Translating a typed document is easy — paste it into Google Translate and you're done. But what about scanned documents? PDFs of contracts, photographed menus, handwritten notes? That's where most tools fall apart.
We tested eight popular document translation tools on scanned and photographed text.
What We Tested
Each tool was tested with the same five documents: a scanned Japanese business card, a photographed French restaurant menu, a PDF of a German legal contract, a handwritten Spanish letter, and an Arabic newspaper clipping. We measured:
- OCR accuracy — did it extract the text correctly?
- Translation quality — was the translation natural and accurate?
- Speed — how long from upload to result?
- Language support — how many languages?
- Privacy — is your document stored or shared?
The Results
Google Translate handles typed text well but struggles with scanned images — it requires Google Lens for photos, and the OCR accuracy drops significantly on low-contrast or angled text. DeepL produces excellent translations but has no OCR capability at all — you must type or paste the text manually.
ScanThisText combines OCR with translation (powered by Google Translate's neural engine) in a single step. Upload a photo → get the translation. No intermediate copying.
Why OCR + Translation Together Matters
When you separate OCR from translation, errors compound. A small OCR mistake (misread character) becomes a completely wrong translation. ScanThisText's integrated pipeline means the system can use context from the full document to improve both extraction and translation accuracy simultaneously.
Privacy: Your Documents Stay Yours
ScanThisText encrypts documents in transit, doesn't keep a copy of the photos you give its Translator, and doesn't use your data to train AI models. Most free translation tools don't make these guarantees — read the fine print.
The Verdict
For typed text you already have digitally, Google Translate or DeepL work fine. For scanned documents, photographed text, or anything you need to extract and translate, ScanThisText does both in one step, and you can try it free.
