Source: https://verify-veg.com/blog/ingredient-translation-cheat-sheet/
Language: en

# Ingredient Translation Cheat Sheet (Animal-Derived Words in 8 Languages)

When you cannot read a label, you do not need the whole language. You need the handful of words
that signal an animal product. This cheat sheet covers the most important ones across the
languages a traveling vegetarian is most likely to face.

> **Key Takeaways**
> - Learn the words for milk, egg, meat, fish, gelatin and butter, and you will catch most animal ingredients.
> - Fish and gelatin are the two that hide in the most unexpected places.
> - The allergen section usually bolds milk, egg and fish, which helps when the ingredient list is dense.
> - A scanner app translates the whole label and flags the animal ingredients for you.

**TL;DR: Memorize a short list of animal words per language, and you can read a foreign label
well enough to eat safely.** A scanner does the same job automatically.

## The core words

| English | German | French | Dutch | Indonesian | Spanish | Italian | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | Milch | Lait | Melk | Susu | Leche | Latte | Gyūnyū (牛乳) |
| Egg | Ei | Oeuf | Ei | Telur | Huevo | Uovo | Tamago (卵) |
| Meat | Fleisch | Viande | Vlees | Daging | Carne | Carne | Niku (肉) |
| Fish | Fisch | Poisson | Vis | Ikan | Pescado | Pesce | Sakana (魚) |
| Gelatin | Gelatine | Gélatine | Gelatine | Gelatin | Gelatina | Gelatina | Zerachin (ゼラチン) |
| Butter | Butter | Beurre | Boter | Mentega | Mantequilla | Burro | Batā (バター) |

These six cover most of what hides in packaged food. If a label contains one of these and the
product is not otherwise marked vegan, it is not vegetarian.

## The second tier

| English | German | French | Dutch | Indonesian | Spanish | Italian | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honey | Honig | Miel | Honing | Madu | Miel | Miele | Hachimitsu (蜂蜜) |
| Cheese | Käse | Fromage | Kaas | Keju | Queso | Formaggio | Chīzu (チーズ) |
| Cream | Sahne | Crème | Room | Krim | Nata | Panna | Kurīmu (クリーム) |
| Lard | Schmalz | Saindoux | Reuzel | Lemak babi | Manteca | Strutto | Rādo (ラード) |
| Rennet | Lab | Présure | Stremsel | Renet | Cuajo | Caglio | Rennetto |
| Shellac | Schellack | Gomme laque | Schellak | Lak | Goma laca | Gommalacca | Sherakku (シェラック) |

These are less common but still worth knowing, especially lard and rennet, which hide in baked
goods and cheese.

## The allergen-section shortcut

In many countries, the allergen section bolds or lists milk, egg, fish and other allergens
separately from the full ingredient list. Scan that section first, because it is designed to be
readable at a glance, and it catches most of the words above without you having to find them in a
long list.

## The scanner shortcut

The fastest approach is to skip the memorization entirely. Point your phone at a barcode or an
ingredient list, and a scanner app translates the text and flags the animal-derived ingredients
against your diet. It works offline after you download a language, which matters in a store with
no signal.

## The bottom line

You can read a foreign label with a dozen words per language. Memorize the core six, check the
allergen section, and use a scanner for everything else. That turns an unreadable label into a
clear, five-second answer.

**Check before you eat.** The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a
photo, translates it, and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher,
Jain and more).
[Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verifyveg-vegan-scanner/id6758276834) -
Android is coming soon.

*Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food
against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.*

*Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Ingredient
sources can vary by manufacturer, so always confirm with the brand or vendor.*