Sincron Screen ToolsA Japanese visual novel, an RPG with no subtitles in your language, or a menu you cannot read: each case calls for a different method. Here are the three, with the free tools for each and where Sincron Screen Tools helps.
Illustrative animation: the app selects part of the screen — a map, an article, a post, an error log or a game — and shows the translation in the same place as the original.
There are three methods. The first is to play with a real translation: check the store page to see whether the game supports your language in the interface or subtitles, and if it does not, look for a fan translation patch. It gives the best quality, but only exists for some games.
The second is to extract the game's text with a text hooker such as Textractor or LunaTranslator, which read text straight from the game process and pass it to a machine translator. It is the standard for Japanese visual novels, because the text arrives exactly as written, with no recognition errors. The third is to read the screen with OCR: Translumo translates subtitles live and continuously, and works with many games.
Sincron Screen Tools fits the third method, on demand: Ctrl + Shift + T translates a menu, an item description or a dialog box and places the translation on top of the original text. It uses your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key and does not follow subtitles that change on their own.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026
Go in order: if one step works, you do not need the next.
On the game's Steam page, the languages table shows, for each language, whether there is interface, full audio or subtitle support. Sometimes the language is there but not selected: look in the game's options or in the game's properties in your Steam library.
Fan communities translate entire games and release patches. Make sure the patch matches your game version, back up the game files before installing and download only from sources the community trusts.
Textractor and LunaTranslator, both open source, attach to the game process and capture the text it displays. They work very well with visual novels and many game engines. LunaTranslator also has OCR and supports many translators, including large language models.
Translumo keeps reading a region of the screen and shows the translation in a window on top, which suits subtitles and running dialogue. It combines OCR engines, uses Google Translate by default and needs the game in windowed or borderless mode.
For a menu, inventory, item description, letter or dialog box, press Ctrl + Shift + T and select the region. The translation appears on top of the original text, with a similar color and position, and the source language is detected automatically.
All three are open source and run on Windows. Each one solves a different kind of game.
Price: Free, open source (GPL-3.0)
Price: Free, open source (GPLv3)
Price: Free, open source (Apache 2.0)
| Method | Best for | Quality | Effort | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official language or fan patch | Games that already have a translation | Best: translated by people | Low, if it exists | Free or included with the game |
| Text hooker (Textractor, LunaTranslator) | Visual novels and text-heavy games | Good: exact text plus machine translation | Medium: finding the right hook | Free |
| Continuous OCR (Translumo) | Subtitles and running dialogue | Depends on font recognition and the translator | Medium: tuning the region and display mode | Free with Google Translate |
| On-demand OCR (Sincron) | Menus, items, letters and dialog boxes | An AI model that reads the image, with the translation over the original | Low: one shortcut | 5 a day free; your key's provider bills usage |
Tools, licenses and requirements checked in the official repositories on October 3, 2026.
In the scene below, you select the line of dialogue and the translation appears on top of the original text, without leaving the game.
Illustrative animation: the app selects part of the screen — a map, an article, a post, an error log or a game — and shows the translation in the same place as the original.
Sincron has no AI of its own. To translate, you create an API key in your OpenAI or OpenRouter account, add credit there and paste the key into the app. Only the region you select goes from your PC straight to the provider, which bills the usage to your account.
The free plan includes 5 translations a day, enough to try it and get past the odd stuck moment. To play with frequent translations, a paid plan removes the limit, and each translation is still billed by your key's provider.
Tools that show a window on top of the game, such as Translumo, need the game in windowed or borderless mode. If the overlay does not appear, change the display mode in the game's options.
A text hooker attaches to the game process. In online games, stick to methods that only read the screen.
Proper names, puns and Japanese honorifics often come out odd in any machine translation. When a fan patch exists, it handles them better.
Each Sincron translation is a deliberate action, and the free plan has 5 a day. For running dialogue, Translumo or LunaTranslator are a better fit.
For visual novels, use a text hooker such as LunaTranslator or Textractor, which extract the exact text. If hooking fails, use OCR: Translumo for continuous subtitles, or Sincron for menus and one-off text boxes.
Yes. Translumo is free and open source, and translates the screen in real time with Google Translate and no setup. LunaTranslator is free too and has OCR on top of hooking.
On the game's Steam page, the languages table shows whether each language has interface, full audio or subtitle support. If yours is listed, set it in the game's options or in the game's properties in your Steam library.
Not continuously. It translates the passage you select, right away, and shows the translation over the original. For subtitles that change on their own, use Translumo.
The free plan includes 5 translations a day, and the paid plans ($36 a year or $89 lifetime) remove the limit. In every case you use your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key, and the provider bills the usage to your account.
Menus, dialogue and speech bubbles that never got a version in your language.
Read text in images, apps and PDFs translated in place, without copy and paste.
On phone and PC: the free options, and how to translate the screen without saving an image.
Install Sincron Screen Tools, connect your OpenAI or OpenRouter key and press Ctrl + Shift + T over the text that has you stuck. For continuous subtitles, keep Translumo running alongside it.
