Chinese Phrases for Travelers + Translation Apps That Work

Show it to taxi drivers and DiDi instead of pronouncing it. Save it to your camera roll before you leave the hotel.

Even with no signal, a downloaded pack reads the photo. Or hand your phone to staff, they’ll often type the dish into their own translation app.

A finger on a menu photo and a questioning look crosses the language gap universally. Most people want to help.

No. With Alipay, DiDi, and translation apps, most first-timers manage fine in big cities without a word of Mandarin.

For iPhone users, Apple Translate is on-device and works without a VPN. Android travelers do well with Microsoft Translator (free and not blocked). Pleco is the best menu reader, and WeChat’s built-in translate handles chat. Download Google Translate’s Chinese offline pack at home as a backup.

The app works if you download the Chinese offline language pack before you fly. Live features like voice and camera need internet — a travel eSIM or VPN can restore them, but offline packs have no failure point.

A travel eSIM routes data outside the firewall, so live features can work — but don’t depend on it. Offline packs have no failure point.

Set up your phone apps first

Translation is one piece. Our digital-setup guide covers the apps to install before you land.