How to translate text in a photo or video on your iPhone

Need to translate text in a photo or video to your own language? Here’s how you can with your handy iPhone.

You’ve used your iPhone to take a photo or video of a sign, document or other item with text written in a foreign language. And now you’d like to translate that text into your own language. No problem with the Live Text feature.

With iOS 15 or higher on your iPhone, you can isolate text from a photo and then translate it into a different language. And with iOS 16 or higher, you can do the same with a video by pausing it at a specific frame. You can also point your camera at a live object, and see the translation on the spot. Here’s how this all works.

SEE: iOS 16 cheat sheet: Complete guide for 2022 (TechRepublic)

Translate text from an existing photo

First, snap a photo of an item that contains text in a foreign language. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone and open that photo. Press down on the text to select it. Then, drag the handles to select more or less of the text, or tap Select All from the pop-up menu to select all of it.

If the menu disappears, tap anywhere on the selected text to display it. Tap the right arrow on the menu, and then, tap the entry for Translate. The translated text appears below with options to play it, copy it or change the language (Figure A).

Figure A

Translate text from an existing video

To work with text from a video, make sure you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 16 or higher. Go to Settings, select General, and then, tap the option for Software Update. You’ll be told that iOS is up to date or prompted to download and install the latest update.

Take a video of an item with text in a foreign language. Open the video from the Photos app, and play it. Pause the video at a frame with text you wish to translate. Then, press down on the text to select it. Drag the handles, or tap Select All to select all of the text. Tap Translate from the pop-up menu to see the translation (Figure B).

Figure B

Translate text from a live image

Aim your phone at an item with text in a foreign language. Wait until the Live Text button appears in the lower right corner of the frame and then tap that button. Select the text you wish to translate. Then tap Translate from the pop-up menu to see the translation (Figure C).

Figure C