Translation and language tools, curated for travelers visiting China.
Download a Simplified Chinese offline pack in Google Translate before departure.
Offline Simplified Chinese text and camera translation when the language pack is downloaded before travel.
Offline Chinese-English dictionaries with character, pinyin, handwriting and pronunciation lookup.
Offline text and camera translation remain useful when Google services are unreachable on a mainland network, although quality is lower than online translation and the downloaded pack must already be present. Foreign roaming connections may still reach Google, while local Wi-Fi or a mainland SIM may not. Use camera translation for menus, signs and app screens, and keep important hotel names and addresses as Chinese text rather than only as screenshots. Pleco is a specialist Chinese-English dictionary, not a full sentence translator.
Its free dictionaries, basic handwriting lookup, pronunciation and character search are valuable offline when a place name or individual character defeats a general translator. Pleco's live camera OCR is a paid add-on, so its full camera translator is neither free nor available offline by default. Speech translation can help with simple exchanges, but show the translated Chinese text and expect ambiguity with names, addresses and dietary restrictions. WeChat can translate received messages, and iPhone users can also keep Apple Translate as a built-in fallback.
For urgent medical, legal or immigration conversations, ask for a qualified human interpreter instead of relying on an app.
Google Translate is the top-rated language app in China. Offline Simplified Chinese text and camera translation when the language pack is downloaded before travel.
Bento recommends 2 language apps in China, checked in 2026.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers China with plans from $0.58 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Use Octopus to pay, Citymapper to travel, and MyObservatory for official weather warnings
Rail-first travel, flexible IC cards, official Shinkansen booking, and disaster alerts
Use Naver Map, visitor-ready taxi and dining apps, and a separate transit balance
Official bus tracking, metered taxis and typhoon alerts for Macau
Cash, a physical EasyCard and a few well-chosen apps cover most trips
