Unofficial visitor guide
How to read museum labels in your language
Museum labels are small, and they are often written only in the local language, sometimes with English alongside. Here are the ways to read or hear them in your language, side by side, with a few tips for the day.
Independent guide by the makers of Tales of Museums, which is not affiliated with museums or their official audio guides.
Your options
| Option | What it covers | Languages | Reads aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| The museum's official audio guide On a rented device or on your own phone | Selected works the museum chose | The languages the museum lists Audio guide languages, museum by museum | Yes |
| A guided tour | What the guide chooses, at set times | The languages offered on that day | Spoken by the guide |
| The camera translation built into your phone | The text you point at, shown translated on screen | Many languages | Some can speak the translated text |
| Tales of Museums iPhone app | Any label you can photograph | 12 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Russian and Hebrew | Yes, with each sentence highlighted as it is read; Learn more adds key terms and facts with sources |
Tips for the day
- Check the museum's photo rules first: some rooms and temporary exhibitions do not allow photos.
- Bring earphones, so you can listen without disturbing other visitors.
- Bring mobile data: Tales of Museums needs an internet connection to translate and read aloud, and some museums offer no visitor Wi-Fi.
- For small print, avoid glare from lights and glass, and hold the phone steady.
- If a label is only in the local language, ask the museum staff what they offer in other languages.
Hear the labels in your language
- Point at the label. Hold your iPhone steady and tap. You can also choose a photo you already took.
- Listen in your language. The label is translated and read aloud in a natural voice, in any of twelve languages, and each sentence lights up as it is read.
- Learn more. Key terms explained in plain words, and a few interesting facts with their sources.
Coming soon to the App Store for iPhone How Tales of Museums works