# How a non-CS student approaches the topic of "A menu translator for a local restaurant that handles their specific dishes better than a generic tool" > Source: > Published: 2026-10-15 17:38:35+00:00 *This is a submission for the [Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 2: Side Hustle](https://dev.to/challenges/hacktoberfest-week2-2026-10-12)* Topic: A menu translator for a local restaurant that handles their specific dishes better than a generic tool. 【A. Pain Points / Why Generic Translators Fall Short】 Literal Naming: Tools like Google Translate convert regional slang, or speciality cooking methods word-by-word, leaving you with confusing names like "husband and wife lung slices" or parts that make no sense. No Preparation Info: Generic apps rarely explain how a dish is cooked (e.g., braised, stir-fried, clay-pot) or what flavour profile to expect (sour, numbing-spicy, sweet-and-sour). 【B. What Specialised Menu Tools Do Differently】 *Users and owners have UX concerns.* Dish-Level Context: Apps built for food translation explain the actual ingredients, regional background, and flavour profiles. Allergy and Dietary Filters: Dedicated tools let you flag common allergens (shellfish, peanuts, gluten, dairy) or dietary restrictions to warn you or fade out unsafe options. Restaurant-Facing Publishing Tools: If you are a restaurant owner looking to publish your own custom menu, specialised workflows. Applied some JSON structure to structure it to indicate how the dish is prepared, what animal (+parts) is in it, actual allergy flags, etc other concerns. Used minimal HTML, CSS, and JS as local web-based apps; can be expanded into Server-Client hosting by exporting into HTML and JSON structure storage. Topic : [Example Topic] A menu translator for a local restaurant that handles their specific dishes better than a generic tool. 【Why Generic Translators Fall Short】 Literal Naming: Tools like Google Translate convert regional slang, local protein cuts, or speciality cooking methods word-by-word, leaving you with confusing names like "husband and wife lung slices" or literal animal parts that make no sense. 【What Specialised Menu Tools Do Differently】 Restaurant-Facing Publishing Tools: If you are a restaurant owner looking to publish your own custom… [https://nelsonlan01.github.io/Hacktoberfest-2026-Project-Menu/](https://nelsonlan01.github.io/Hacktoberfest-2026-Project-Menu/)