Privacy Policy
In short: PinyinTranslator does not collect, store, or share your personal information. Everything the app does with your camera happens on your device. Camera images and recognized text never leave your phone.
1. About the app
PinyinTranslator (“the app”) is an iOS language-learning tool published by Jiaqi (“we”, “us”). It uses your device’s camera to find Chinese or Japanese text, such as in comics, books, or signs, and shows its pinyin (Chinese) or kana readings (Japanese) along with English dictionary definitions.
2. Information we collect
We do not collect any personal information. We do not require an account, and the app does not ask for your name, email address, phone number, location, contacts, or any other personal details.
3. Camera access
The app asks for permission to use your camera so it can see the text you point it at. This is the only permission it needs.
- Camera images are processed live and are not saved to your photo library or anywhere else on your device.
- Camera images are never uploaded to us or to any other server.
- You can turn camera access off at any time in Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera. The app cannot read text without it.
4. How text is recognized and looked up
- Text recognition uses Apple’s Vision framework, which runs on your device.
- Readings and definitions come from dictionary files bundled inside the app (CC-CEDICT for Chinese and EDICT2 for Japanese). Lookups are done offline on your device, so the words you scan and tap are not sent anywhere.
- Recognized text is held in memory only while the app is open, so it can be shown on screen. It is discarded when you close the app.
5. Data sharing, advertising, and tracking
We do not sell, rent, or share personal information, because we do not have any. The app does not contain advertising, does not track you across other apps or websites, and does not include third-party analytics or crash-reporting tools.
6. Third-party services
The app relies on features built into iOS, such as the camera and Apple’s Vision framework. Apple’s handling of data on your device is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy. The dictionary data comes from the open CC-CEDICT and EDICT2 projects and is stored locally in the app.
7. Data retention and security
Because the app does not collect or transmit your data, there is nothing for us to retain, and no data we could lose in a breach. Anything the app handles stays on your device under the protection of iOS.
8. Children’s privacy
The app does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children under 13 (or the minimum age in your region). Since no data is collected, no information about children is gathered, used, or shared.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example, under the GDPR or the CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data. Because we hold no personal data about you, there is nothing to access or delete. If you have a question or request, you can contact us at any time using the details below.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change how the app handles information, for example by adding a feature that sends data off your device, we will update this page and the effective date above, and will ask for your consent where required by law.
11. Contact us
Questions about this policy? Email us at soup@uchicago.edu.