No version in your language
Plenty of Japanese, Chinese and Korean games never get localized — or get there years later.
For people who play and read before the local version ships
The game was never localized.
Menu, item, dialogue, manga bubble. Select what is on screen and read it in your language without closing the game or the reader.
Download free for WindowsPricingWindowed games, emulators, visual novels, manga readers and scan sites
Ctrl + Shift + Tanchored translation · live
Windowed game · chapter 3
!続ける
持ち物
地図
装備
魔法
ステータス
セーブ
村長
北の橋が落ちた。夜明けまでに戻れ。
Direct answer
How do you translate a game with no official localization?
The fastest way to translate a game without an official localization is an on-screen translation tool like Sincron Screen Tools: press a global shortcut, select the region with the text — a menu, a dialogue line, or a manga bubble — and read the translation overlaid on the screen without leaving the game. Sincron Screen Tools is a Windows app that works with windowed and borderless games, emulators, visual novels, and manga readers, including vertical Japanese text and right-to-left reading order.
The problem
What makes playing in another language hard
Alt + Tab kills the mood
Leaving the game to type the text into a translator destroys the pace and sometimes minimizes your session.
Bubbles and menus are not text
Dialogue drawn into an image and rendered menus cannot be copied, so page translators never reach them.
How it works
From an unreadable menu to a smooth session
Select the bubble or the menu
Global shortcut: it works with the game in front, windowed or in borderless full screen.
Read it in place
The translation appears over the bubble itself, keeping who is speaking and the order of the scene.
Understand the instruction, not just the words
The summary explains what the menu is asking or what the quest wants — handy when a literal translation stays ambiguous.
Keep the good bits
Save the translated page as a PNG to reread later or send to whoever is playing along.
Features
Designed for full screen
Global shortcut
Calls the selection without leaving the game. Esc puts everything back.
A bubble stays a bubble
The translation respects the position of each line, so the reading order of the page holds.
Vertical and right-to-left
Vertical manga text and right-to-left reading are treated as what they are, not as loose lines.
Light during play
It only works when you call the shortcut; the rest of the time it sits quietly in the tray.
Comparison
Playing without localization: before and after
| What matters | Traditional flow | With Sincron |
|---|---|---|
| Translating an in-game menu | Alt+Tab to a translator and retype the text | Global shortcut, translation over the screen, game stays open |
| Manga bubbles (text inside the image) | Nothing to copy; page translators cannot reach it | Reads the text straight from the bubble image |
| Vertical Japanese text | Reading order gets scrambled | Vertical and right-to-left order are preserved |
| Pace of the session | Every question interrupts the run | Seconds per lookup; Esc restores the screen |
| Keeping what you translated | Manual notes only | Exports the translated page as a PNG |
Questions from players and readers
Does it work in full screen?
It works best in windowed or borderless full screen, which is how most games run today. In exclusive full screen, switch to windowed so the overlay can draw on top.
Does it translate manga with vertical text?
Yes. Vertical Japanese text and right-to-left reading are handled as part of the format, so the order of the lines holds.
Does it work with emulators?
It does. An emulator is a window like any other: if the screen shows it, the selection reads it.
Is this allowed in online games?
The tool only reads the image on your screen and draws on top — it injects nothing into the game and changes no files. Even so, check the rules of the game you play.
How much does it cost to translate games with Sincron?
The free trial has no time limit and includes daily limits per action. The Pro plan removes the limits and unlocks the most capable AI models; current prices are in the pricing section of this page.
Does Sincron work offline?
Capture and annotation work offline. Translation and summarization use cloud AI models and need a connection; if you prefer local processing, you can point the app to an Ollama server on your own machine.
Is it better than pasting text into Google Translate?
For selectable text, pasting into a translator works. Sincron handles what cannot be selected: rendered menus, bubbles drawn into the image, and text inside games — without pulling you out of the session.
Which games does it work with?
Any game running windowed or borderless full screen — including emulators, visual novels, and launchers. In exclusive full screen, switch to borderless so the overlay can draw on top.
Content last updated in August 2026.
Other use cases
Scientific papers and figures
Charts, tables and captions the PDF will not let you copy.
Posts, tweets and screenshots
Text trapped inside an image, a thread in another language, a regional meme.
Technical docs and errors
Docs in Japanese, ERP consoles, stack traces, internal dashboards.
Explore the tools by task
Translate text on screen
Read text inside images, apps, and PDFs without copy and paste.
Summarize screen content
Turn charts, tables, and dense interfaces into a short explanation.
Annotate and share screenshots
Mark the important point and send a PNG that arrives already explained.
Privacy and cost
Your screen never becomes our database.
Your selection goes straight from your computer to the AI provider you picked — with your key. We do not store the content, we do not train on it and we have no way to read what you translated.
▸Your OpenAI or OpenRouter key stays on your machine, encrypted by Windows. Support will never ask for it.
▸Every translation and summary shows the cost before and after. No surprise invoice at the end of the month.
▸Local model with Ollama: the selection never leaves the computer.
Settings · AI and models
Sincron Screen Tools
OpenRouter · your keyin use
OpenAI · your keyavailable
Local model · offlineavailable
Translations today
34
Cost so far
$0.42
Captured content is never stored. Only the usage counter stays on your computer.
Plans
Start free. Unlock everything when you're ready.
No account to try. One payment to unlock.
On your PC · works offline
Free trial
To explore everything.
US$ 0no expiration
- Every feature, 5 uses a day
- Works offline, no account
- Local model or your own key
Annual unlimited
Everything unlocked for a year.
US$ 36per year
only US$ 3 a month
- Unlimited use of every feature
- Offline, with local model or your own key
- 100% local and private: nothing leaves your computer
- 7-day money-back guarantee
Recommended
Lifetime unlimited
Pay once, use forever.
US$ 89one-time payment
- Everything in annual, forever
- All future updates included
- No renewals, no monthly fees
- 2 computers
- 7-day money-back guarantee
Secure payment via Stripe · subscriptions can be cancelled anytime
The content is still in another language.
Windows 10 and 11 · Free test with 5 uses of each feature per day