These are examples of how it can be used, not customer testimonials. Real answers depend on the photo or question you send.
Ask for directions: Taipei to Jiufen
Day trips outside Taipei mean transfers. Sometimes asking is faster than piecing the route together.
At Taipei Main StationExample
How do I get from Taipei Main Station to Jiufen?
There are two common ways:
1. Take a TRA train to Ruifang Station, then a bus or taxi up the hill
2. Take a bus toward Jiufen from near MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station
Times and services change, so check the official TRA app or Google Maps before you go.
Is it busy coming back?
Buses back can get crowded in the late afternoon and evening, and you may have to wait for more than one. Leave yourself extra time.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 The answer comes from an online search. Double-check station signs or the official app before you board.
Read a temple sign: Longshan Temple
Signs often have a short English line but leave out the history that makes the place interesting.
At Longshan TempleExample
📷 Information boardWhat does this say?
It explains the temple’s history: it dates from the Qing dynasty, is one of Taipei’s best-known old temples, has been rebuilt several times, and is dedicated mainly to Guanyin alongside many other deities.
Is there an order to visit?
The board shows a route around the incense burners starting at the entrance. Follow the numbered map in the courtyard.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 It explains what is written on the board. Check the temple’s own guide for detailed history.
Read a menu: the soup-dumpling order sheet
Many Taiwanese restaurants hand you a paper sheet to fill in yourself, with dish names in Chinese only.
At a dumpling restaurantExample
📷 Order sheetWhat should I get, and how do I fill this in?
The first item, 小籠包, is the signature soup dumpling, ordered by the basket. 蝦仁 means with shrimp, and 排骨蛋炒飯 is egg fried rice topped with a pork chop. Write the number you want in the 數量 column and hand the sheet to the staff.
Anything spicy?
紅油抄手 are wontons in chili oil and are on the spicy side.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 You can ask how to order, not just what the dishes are.
Tell the server something: show your screen
Type what you want to say in English and it gives you a Chinese sentence. Then just show the screen.
At a food stallExample
I want to tell the server: no cilantro, please
請不要加香菜。
(No cilantro, please.)
Show this screen to the server.
And “to go”?
我要外帶。
(I’d like it to go.)
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 Audio is read in English, so the Chinese works by showing, not speaking.
Read a night-market stall sign
Stall signs are often handwritten, and sizes and spice levels are written differently at every stall.
At Shilin Night MarketExample
📷 Stall signWhat is this stall selling?
It sells 大腸包小腸, a Taiwanese sausage wrapped in a sticky-rice sausage — a night-market classic. 小辣 means mildly spicy and 不辣 means not spicy.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 For handwritten signs, step closer and shoot straight on.
Check souvenir ingredients
Pineapple cakes and snacks list ingredients in Chinese, which matters if you have allergies.
At a souvenir shopExample
📷 Pineapple cake labelDoes this contain egg or nuts?
The ingredients list 蛋 (egg) and 奶油 (butter). I don’t see nuts listed, but also look for a note that the factory handles nuts. Confirm with the shop before buying.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 Some foods, especially meat products, may not be allowed into your home country. Check its customs rules.
Read a medicine box at a pharmacy
Feeling unwell abroad is stressful enough without being unable to read the packaging.
At a pharmacyExample
📷 Medicine boxWhat is this for?
The box says it is a fever reducer and pain reliever, and the active ingredient is acetaminophen (paracetamol). The dosage section lists the amount per dose and the daily maximum by age. Ask the pharmacist whether it is right for you, especially if you take other medicine.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 It explains the printed words only. Decisions about taking medicine belong with a pharmacist.
Read a guesthouse notice
Rubbish sorting and check-out rules are often posted in Chinese only.
At a guesthouseExample
📷 Notice on the wallWhat does this say?
It asks you not to flush toilet paper and to put it in the bin beside the toilet instead. You will see this in older buildings with narrow pipes.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 This notice is common in older Taiwanese buildings. Follow it.
Read a typhoon notice
Summer and autumn are typhoon season, and suspension notices at stations are in Chinese.
At a stationExample
📷 Station noticeWhat is this notice about?
It says some trains are suspended (停駛) because of the typhoon, and lists the affected section and hours. Check the TRA website or app for the latest status.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 On typhoon days, keep plans loose and check official service updates often.
Ask how temple fortune-telling works
Drawing a fortune at a Taiwanese temple follows its own steps, and they are hard to guess by watching.
At a templeExample
How do I draw a fortune at a Taiwanese temple?
Silently tell the deity your name and your question, then drop the two crescent-shaped blocks (筊). One flat side up and one round side up means yes, and you can draw a numbered stick. Collect the slip with that number — send me a photo of it and I will explain it.
An example of how it works. Real answers depend on your photo or question.
💡 The fortune slip is in Chinese. Photograph it and it will be explained in English.