Translate with handwriting or virtual keyboard

You can draw letters or phrases and see their translation using the Translate app. This is useful if your keyboard doesn’t use the letters or symbols that you want to translate.

  1. Open the Translate app Translate.
  2. At the bottom left, press the language you’re translating from.
  3. At the bottom right, press the language to translate to.
  4. Press Handwriting handwriting icon.
    • If the button does not appear, handwriting can’t translate that language.
  5. In the box that says "Write here", draw a character, word or phrase.
    • When you stop drawing, Translate shows the closest match.
    • To add spaces between entries, press Space.
    • To delete letters, press Backspace Backspace.
  6. When you’re done, press Translate Translate.

Tip: If you need to write characters more slowly, press Settings Settings. Then turn off the Automatic insertion setting.

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