Living in a different country comes with its unique set of challenges, and one of the biggest hurdles I faced was dealing with official documents in a foreign language. Whether it was rental agreements, insurance papers, or government notices, each document felt like a puzzle I couldn't solve.
Sure, I could copy and paste into a translator, but that's time-consuming and often misses important context. For example, If it is a tax document, The translator is not going to tell me what I should do with the information, Should I be worries? Are there any followup tasks? This would usually lead to more googling or asking chat gpt to help me understand if I need to take any action.
I decided to build something that not only translates documents but actually understands them and tells me what I need to know in plain English to hopefully solve this problem for me (and others who are facing it too)
The Idea
- Analyze any document, regardless of the original language
- Pull out the important details and deadlines
- Highlight any urgent or important information (if any)
- Explain, in clear English, what actions you need to take
The goal wasn't just to translate words - it was to bridge the gap between receiving a document and actually understanding what you need to do with it.
I built Paiper and I made it completely free (because its using free services from the internet) to help me and people like me who are struggling with documents.
A Glimpse of the App
I uploaded some random resume Elon Musk resume I found here and this is the result I got
The app uses AI to:
- Scan and Understand: Upload any document, and the app will analyze it completely
- Smart Summarization: Instead of just word-for-word translation, it understands the context and meaning and provides you with valuable insights
- Action Items: Clearly explains what you need to do, when you need to do it, and why it's important
- Key Information: Highlights crucial details like deadlines, amounts, and requirements
The best part about building this app has been seeing how it helps people in similar situations. I asked one of my friends to try this and they thanked me and we had a long chat about how it helped them understand their child's school documents in a new country and how they finally felt confident handling their paperworks without constantly asking for help. That was the best validation I could ask for.
I'm continuously working on making the app even better at understanding different types of documents and providing more detailed insights. The goal is simple: no one should feel helpless when faced with important documents in a foreign language.
Whether you're an expat, international student, or just dealing with documents from another country, I built this app to solve my problem, But I hope it solves yours too.
Let's break down those language barriers together