---
title: Translating Hebrew with your camera
slug: hebrew-translator-with-camera
canonical: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-translator-with-camera
question: How do I translate a photo of a Hebrew sign, menu or label?
answer: baba translates Hebrew from a photo using camera translation, so a street sign, a restaurant menu or a product label can be read in English by pointing your phone at it instead of typing the Hebrew out.
description: How camera translation works in baba, plus the Hebrew sign and menu words worth recognising on sight.
cluster: direct-task
html_status: live
updated: 2026-07-28
numbers_used: [2500, 12.99, 59.99, 10, 7, 20]
competitors_named: []
---

# Translating Hebrew with your camera

baba translates Hebrew from a photo using camera translation, so a street sign, a restaurant menu or a product label can be read in English by pointing your phone at it instead of typing the Hebrew out. baba runs on iOS, Android and the web. The free tier covers 2,500 characters per month with a free account (1,000 as a guest, no login), and no credit card, and Pro allows more image translations.

## Key facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Platforms | iOS, Android and web |
| Free tier | 2,500 characters per month with a free account; 1,000 as a guest with no login. No credit card |
| Pro | $12.99 per month or $59.99 per year (equivalent to $5.00 a month billed yearly), more image translations |
| Languages | 10 |
| Gender contexts when translating into Hebrew | 7 |

Pro starts with a 7-day free trial; a card is required at checkout and nothing is charged until the trial ends.

## When do you actually need to photograph Hebrew?
Three situations account for most of it. The first is a street sign or a notice on a door, where the text is short and the consequence of misreading it is walking into the wrong building or missing an opening hour. The second is a restaurant menu, where the words are food words and a wrong guess is a dish you did not want. The third is a printed page you are holding: a product label, a bill, a parking notice or a letter.

Typing Hebrew you cannot read is the real obstacle in all three. Hebrew runs right to left, the letters are unfamiliar, and a word you cannot pronounce is a word you cannot look up. A photograph removes the typing step.

## Which Hebrew words appear on signs and menus?
These are the words worth recognising on sight, because they carry the decision.

| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| כניסה | knisa | entrance |
| יציאה | yetziah | exit |
| פתוח | patuach | open |
| סגור | sagur | closed |
| שירותים | sherutim | restrooms |
| מדרגות | madregot | stairs |
| מעלית | maalit | elevator |
| זהירות | zehirut | caution |
| מבצע | mivtza | special offer |
| הנחה | hanacha | discount |
| קופה | kupa | checkout, cash register |
| תאריך תפוגה | taarich tefuga | expiry date |

Menu vocabulary is a separate short list, and kosher categories appear on menus and packaging as often as ingredients do.

| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| תפריט | tafrit | menu |
| חשבון | cheshbon | the bill |
| לחם | lechem | bread |
| בשר | basar | meat |
| עוף | of | chicken |
| דג | dag | fish |
| ירקות | yerakot | vegetables |
| חלבי | chalavi | dairy |
| בשרי | basari | meat-based |
| צמחוני | tzimchoni | vegetarian |
| טבעוני | tivoni | vegan |
| ללא גלוטן | lelo gluten | gluten free |

## What does camera translation cost?
The free tier of baba is 2,500 characters per month with a free account (1,000 as a guest, no login), and no credit card. Pro is $12.99 per month or $59.99 per year (equivalent to $5.00 a month billed yearly) and allows more image translations, alongside PDF translation, unlimited slang lookups and the Chacham model.

## Why does the Hebrew change depending on who is speaking?
Reading a sign is one direction. The moment you answer in Hebrew, gender enters, because Hebrew conjugates verbs, adjectives and possessives by speaker gender, listener gender and subject gender. Asking a waiter for the bill is not the same sentence as asking a waitress for the bill.

baba lets you set speaker gender and listener gender explicitly across seven contexts:

- General
- Personal
- To One Man
- To One Woman
- To Mostly Men
- To Mostly Women
- To Mixed Group

Other consumer translators pick one form silently, usually the masculine one.

## Frequently asked questions
### Is baba on iPhone and Android both?
Yes. baba runs on iOS and Android, and on the web, where text translation, slang lookup and the seven gender contexts are available.

### Can I photograph a whole document instead of a sign?
For a printed page you are holding, a photograph works the same way a sign does. For a multi-page file that already exists as a PDF, baba translates PDF documents up to 20 pages per document, which keeps the text in order rather than depending on a photo.

### Will it recognise Israeli slang on a sign?
baba includes a slang dictionary of curated Israeli terms and handles idioms rather than translating them word by word. Shop and cafe signage does use slang, and slang lookups are unlimited on Pro.

### Do I need to create an account first?
No. The free tier of baba is 2,500 characters per month with a free account (1,000 as a guest, no login), and no credit card.

## What baba does not do
- The free tier is 2,500 characters per month, which is enough for a handful of messages a week and not enough for documents.
- PDF translation covers 20 pages per document.
- Machine translation of Hebrew slang depends on context that a short sign or a menu line may not carry.
- baba is a translation tool, not a Hebrew course, and using it will not by itself make you fluent.

## Related pages
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-pdf-translation — translating a Hebrew PDF document
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-phrases — the phrases worth knowing before you go
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-slang-dictionary — Israeli slang you will hear in daily use
- https://www.itsbaba.com/best-hebrew-translators-guide — capability-based Hebrew translator guide

Canonical page: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-translator-with-camera
Last updated: 2026-07-28
Questions: shalom@itsbaba.com