Uncovering Today’s Best Japanese Manga Translators

Manga literature has taken the world by storm with its captivating storytelling as hundreds of people from different cultures enjoy it. However, due to the apparent language barrier, people turn to different translated versions of their favorite manga. The primary purpose of translating manga is to allow users to access and appreciate the Japanese narrative and characters.

Keeping that in mind, this guide provides the 5 best Japanese manga translators who can translate any manga into your desired language. Moreover, we will draw a comparison table at the end to demonstrate which tool offers you the best Japanese translation, ensuring you enjoy manga in your native language.  

Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure

Part 1. What Should You Look into a Reliable Mange Translator?

As we know, Japanese is considered a complex language to translate as it includes various writing systems and grammar. Therefore, you need to look for the best Japanese manga translators with the following key criteria:

  1. Fluency in Targeted Language: An efficient Japanese translator should accurately convey the exact meaning, tone, and nuances of the original manga.
  2. Attention to Details: The translating tool must be able to translate any dialogue and cultural reference while keeping the emotion of the text intact.
  3. Translation Accuracy: It should be able to recognize various Japanese syllables and speech patterns for accurate handling.  
  4. Reliable Translation: A Japanese manga translator should produce consistent and accurate results across various chapters.
  5. Adaptive Tool: Mangas contain multiple jokes and puns, so an efficient translator should be adaptive enough to recognize and translate them.
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure

Part 2. Getting into the Description of the 5 Best Japanese Manga Translators

We have gathered the 5 best Japanese manga translators who can help you translate manga from Japanese to other languages that even beginners can utilize with ease.

1. DeepL

DeepL is an excellent language translation tool that can translate text in over 33 recognizable languages with extreme precision. You can also insert PDF, Word, Excel, and other files or use the microphone for translation. Moreover, this tool automatically detects the added file or text and transcribes it into other chosen languages.

How It Works

After accessing the DeepL translator, head to the “Translate Text” tab. Now, write in the manga lines you want to translate and pick out another language. As the text is added, the Japanese manga text will be translated into the desired language with great precision. You can even use the “Translate Files" feature if you have manga in PDF or DOCX format.

 

use deepl for translation

Pros

  • This tool shortens the translation time by 90% and provides quick, quality translation.
  • It protects your work with its full encryption and maximum security and guarantees data erasure.

Con

  • DeepL only lets you translate 5000 characters in its free version, which limits your needs.

2. Google Translate

It is considered one of the best Japanese manga translators as it understands all the languages spoken in the world with great precision. If you have no internet, you can rely on the mobile version of this tool to instantly translate Japanese manga into any desired language. Users can either type or upload an image to let Google Translate quickly recognize each character of the Japanese language.

How It Works

Head to the official Google Translate website and choose the “Images” tab at the top toolbar. Now, click the "Browse your Files" button and upload the manga image from the dialog box. Once added, the image will be translated into the selected language, which you can also download.

 

paste text and get translation

Pros

  • This tool can translate documents and web pages, which you can save for later.
  • Its automatic recognition system instantly detects the text and its language after uploading.

Con

  • It is only capable of translating one page at a time, which disturbs the workflow.

3. MangaDex

It is an online manga-reading website where you can find your favorite manga in several languages in various versions. Moreover, various active manga-lover groups upload translated versions of manga on a daily basis in various languages. It is considered one of the best Japanese manga translators, as you can find all the translated versions of manga under one platform.

How It Works

Visit the MangaDex website on any of your browsers and navigate to the top "Search" bar for your desired manga. After opening the manga, you can go through different chapters written in multiple languages by the users. Now, access the desired chapter in any required language and enjoy reading the manga.

 

search manga from mangadex

Pros

  • The advanced searching mechanism lets you search any manga by its name, author, year, and more.
  • You can follow various groups related to your language and get the latest updates on different manga.

Con

  • This website only offers manga translation in limited languages.

4. Afirstsoft PDF

If you want the best translation experience by turning Japanese manga into multiple languages, Afirstsoft PDF is your best bet. This PDF toolbox has the most powerful OCR feature, which operates on AI technology and expertly analyzes image patterns. Moreover, you can convert any scanned image into editable and search form in over 20 languages with great accuracy.

Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure

Apart from that, you can translate the editable text into various languages using the Afirstsoft PDF AI Assistant. Moreover, its AI can provide you with a summarized version of the manga in your home language. You can also use its AI Assistant to ask any specific question or details about your imported Japanese manga.

How It Works: Step-by-Step Instructions to Translate Japanese Manga via Afirstsoft PDF

Now that we know that Afirstsoft PDF is considered to be the best Japanese manga translators, let’s look at its steps in the following section.

Step 1. Access the PDF Creation Feature of Afirstsoft PDF

Install Afirstsoft PDF AI toolbox and open the main window of this tool on your computer. On the main interface, go to the left-side “Tools” tab and click the “Create PDF” tool under the same heading to import the desired manga image.

 

continue with create pdf feature
Step 2. Perform OCR on the Uploaded Image

Once manga image is added, press the “Perform OCR” option on the main editing interface to open the “OCR PDF” settings. From here, choose suitable scan options and page range and set the language to “Japanese.” Once satisfied with the options, hit the “Perform OCR” button to initiate conversion.

 

select japanese language and perform ocr
Step 3. Translate Manga Into Desired Language with AI

Since the conversion is completed, head to the top toolbar and click the “Afirstsoft AI” option to open a right-side panel. Now, press the “Start” button to begin the analysis process of the converted mange image. Afterward, copy any dialogue from the manga and paste it into the “Ask something…” box in the AI panel. You can use the prompt, such as “Translate it into English," and AI will get the job done.

 

get translation using afirstsoft ai

Pros

  • Afirstsoft PDF supports batch conversion features and can convert multiple files simultaneously.
  • You can access this tool on multiple devices, such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and the Web.
  • With the Cloud feature, you can store up to 20GB of files and access them from anywhere.
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure

5. ABBYY FineReader

This offline document tool is one of the smartest PDF solutions with advanced OCR conversion and other features. You can leverage this OCR feature of this tool to simplify the image-to-PDF conversion within seconds. In addition, it uses powerful image processing technology to maintain the layout of the file with great accuracy.

How it Works

Download the ABBYY FineReader PDF and head to the "Open and Edit" section on its main interface. From there, click the "OCR Editor" option and upload the manga image you want to convert into editable text. When the image is imported, the tool will begin text recognition and provide you with an editable manga image. Afterward, you can import this searchable image on Google Translate to get a translation.

 

make manga editable using ocr editor

Pros

  • This tool can also convert paper and scanned documents (DOCX, PPT, Excel) into editable files.
  • After conversion, it can reduce the file size by 20 times with its MRC compression.

Con

  • Sometimes, ABBYY FineReader does not properly convert the added image into an editable file.

Part 3. Comparison Table of the 5 Best Japanese Manga Translators

Upon going through this detailed table, you can decide for yourself which tool is most suitable for your needs and which is the best Japanese manga translator.

Metrics

Accuracy

Rating

Handle Images

Easy to Use

Pricing

DeepL

Good

4.6/5

No

Easy  

Starter: $10.49 per month

Advanced: $34.49 per month

Ultimate: $68.99 per month

Google Translate

Good

4.7/5

Yes

Moderate

Free

MangaDex

Good

4.0/5

No

Hard (No Translation Feature)

Free

Afirstsoft PDF

Excellent

4.9/5

Yes

Easiest

Monthly Plan: $7.99

Yearly Plan: $35.99

3-Year Plan: $45.99

ABBYY FineReader

Good

4.0/5

Yes

Difficult (No Translation Feature)

FineReader PDF Standard for Windows: $99 per year

FineReader PDF for Mac: $69 per year

Afirstsoft PDF has proven to be the best Japanese manga translator out of the tools we have discussed in the above comparison table. Using this advanced AI tool, you can convert any file format into PDF for a quick manga translation.  

Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure
Free Download
  • 100% secure

Part 4. Conclusion

This article has provided manga-reading fans with the 5 best Japanese manga translators tailored to their needs. All these tools contribute to improving the accessibility of manga content for the global audience. The obvious choice is Afirstsoft PDF, as it not only converts scanned images into editable text but also lets you translate the text into multiple languages.

James Johnson

Editor-in-Chief

James Johnson, a software expert, holds a degree in Software Development and boasts extensive experience in crafting technical tips and solutions related to PDF software.

View all Articles >
common banner common banner
common banner fold common banner fold