You are on holiday, or helping a relative, and you are holding a menu, a train notice, or a medicine box in a language you cannot read. Typing it into a translator letter by letter is slow. Chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini can read a photo directly, so you can skip the typing.
Open the ChatGPT or Gemini app, tap the camera or photo button, take a picture, and ask:
"This is a photo of a menu / sign / label. Translate it into English, and explain anything that is not obvious. If it is a menu, tell me which dishes contain meat, fish, or nuts."
Because the chatbot can answer follow-up questions, you can keep going: "Which of these is the cheapest vegetarian dish?" or "Is this platform for my train?" Hold the phone steady, in good light, and make sure the whole text is in the frame.
One thing to watch: A translation can be wrong, especially with handwriting or blurry photos. For allergies, medicine doses, and legal or safety notices, treat the answer as a first look and confirm with a pharmacist, a member of staff, or the official source.
Next time you meet a page of words you cannot read, take a photo and ask. It takes half a minute and saves a lot of guessing.