Guests decide in seconds. If the dish name, spice level, or allergen note is unclear, they skip it or ask the nearest server. AI menu translation puts a readable extra language on the same digital menu, without reprinting cards every time a price changes.
This guide covers how that workflow works in MenuConverter, what you should still check yourself, and what the free plan includes today. It does not invent dishes. You enter the menu you already serve.
How the workflow works
MenuConverter translates the menu you create. Item names, descriptions, categories, and dietary notes are the source. The published QR menu then lets a guest pick a language.
- Create the menu in your base language: sections, real dish names, prices, and short descriptions.
- Add one extra language on Free, or more on a paid plan. MenuConverter supports 15 languages in total.
- Review the translated names and notes. Keep local dish names when guests look for them.
- Publish a link and QR code. Edits are unlimited; a price change updates the live menu without reprinting.
- Share the same QR code. Guests open the menu on their phone and switch language there.
If you want Japanese as the extra language, start from translate a menu into Japanese. The same review steps apply to each extra language you add.
A dish worth checking: katsu curry
Suppose your base menu is Japanese and you add English. The source line is:
カツカレー — とんかつ、中辛、ライス付き
A raw pass might give you Cutlet curry — pork cutlet, medium spicy, with rice. That is understandable, but it drops the name guests will look for, and “medium spicy” is vague if your kitchen means 中辛.
A better English line keeps the dish name and explains it:
Katsu curry — breaded pork cutlet with Japanese curry sauce (medium heat) and rice. Contains wheat.
You still typed the dish and the price. Translation drafted the English. You decided that “Katsu curry” stays, that heat needs a gloss, and that wheat belongs on the line. That is the job: AI drafts, the restaurant checks.
What to check before guests see it
Run this pass on every extra language, not only the first one. Ten minutes here prevents a week of “what is this?” at the table.
- Dish names guests search for. Keep ramen, tapas, pho, or katsu in the name, then explain in the description.
- Allergens and diet. Wheat, dairy, nuts, shellfish, and alcohol should survive translation. If a note is legally important, read it twice.
- Heat and intensity. Spicy, 中辛, and picante are not the same promise. Add a short gloss if your kitchen has a house scale.
- Cuts and cooking methods. Rare, charcoal-grilled, and raw (sashimi, steak tartare) should stay unambiguous.
- Set menus and inclusions. “With rice”, “miso soup included”, and “adds 200 yen for extra roast” are easy for a model to drop.
- Prices. Confirm the number did not shift. Translation should not touch your pricing.
- Tone. A tasting-menu description should not sound like a fast-casual combo after translation.
If a line feels off, edit that language. Unlimited edits means you can fix one dish without regenerating the whole menu.
What free AI menu translation includes
The free plan is genuine, and it is capped. The pricing page is the source of truth. Today, Free includes:
- 1 venue
- 1 menu
- A single-page menu
- No displayed item images
- Your base language plus 1 extra language
- Unlimited edits
Pro and Multi-location include the base language plus up to 10 extra languages. MenuConverter supports 15 languages in total; a single menu cannot use all 15 at once, because the per-menu cap is base plus 10 extra on paid plans.
Language count is a plan limit, not an open-ended allowance.
When a person should still review
AI is fast at first drafts. A bilingual cook or a translator is still the right reviewer when:
- Allergen wording has to match a house policy or a local rule.
- You serve dishes whose names are trademarks or regional protected terms.
- Humor, dialect, or a tasting-menu story is part of the sale.
- You are adding a language nobody on the team can read — get a native pass on the top 20 items before service.
The tool does not replace that judgment. It removes the retyping and reprinting.
Publish once, then keep it current
Printed translations go stale the first time a special changes. A digital menu lets you correct a price or a sold-out item once. See a live example on the demo menu, then compare that with what an AI menu is if you are still deciding whether this is the right tool.
Translate the menu you already serve
Create a Free menu in your base language, add one extra language, and check the lines guests will read. Upgrade later if you need more extra languages.