OCR is short for optical character recognition. It is computer software that looks at a picture of a page — a photo or a scan of paper — and tries to turn the shapes of printed letters and numbers into real text the computer can search, copy, and edit. Without OCR, a scan is just a picture of writing; with OCR, the machine “reads” the page.

OCR is short forOCR是 optical character recognitionoptical character recognition（光學字元辨識）的縮寫。It is computer software它是一種電腦軟體 that looks at a picture of a page會看一張頁面的圖片 — a photo or a scan of paper照片或掃描的紙本 — and tries to turn the shapes of printed letters and numbers然後試著把印刷字母和數字的形狀 into real text the computer can search, copy, and edit轉成電腦可以搜尋、複製、編輯的真正文字。Without OCR沒有OCR，a scan is just a picture of writing掃描檔只是一張寫字的圖片；with OCR有了OCR，the machine "reads" the page機器就能「讀」出這一頁。

It works best on clear, printed type. Handwriting, stamps, and messy photocopies still give it trouble, though it has got better.

It works best on clear, printed type它在清楚的印刷字體上效果最好。Handwriting, stamps, and messy photocopies still give it trouble手寫字、印章、和雜亂的影印本還是會讓它出錯，though it has got better不過已經進步不少。

People also stretch it into a loose verb: Can you OCR this form? The letters are usually said one by one, O-C-R, not as a word.

People also stretch it into a loose verb大家也會把它拉來當動詞用：Can you OCR this form?Can you OCR this form? The letters are usually said one by one, O-C-R這幾個字母通常是一個一個念，O-C-R，not as a word不是當一個單字念。

Though actually, some older uses call the machine itself an optical character reader; in everyday talk now, OCR almost always means the recognising software, or the step of turning a picture into text.

Though actually不過其實，some older uses call the machine itself an optical character reader有些比較舊的用法會把機器本身叫做optical character reader；in everyday talk now現在日常說法裡，OCR almost always means the recognising softwareOCR幾乎都是指辨識用的軟體，or the step of turning a picture into text或是把圖片轉成文字的這個步驟。