Photo Translate

Photograph a menu, sign, label or ticket — read it in your language

On a phone, “Take a photo” opens the rear camera straight away. Hold steady and let the text fill the frame — a close, level shot reads far better than a whole wall of menu at once.

Getting a clean read

Three things that make the difference on a dim restaurant table

One panel at a time

A menu page photographed in two halves reads much better than the whole folded card shot from across the table.

Kill the glare

Laminated menus and glass-covered signs bounce light back. Tilt the phone a few degrees off square and the reflection moves off the text.

Say what it is

Picking “Menu” or “Sign” instead of leaving it on automatic keeps dishes with their prices and signs in their original order.