Online google translator from photo. The easiest way to translate text using your phone's camera

Yandex has developed a service that is able to recognize text and translate it from photos and pictures. So far, only this feature is available for 12 languages, but the developers promise more supported languages ​​in the future. And thanks to Yandex translator, you can translate from an image into 46 languages. Today the service recognizes Russian, English, Portuguese, Czech, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, Chinese, Turkish, German, French, Spanish on images. According to the developers, this method of translation will be appropriate when a user wants to translate a note in a magazine with his favorite actor or showman.

The service algorithm is able to detect text from an image even if it is of poor quality, and also if the image is stretched or scanned, or photographed at an angle. Yandex developed this algorithm independently from scratch. The application translates words, sentences and can even translate a whole paragraph.

How to use Yandex photo translator


Now that the text is recognized by the Yandex.Translate service, you need to click on the "Open in translator" link. A new page will open in front of you with a window divided into two parts, where the first will contain the language that was presented in the picture. And in the second part there will be a translation into the language that you indicated, into which the translation should have been made.


Yandex.Translate window with source text and translation

What should I do if the quality of the translation is not acceptable?

If you received a translated text where the quality is not acceptable, you cannot parse the text, you need to check in another way or . To do this, the developers of this application provide additional settings to change the translation process. For users, there is a special option " New technology translation". If it's not enabled, fix it.


New translation technology

The next translation will be done in two ways, using an improved technology that uses a neural network for translation and using a static model. Next, you can choose the best option or let the program do it.

After that, copy the translated text to your computer and analyze it, perhaps correct errors in places and bring the sentences into the proper form. After all, the translation was carried out by machine, so the text will most likely need to be edited manually.

How does Yandex.Translate recognize text in images?

This search is based on optical character recognition technology. Yandex.Translate recognizes text using two technologies: image recognition and the text detection module. The neural network learns to identify text on its own using millions of scanned texts in images. Such self-learning allows you to achieve High Quality translated texts. With each new job the algorithm performs ever better work, because it determines and remembers only the lines of text, in which it is 100% sure.

Further, the work of the recognition module is to separate the lines and determine the generated characters from them. Each symbol is determined carefully, the algorithm determines them based on those already learned. For example, in Russian there is a letter "O" large, "o" small and the number "0" zero. They are very similar to each other. Therefore, the baton is then taken over by the language model, it makes the final decision which character to use in which situations. Such a model is based on language dictionaries, it remembers not only the correspondence of characters with them (dictionaries), but also takes into account the context of application, that is, the neighborhood of characters in certain uses.

Thus, if a word familiar to the algorithm is formed from the selected probable symbols, then it is able to decide that the word is composed correctly and again takes into account the available symbols from this word. This is how we get the result in Yandex.Translate when translating by image online.

This article will focus on translators that recognize text from a photo and thereby save the user's time by excluding the manual text entry action from the algorithm. Such a program is useful in working with texts in a foreign language, students who need to complete a task, as well as tourists who find themselves in another country without special knowledge of the language.

Such services have appeared relatively recently and are only gaining their popularity. There are no strict rules when working with such applications. The main thing is that the text requiring translation is readable. Many programs recognize a photo or picture even with fuzzy image. All the user has to do is download necessary material into the program, wait for the scan and get the finished translated text.

The translation is made with the possibility of copying, which means that the client of the program does not have to manually retype the resulting material. Parts of the text that could be translated incorrectly can be copied as a separate fragment and re-translate in online or offline services.

Popular Applications

To date, many developers offer to use the services of their projects for the transaction of text from a photograph or picture. Most popular projects:


Online services

Some programs have versions adapted to work online. In this case, you do not need to download applications:


  1. ABBY FineReader Online - the service works with many image formats and allows the user to upload the necessary material directly to the resource. After that on their own defines the language of the original document and performs translation, including from English into Russian. The result can be saved not only in text format, but also in PDF. You can use it on the official website of the company https://finereaderonline.com/ru-ru.
  2. New OCR is an online resource that is intuitive and very easy to use. All that is required to get started is to go to the official website of the developer http://www.newocr.com/ and in the opened window download the required file. Below, a menu will be offered in which the user must select the language of the original document and the language in which the transaction will be carried out. The application works with all possible image formats.

For better work with translation services, you should remember a few things:

  • Downloadable image should be clear.
  • The service performs exclusively automatic machine translation, so some complex sentences may be misinterpreted. In this case, it is desirable to translate phrases that form a sentence separately.
  • Best to use the following formats to download original JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP image.

However, now let's refine the search area and consider only photo translators - applications that allow you to translate what is filmed on the camera, that is, they can recognize text and more or less adequately reproduce it in your own language.

1. Google Translate

Yes, branded google translator In the past year . Supporting more than 50 languages, to work without an Internet connection, you must additionally download language packs for each language.

