Are there some Japanese exclusive games from days gone by that you always wish you could've played? Did your favourite obscure franchise get a game release in Japan but never saw localization or a fan made translation hack? Well it's your lucky day.

Interpreter is a new project that can live-translate Japanese text in retro games, all offline and without a required internet connection.

The application is optimized for retro games that use traditional pixel-based fonts and uses MeikiOCR. The tool offers two overlay modes - a simple banner overlay as seen above or by replacing text directly over the original Japanese text at OCR-detected positions.

Windows, macOS and Linux installers are available, and after the initial model is downloaded, everything runs offline for privacy and speed.

GitHub source

 

[SylverReZ]

Windows, macOS and Linux installers are available, and after the initial model is downloaded, everything runs offline for privacy and speed.​

I would like to know if you've done such tests by sniffing traffic through WireShark if it connects to one of their servers for, say, collection of user data for training purposes, to atest to their claims of being "offline for privacy". Aside from that, I see this as a pretty useful tool for translating unreleased JRPGs that never made it outside of Japan, only if there's not an English translation of the game I'm playing.

 

[shaunj66]

I would like to know if you've done such tests by sniffing traffic through WireShark if it connects to one of their servers for, say, collection of user data for training purposes, to atest to their claims of being "offline for privacy". Aside from that, I see this as a pretty useful tool for translating unreleased JRPGs that never made it outside of Japan, only if there's not an English translation of the game I'm playing.

I've not done any testing in that regard and am only going by the devs claims. The source is right there if you want to check.

 

[Skelletonike]

Now this is what I want from AI!

I will definitively be giving it a try. Hopefully they release something similar for chinese and other languages later on.

 

[Axido]

I've not done any testing in that regard and am only going by the devs claims. The source is right there if you want to check.

Thanks for the honesty, but if you are the one making this news post, why are we responsible for the correctness of the information it contains?

 

[Reploid]

only japanese?

 

[Marc_LFD]

It can't be worse than anime bootlegged Japanese to Chinese to English subtitles like we had before, so this should be decent.

 

[GengarsGhostlyGiggles]

aren't there a bunch of this screen overlay type translations right now. why is this one being pushed ?
https://github.com/killkimno/MORT
https://github.com/bpwhelan/GameSentenceMiner

and more.

I think even retroarch has its version

 

[Segger]

I've been interested in something like this for a couple years now, especially if it's fully local and I can just choose an arbitrary window to get text to translate. I'd much prefer proper fan localizations but it's better than my shitty kanji skills

 

[Flame]

aren't there a bunch of this screen overlay type translations right now. why is this one being pushed ?
https://github.com/killkimno/MORT
https://github.com/bpwhelan/GameSentenceMiner

and more.

I think even retroarch has its version

Because all your base are belong to us.

Seriously, it's just information, so the wider community knows. No extra motive or reason.

 

[Deleted member 535703]

Thanks for the honesty, but if you are the one making this news post, why are we responsible for the correctness of the information it contains?

The GitHub uses a locally sourced model, ~1.5GB in size. A WiFi connection is only needed for setup.

 

[ChibiMofo]

only japanese?

So you want it to support 184 languages from day one?
あなたは正気ですか？

I mean Japanese is really the only language we need for the vast majority of non-English games every made. You realize that, right?

 

[Noctosphere]

Damn, that means no more "I am error"?

 

[tech3475]

Damn, that means no more "I am error"?

Wasn't that intentional though? With there meant to be another character who says "I am glitch"?

As opposed to say "All your base are belong to us" or "Is that what Chaos Control is?".

 

[Flame]

Thanks for the honesty, but if you are the one making this news post, why are we responsible for the correctness of the information it contains?

Information is correct.

I would like to know if you've done such tests by sniffing traffic through WireShark if it connects to one of their servers for, say, collection of user data for training purposes, to atest to their claims of being "offline for privacy". Aside from that, I see this as a pretty useful tool for translating unreleased JRPGs that never made it outside of Japan, only if there's not an English translation of the game I'm playing.

Which OS for pc and phone do you guys use? Which web browser do you guys use on those OSes? Which search engine do you guys use on those web browsers?

Get back to us with you find anything off with your sniffing of the traffic of an open source project on GitHub.

 

[AmandaRose]

Wasn't that intentional though? With there meant to be another character who says "I am glitch"?

As opposed to say "All your base are belong to us" or "Is that what Chaos Control is?".

Yes that wasn't a translation error in the original Japanese version when you meet the character the text says Ore no na wa Erā da… (オレノナハ エラー ダ…), which translates to "My name is Error. Also in the japanaese version you meet another character that says his name is Bagu (Japanese for Bug)

Why in the English version Bug had his named changed but error never is a mystery

 

[x65943]

Silly question

Would it work for animal forest N64?

 

[Scarlet]

Silly question

Would it work for animal forest N64?

Just depends on whether it can read the font. I just tried it with a random visual novel and it managed it.

 

[MariArch]

What are some interesting games yall can recommend that have yet to get a fan translation that may be worth playing? Only one I can think of from recent memory was Eternal Punisment, but since that has been translated already…

 

[Scarlet]

Silly question

Would it work for animal forest N64?

I guess just as an extra bit, with it just being OCR it has no issues working with a console plus capture card. Just popped in my Japanese Atelier Rorona cartridge:



Actually has me tempted to look into Japanese Switch/Switch 2 games.