wanderfoundus
Have you ever been traveling in a country where their primary language wasn’t a language you spoke? I think that is the beauty of traveling: to explore new areas, cultures and languages; however, it can get pretty scary pretty quickly when you can’t get around easily. When you can’t read road signs or even say some basic phrases. We love to explore the world and when we do, we try to learn a few basic words or phrases to get by. For Thailand, we learned a few basics for us:
- Hello – Sawadee khrup/ka.
- Yes – Chai (khrup/ka)
- No – Mai (khrup/ka)
- Maybe – Aaj ja (khrup/ka)
- Thank you – khop khun (khrup/ka)
- Sorry/excuse me – Khor thoad khrup/ka.
- Where is the restroom– Hong nam yoo tee nai khrup/ka?
- I need a doctor- Phom dong gaan hai mor maa raak sa khrup/ka.
- Vegetarian (no noticeable pieces of meat)- mang sa wirat or Vegan – jay
Although this is helpful, there aren’t translations everywhere in English and I can’t necessarily ask a resident to kindly explain the history behind these beautiful templates. You could also try to join a tour group but that can be uncomfortable or expensive. Cue: Google Translate!
Here are the quick and easy steps:
1. Download or open the Google Translate App on your phone.
2. Select “Camera.”
3. Point the camera at the text you want translated and presto! Instant translation. (Presto is Italian.. so maybe I should say “การทำเสร็จ!”)
The best part – you don’t need internet for it to work! Just make sure you have the Google Translate map pre-downloaded.
It wasn’t perfect all the time, as shown in the example below, but it was helpful most of the time for street signs, menus and temples!
The camera translation is currently offered from English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Google says its working on supporting more languages.
Have you used this feature before? What has your experience been? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you thought of it or other uses!
With wanderlove,
D&E