2. Lingvo Dictionaries

The Russian development of ABBYY offers more than 50 basic dictionaries for 30 languages. It has not only the function of Photo Translation, but also helps in memorization foreign words, offers exercises, searches for a translated word on the Web and many others interesting features. Works autonomously. But, but, for a fee.

3. ABBYY Text Grabber + Translator

Another ABBYY application, already sharpened directly for the translation of photos. Take a picture of the fragment you are interested in, after which the recognized text can be immediately edited, translated, sent by e-mail or SMS. No Internet connection is required for text recognition, recognition is performed directly on the mobile device, but an Internet connection is required for translation.

4. translator

Another branded app is Bing's Translator for Windows phone. It allows you to translate voice, scan and translate text, download dictionaries to your smartphone and work offline. The translator also offers the Word of the Day service, which shows one word to remember on the start screen.

5.iSignTranslate

iSignTranslate allows you to see signs, tablets, signs in your language. No need to click, select, take a picture, just point your phone's camera at the text and the application will translate it automatically. An internet connection is required for translation.

We have already written about the best translation apps for iPhone, but now we will refine the search area and consider only photo translators - applications that allow you to translate what is filmed on the camera, that is, they can recognize text and more or less adequately reproduce it in your own language .

1. Google Translate

Yes, Google’s proprietary translator learned how to translate photos last year. Supporting more than 50 languages, to work without an Internet connection, you must additionally download language packs for each language.

2. Lingvo Dictionaries Translator

The Russian development of ABBYY offers more than 50 basic dictionaries for 30 languages. It has not only the Photo Translation function, but also helps in memorizing foreign words, offers exercises, searches for a translated word on the Web and many other interesting functions. Works autonomously. But, but, for a fee.

3. ABBYY TextGrabber + Translator

Another ABBYY application, already sharpened directly for the translation of photos. Take a picture of the fragment you are interested in, after which the recognized text can be immediately edited, translated, sent by e-mail or SMS. No Internet connection is required for text recognition, recognition is performed directly on the mobile device, but an Internet connection is required for translation.

4. App Translator Translator

Another proprietary app is Bing's Translator for Windows Phone. It allows you to translate voice, scan and translate text, download dictionaries to your smartphone and work offline. The translator also offers the Word of the Day service, which shows one word to remember on the start screen.

5. iSignTranslate photo translator

iSignTranslate photo translator allows you to see signboards, plates, signs in your language. No need to click, select, take a picture, just point your phone's camera at the text and the application will translate it automatically. An internet connection is required for translation.

Well hello autumn. Hello, long-awaited academic year. Until next summer, blissful idleness and sweet entertainment. It's time to dig into the granite of science.

I dedicate today's review to schoolchildren, students and everyone who receives an education. Your attention - 6 free mobile applications to recognize and translate text from photos that users like the most. These programs will keep your teeth from grinding too fast when learning foreign languages ​​and more.


Translate.Ru

Translate.Ru- a product of one of the best developers of automated translation systems PROMT, will not only cope with the text on a photographed page of a textbook or a PC monitor, but will also teach the correct pronunciation of foreign words, and will also help you understand what the teacher is talking about.

The application is a complex of three parts: translator, dictionary and phrase book. It supports 18 popular foreign languages, including Japanese, Finnish, Korean, Portuguese, Hebrew, Turkish, Catalan, Chinese, Arabic, Greek, Dutch, and Hindi. Language packs are loaded at the user's choice.

To translate text from an image, just point the camera at it or upload it from the gallery. As the experiment showed, Translate.Ru copes with English, French and German inscriptions on the photo with a bang, but things are not very good with Eastern languages. The program did not recognize the fragment in Chinese at all, in Korean it translated individual phrases.

Other features of Translate.Ru

  • The ability to select the subject of the translated text, which increases the accuracy of the result.
  • Reading and translating texts from applications and the clipboard.
  • Translation of words and phrases spoken into the microphone.
  • Dictionary and Phrasebook with voice assistant(pronunciation of foreign words).
  • "Dialogue" mode - the ability to translate your speech and interlocutor's messages into desired languages in real time.
  • Integration with iMessage messenger on iOS devices.
  • Storage on the phone of the last 50 translated materials. Maintaining a list of favorites.

Yandex translator

Mobile Yandex translator uses its own, also very effective algorithms. The quality of translations into Russian from the three main European languages ​​(English, German and French) can be assessed as “good with a plus”, from Asian and others - somewhat lower, but compared to many analogue programs, its level is more than acceptable.

Yandex supports over 90 national languages. Most of them are only available online, but the 3 main ones, as well as Turkish, Italian and Spanish, are loaded into the program initially and can be used offline. 12 languages ​​are available in photo translation mode. In addition to those listed above, these are Polish, Chinese, Portuguese, Czech and Ukrainian.

To translate text from an image using Yandex, just point the camera at the image and tap the shutter button. To translate a photo from the gallery, squint at the thumbnail, which is located to the left of the camera shutter button.

