Best photo translators for Android

Unknown words, text from a photo, or real-time communication - all of this is available with the help of one device. Let's explore which mobile apps can help with translating text from photos and images.

Google Translate

Google Translate is a web service and mobile app from the eponymous company whose task is to translate text, documents, and websites into other languages. In 2017, the translator was fully adapted to work with neural networks, which significantly improved the quality of the final results.

As of 2022, it is one of the most downloaded mobile apps on Google Play. Work to improve the quality is constantly ongoing, but it should be understood that Google Translate is a universal solution used for machine translation that requires further editing.

To translate text from a photo using Google Translate, you will need to:

1. Download the app to your Android device.
2. Select the language pair. For example, the original language is Russian, and the translation language is English.
3. Go to the main screen.
4. To the right of the central "Microphone" icon, select the "Camera" icon.
5. Allow the app access to the camera and photos if it is launched for the first time.
6. Point the camera at the image, get the result, and import the photo to the cloud or media files.

To translate a text fragment, you will need to repeat the actions described in steps 1-6. Then, point the camera at the photo, click on "Scan" in the bottom menu, and then click the shutter button. The app will scan the text in the photo and break it down into words that can be selected to see their translation.

Microsoft Translator

Microsoft Translator is a web service for translating text into 110 languages ​​from Microsoft Corporation. The translator API is integrated into many programs and browsers and is also distributed as a ready-made app for Android.

MT allows you to translate both text on freshly taken photos and on images and screenshots saved in the device's media gallery.

Translation of text from a photo using Microsoft Translator is done as follows:

1. On the first launch of the app, you need to allow access to media files and photos.
2. Click on the "Camera" icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. In the bottom menu, select the source and translation language.
4. Point your smartphone camera at the text and take a clear photo.
5. Get the result, which can be saved as a photo or copy only the text.

Yandex.Translate

Yandex.Translate is a web service for translating text and web documents from Yandex, launched in 2011. It works based on self-learning machine translation and neural networks.

To translate using Yandex.Translate for Android, you will need to:

1. Download the program's distribution from Google Play or our website.
2. On the first launch, allow the app to take photos and videos.
3. Download the desired language to your phone. The default is English.
4. Point the camera at the photo with the text and wait for the scanning process to finish on the image.

If you need to translate from already taken photos, then to the right of the "Scan" icon, select the "Gallery" icon. Then, you will need to allow access to the app and select a photo from "Google Photos" or through the file manager in a specific folder on the device.

ABBYY Lingvo

ABBYY is an international IT company specializing in text recognition and translation products, founded in 1989. Among the company's most popular products are FineReader and the mobile app TextGrabber.

Translation from photos using ABBYY's software can be done with two apps: ABBYY Lingvo and TextGrabber.

In the first case, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Download and install the app.
2. On the first launch, agree to the user agreement.
3. Allow the app access to the phone's camera and recording video.
4. In the main menu, located in the upper right corner, select the "Images" section.
5. In the bottom of the screen, click on the "Camera" icon and take a photo with the text.
6. The program will scan the text in the photo, and the option to select words and their translation will become available.

For working with a large volume of text, TextGrabber is used. The app is prohibited for installation in Russia, but it can be downloaded from our website. Next, follow the installation process and grant access to the smartphone's camera.

In the free version of the app, it is possible to create three notes. To do this, click on the red "+" icon in the upper right corner of the screen, take a photo with the text, click the "Recognize" button, and translate the words into any desired language.

PROMT.One

PROMT is a Russian company specializing in the development of services, programs, and applications with machine translation of text into more than 50 languages. The company's products are regularly nominated for prestigious awards, and in particular, PROMT Translation Server for the corporate segment has been recognized as the best solution in its industry.

For the average consumer, the PROMT.One web service and the eponymous app for Android are available.

With its help, you can translate text from a photo. To do this, you will need to:

• Download and install the app from Google Play.
• On the first launch, agree to the terms of use.
• Then, click on the "Camera" icon in the center of the screen and install the language pack for recognizing text in pictures in the "uninstalled" tab.
• After installation, click on the "Camera" icon again and agree to access to photos and videos.
• Point the smartphone camera at the text, press the shutter button in the bottom of the menu, and wait for the words to be recognized.
• Select unfamiliar words and translate them from the list of recognized words.

In the free version, 20 languages are available for translation, a dictionary with transcription, and voice input. The PREMIUM version does not have built-in advertising, allows offline mode, and has an unlimited amount of words for translation.

Papago

Papago is a cloud service and Android app based on machine translation of text. It was developed by the South Korean company Naver in 2017. The app is fully localized in Russian.

Translation from a picture or photo using Papago is done as follows:

• Download and install the app from trusted sources.
• On the first launch, confirm compliance with the user agreement.
• Then, click on the "Picture" item at the bottom of the screen, and allow access to the device's camera.
• Point the smartphone camera at the text, focus, and click the "Translate all" button.
• The app will scan and translate the text into the selected language in the top menu.

If you need to copy the text from the image to a separate document, click on the "Text on Img" button in the lower right corner of the screen. Then, click on "Select all" on the left side and the "Copy" icon. The information will be copied to the clipboard and can be pasted into any text editor.

iTranslate

iTranslate is a conditionally free web app for translating into 100+ languages. Initially, the service was only available in the browser and on devices running iOS, but later a version for Android was released as well.

Translation of text from a photo using iTranslate can be done as follows:

1. Download and install the app from our website or Google Play.
2. Agree to the terms of use of the program.
3. Click on the "Lens" icon next to the microphone image in the center at the bottom of the screen.
4. Hold the camera to the text that needs to be translated and focus the image on the screen.
5. Click the shutter icon at the bottom of the screen and wait for the translation.

Translation from the device's camera is only available with the purchase of full access. The price for Russia is 299 rubles per month. The subscription also includes offline mode, no ads, and voice translation via the microphone.

Photo Translator

"Photo Translator" is a conditionally free Android app for scanning and translating text from photos and images. The language of the translated text is automatically determined, and support for 100+ languages is available. The app is localized in Russian.

To translate with it, you need to follow these steps:

1. Download and install the app on your device.
2. Allow access to the smartphone's camera.
3. Click on the "Camera" icon in the bottom of the screen and take the desired photo.
4. After recognizing the text, the app will offer a translation into the selected language.

Line-by-line and paragraph translation is available. To change the language pair, return to the main menu and click "Detect language" at the bottom left of the screen, and choose the desired translation language on the right.

In the free version, a prompt to upgrade to the premium version of the app will constantly appear while working. It can be declined and work can continue. The cost of the premium version is 309 rubles per month.

Comparison table of image and photo translators