet the Dialog tab. It’s like an iMessage chat — you enter textual content in your native language (or faucet the Microphone button) and also you’ll see translated textual content.
Faucet View > Face to Face, and each side of the dialog will probably be organized prime and backside. You possibly can maintain your telephone flat in entrance of you and simply enable the opposite individual to observe alongside and reply. Faucet the Swap button in the midst of the display screen if you wish to reverse it.
See your favorites for simple entry
Faucet the Favorites tab to see translations you’ve bookmarked. You possibly can hit the Play button to play them inline, the Fullscreen button to indicate it to somebody, or Copy to stick it someplace else.
To delete a favourite, swipe left and hit the Trash button.
Obtain a language upfront
From the Translation or Dialog tabs, faucet the ⋯ menu within the prime proper and faucet Obtain Languages. Faucet on a language to start out downloading. Obtain each languages — the one you communicate natively and the one you need translated.
To take away a downloaded language, faucet Edit then faucet the − button and hit Delete. Faucet Executed while you’re executed.
I extremely advocate the Translate app. Whereas it doesn’t provide the identical breadth of languages as Google Translate, you possibly can rely on it for fast, correct translations. Downloading languages upfront for offline use is a improbable energy function; the dialog view and digital camera are nice conveniences.
Guides to extra iPhone apps
We initially printed this text on the iPhone Translate app on March 6, 2024. We up to date the knowledge on July 7, 2025.