The program requires registration. If you use a Yandex mail account on your device, you will be logged into it automatically.

Other features of Yandex.Translate

  • Translation of web pages, applications (through the context menu in Android 6.0 and later), clipboard contents.
  • Saving the history of translated materials, adding to favorites.
  • Voice input of translated text.
  • Pronunciation of words and phrases in English, Turkish and Russian.
  • Language autodetection.
  • Tips for speed dial foreign words.
  • Smart watch support Apple Watch and Android Wear: Display on-screen translation of words and whole phrases spoken into the microphone.

Microsoft Translator

Microsoft Translator is a stylishly designed, convenient and functional application capable of accurate and fast translations from 60 national languages. Works online and offline. To use the program offline, the selected language packs will have to be downloaded to the device.

Unlike Yandex, the Microsoft product supports photo translations in all or almost all 60 languages ​​(nothing is said about the limitation). It cannot be argued that their quality is always on top, but a passage of text in Korean was recognized and translated quite decently, in Chinese - a little worse.

The program is able to translate captions on images taken with the camera and stored in the device's gallery. To translate text from an external picture, touch the button with the camera and point the lens at the area of ​​interest.

The button for loading a photo from the gallery into the program is located in the same section.

Other features and functionality of Microsoft Translator

  • Simultaneous translation of spoken phrases in online conversations with up to 100 participants.
  • Built-in dictionary and phrase book with transliteration and pronunciation of translated phrases.
  • Translation of texts in other programs through the context menu (supported starting from Android 6.0).
  • Saving history and maintaining a list of favorites.
  • Support for smart watches Android Wear and Apple Watch - display the translation of spoken words and phrases on the screen.

Google translate

Google translate, perhaps the most famous and popularly loved tool for automatic translations. And the record holder for the number of supported language packs - there are as many as 103 of them and 59 of them are available offline. Photo translation of texts from pictures is possible into 39 languages.

The quality of translations by the Google Translate service is taken as a standard by which competitors are equal. Many texts processed by him almost do not require manual corrections, but, unfortunately, it is impossible to achieve an absolute ideal in this matter. By the way, the test snippets are in Chinese and Korean, photographed from the laptop screen, were recognized quite correctly.

To perform a photo translation in the Google Translate app, tap the camera icon and point it at the desired object. What to do next, I think, is clear without explanation.

Other Features of Google Translate

  • Conversational mode (simultaneous translation from 32 languages).
  • Handwriting mode (handwritten translation).
  • Translation of text data from applications and SMS messages.
  • Phrasebook (empty, filled in by the user).
  • Voice input and voicing of translated phrases.

Translator Foto - Voice, Text & File Scanner

Application Translator Foto - Voice, Text & File Scanner although it has a smaller set of functions, it works no worse than its competitors. On the contrary, even better than many, since it, like Google Translate, supports more than 100 languages.

Translation of text from a photo is the main function of the program. To use it, touch the button with the image of the camera, select the source - gallery or new picture. Selecting the second option will launch the Camera app. After taking a photo of the text you want to translate, it will be loaded into the program. To launch the translator, tap the button in the lower right corner of the picture.

Translator Foto recognizes the languages ​​of printed text in pictures quite tolerably and translates them well into Russian. The accuracy of the results is almost at the same level as that of Microsoft and Yandex products.

Other features of Translator Foto - Voice, Text & File Scanner

  • Recognition and translation of spoken phrases.
  • Translation of copied or manually entered text.
  • Pronunciation of translated phrases.
  • Saving in another program or sending to another user the typed (copied) text along with the translation.
  • Save history and favorites list.

textgrabber

textgrabber came out "from the pen" of the leading developer of software products in the field of linguistics - ABBYY. Perhaps, as a translator, he loses Google Translate, but in terms of the accuracy of recognizing printed lines in images, he, perhaps, has no equal. When the program is connected to the Internet, more than 100 foreign languages ​​are available for translations, offline - 10. Text recognition is carried out in more than 60 languages.

The program recognizes and translates printed inscriptions on images in photo and video mode. The first mode is convenient when the picture is small and completely fits on the screen. mobile device. The second one is indispensable when recognizing texts on large surfaces, for example, on the pages of books or a computer monitor.

TextGrabber works quickly and clearly, but it is too intrusive to suggest subscribing to a paid version. Although this is his only noticed drawback.

Other functions and features of TextGrabber

  • Recognition and translation of texts from pictures in the gallery (as well as competitors).
  • Built-in editor for manual corrections.
  • Create notes (in free version only 3 notes available).
  • Clickability of links, addresses, phone numbers in recognized and translated text.
  • Transfer of text data to other applications, automatic copying to the clipboard.

Happy translation!

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Note to students. Top Apps to recognize and translate text from photos for Android and iOS updated: September 7, 2018 by: Johnny Mnemonic