Explain a food allergy in their language.

Write the sentence in full

Short phrases go wrong. Put through machine translation, "I have a nut allergy" comes out in Spanish as alergia a las nueces and in Italian as allergia alle noci, and both mean walnuts, not nuts in general.

"I have an allergy to all nuts. Does this contain any nuts or traces of nuts?" comes out with frutos secos and frutta a guscio, the words that cover every nut. If it is one food, name that food.

Show it, then ask

1. Type the full sentence in SofiLingo, in your own language.
2. Check that the language pair is right: yours, then theirs.
3. Turn the screen to the waiter and let them read it. Reading is quieter and surer than the phone speaking across a busy room.
4. If they need to hear it, tap Play.
5. Ask about the specific dish you are ordering, not the menu in general.

Prepare it before you go

Typing works offline in every language once it is downloaded, so you can write this at the table with no signal. Do it at home first, check it reads the way you mean, and keep a printed card in the local language as well.

This is machine translation. A dish name can hide an ingredient that no translation will surface, such as a stock, a sauce or something fried in the same oil. Use it to start the conversation with the staff, never instead of it.

Questions

Can I rely on a translated menu for an allergy?

No. Use the translation to understand the menu, then tell the staff about the allergy in their language and ask about the dish.

Does this work without internet?

Yes. Typed translation works offline in every language once its pack is downloaded.