How to translate a menu (and why Google Translate isn't enough).

It's 8:30pm. The waiter is hovering. You're holding your phone two inches above a laminated menu, watching the translated text flicker on and off like subtitles on bad wifi.

Eventually it settles. And you're still none the wiser.

Words aren't dishes.

Camera translation swaps one language's words for another's. That works for a train timetable. Menus are different, because dish names are rarely literal.

Patatas bravas becomes "brave potatoes". Strozzapreti becomes "priest stranglers". Ropa vieja becomes "old clothes". All technically correct. None of it tells you what lands on the plate.

What you actually wanted to know: is it beef or fish, is it spicy, is it heavy, and will you like it.

The bit that matters more than the name.

A word-for-word translation can't see what isn't written down. A dish name won't mention the stock it was cooked in, the butter it was finished with or the nuts ground into the sauce.

If you eat vegetarian, avoid gluten or have an allergy, a literal translation is a starting point, not an answer. Always confirm with the restaurant.

Your options, honestly.

1. Google Translate's camera or Google Lens. Free, already on most phones, fine for single words. Open the app, tap Camera, point it at the menu. Expect literal names and no explanation of the dish.

2. Your phone's built-in text tools. On iPhone, Live Text in the Camera or Photos app can select text from a picture and translate it. Same strengths, same limits.

3. A menu translator built for food. This is what we made Glütty for. Photograph or upload the menu once and every dish comes back in your language, with what it is, what's in it, honest labels like vegetarian or spicy, and a picture of what it looks like. Members also get a personal match score for how likely they are to enjoy each dish.

A few tips that help whatever you use.

Lay the menu flat and shoot it straight on, in the best light you can find.

One page per photo. Crop out the table, the candle and your thumb.

If the restaurant has its menu online, use that. It's usually cleaner than a photo.

When something matters for your health, ask. A translation never replaces the kitchen.

Next time, skip the flicker.

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