What it does

Google Lens is Google's visual lookup tool — point your camera at text, an object, a plant, a product, and the app identifies it or translates it. For travelers in Korea, the killer use case is real-time text translation overlaid on the camera view: aim at a Korean menu, sign, or product label, and the English (or your chosen language) version appears in-place, preserving the original layout. On Android it ships as a standalone Lens app and is also embedded in Google Photos, Chrome, and the Google search bar. On iOS, Lens lives inside the main Google app — open Google, tap the camera icon, and you're in Lens.

Why travelers need it

Papago handles Korean translation with better tone and idiom accuracy, but it requires you to type or photograph and wait. Lens is built around the always-on camera viewfinder — you walk into a restaurant, the menu translates as you scan it left-to-right, including item descriptions, prices, and footnotes. It's also faster than Papago for non-Korean text (Japanese, Chinese, English) you'll encounter in Korea — Chinese tourists' restaurant signs in Myeongdong, Japanese brand labels in convenience stores. Pair Lens (for breadth) with Papago (for Korean depth).

Key features

Live camera translation overlaid on the scene — the original text and the translation share screen space.
Photo-based translation: shoot a menu, tap Lens, drag to select the text you want translated.
Object identification (plants, products, paintings) and shopping price comparison.
Math problem solving (point at an equation, get a worked solution) — useful for K-pop merch with text overlay puzzles.
Save / share translated screenshots directly to Photos or Chrome.

Pros & cons

Strengths

Free, built into apps you already have.
Live overlay translation feels faster than Papago for casual menu / sign reading.
Cross-language: handles Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic equally well — useful for Korea's import-heavy retail signs.

Caveats

Korean translation is good but slightly less nuanced than Papago for slang, regional dialects, or honorifics.
On iOS, you can't use it as a standalone app — must go through the Google app each time.
Requires data / Wi-Fi for the highest-accuracy mode; offline mode supports fewer languages.

How to install

1Android: Open Google Play and install 'Google' (it includes Lens). On most Android phones, Lens is also pre-installed as a separate app.
2iOS: Open the App Store, install the 'Google' app (id 284815942). Lens lives inside.
3Open the app, tap the camera icon in the search bar.
4Grant camera permission.
5(Optional) Sign in with your Google account to save scan history.

Basic usage

Open the Google app, tap the camera icon (top-right of the search bar on iOS).
Choose 'Translate' mode from the bottom row to enable live overlay.
Point at the Korean text; English appears in-place. Tap any word to highlight.
Use 'Search' mode for object identification (a building, a snack, a flower).
Tap the shutter button to freeze a frame and review the translation more carefully.

Tips for foreign travelers

For dense menus, take a photo first then use Lens on the static image — accuracy is higher when the camera isn't shaking.
Pair with Papago: scan with Lens for speed, then long-press a tricky line and translate it in Papago for nuance.
Lens reads handwritten Korean reasonably well — useful for traditional restaurants where menus are written on hanji paper.
Convenience-store nutrition labels translate cleanly with Lens; great for finding gluten-free or low-sodium options.