Do you trust the translations you see on Chinese menus? I don’t. Why? Because my local Chinese restaurant — which lists dishes in Chinese, English and Spanish — manages to write a different description for each one.
Luckily, Waigo is here to help, with it’s augmented-reality translation. Or is that “here to confuse”?
https://youtu.be/6QiyGwMbqYY
Point the iPhone’s camera at the menu and the app will read it and translate it instantly. The limited vocabulary (restaurant menu-ese) means it fits into an 8MB download, so you can even use it offline, letting you order a Big Mac in China without racking up the roaming fees.
It works great with the developer’s own testing page, but of course it does. So I decided to try it with a real menu. Or rather, a real menu photographed and uploaded to Instagram.
The photo is above (on the right). The Spanish translation means “chicken feet.” The more colorful English version is “Phoenix Talons” (side note — is it possible to burn these?). But the best version of all is Waigo’s authoritative “feet.” Simple, accurate, and to the point — if not exactly appetizing.
I recommend downloading the app, which is free, and keeping it for those times when you really, really don’t know what to order.
Source: Waigo
Thanks: Rob!
Charlie Sorrel writes reviews and how-tos. Follow Charlie on Twitter at @mistercharlie, and at micro.blog on @mistercharlie
