Translate Afrikaans, with no signal at all.
Typed Afrikaans translation and the camera both run on your iPhone, so a menu or a sign in Afrikaans can be read in flight mode. Below are two real ones, printed, photographed and translated by the app, and left unedited.
Typing works with no signal
Download the Afrikaans pack once, over hotel wifi, and typed translation runs on the phone from then on — as it does in all 58 languages.
The camera reads it on the phone
Your iPhone reads Afrikaans from a photograph itself. Nothing is sent anywhere, and it works with the phone in flight mode.
Speech depends on your iPhone
Spoken translation uses Apple's own speech packs, which cover about half of these languages and differ from phone to phone — so the app tells you if it cannot hear Afrikaans rather than failing while someone waits. How speech works.
Two real ones, printed and photographed
Both went through the app on an iPhone from pages we had printed, so the Afrikaans is known rather than guessed. What came back is below it, unedited.
Printed on it
- Die Ou Brug
- Die brug is in 1580 gebou.
- Dit is in die oorlog vernietig en met die oorspronklike klippe herbou.
- Vandag is dit die mees besoekte monument in die streek.
- Fotografie sonder flits word toegelaat.
What the app gave back
- The old bridge The bridge was built in 1580. It was destroyed in the war and rebuilt with the original stones. Today, this is the most visited monument in the region.
- Photography without flash is allowed.
Read and translated on an iPhone, 1 September 2026, from a page we had printed — so the original is known rather than guessed. Nothing here is tidied up.
Clean. The first four lines were read as one block, but the date, the rebuilding with the original stones and "Photography without flash is allowed" all came through correctly.
Printed on it
- Gevaar
- Moenie aan die drade raak nie
- Hou kinders weg
- Bel die bestuurder in 'n noodgeval
What the app gave back
- Danger
- Don't touch the wires
- Keep children away
- Call the driver in an emergency
Read and translated on an iPhone, 1 September 2026, from a page we had printed — so the original is known rather than guessed. Nothing here is tidied up.
Three lines of four right, but the last one matters: "Bel die bestuurder" came back as "Call the driver in an emergency" rather than the manager. "Don't touch the wires" and "Keep children away" are correct.
Questions
Does Afrikaans camera translation work offline?
Yes. Your iPhone reads Afrikaans from a photograph itself, so a scan works in flight mode and nothing is sent anywhere.
Does typed Afrikaans translation work offline?
Yes. Download the Afrikaans pack once, over wifi, and typing runs entirely on the phone from then on. That is true of all 58 languages.
How good is the Afrikaans translation?
Good enough for menus, signs and tickets, and not for anything that matters legally or medically. The two examples on this page are unedited, mistakes included, so you can judge it yourself before you pay anything.
Can SofiLingo hear spoken Afrikaans?
It depends on your iPhone. Spoken translation uses Apple’s own speech packs, which cover about half of the 58 languages and differ from phone to phone, so the app tells you before you start if it cannot hear Afrikaans.
Take it with you
The first 15 translations are free, with ads and no card. Download the Afrikaans pack before you go and the phone can do the rest on its own.
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