Glossary
Official translation (licensed release)
An official translation is a licensed release of a manga or webtoon in another language, made or approved by the publisher, as opposed to a scanlation made by fans without permission.
Official, scanlation or machine translation
- Official translation: licensed by the publisher, translated and lettered by professionals, sold or published on official platforms.
- Scanlation: made by fans without a licence, often fast, of varying quality.
- Machine translation: software reads and translates the page; quick and in any language, and best read as a reading aid.
How to find out if a series is official in your language
Look for the series on the publisher's own platforms and in shops in your country. A licence is usually announced by the publisher; a translator and a letterer are named in the book or the app.
Where RuneManga fits
RuneManga translates pages you are allowed to read, into your language, when no official version exists in it or while you wait for one. It is a reading aid, not a replacement for a licensed release, and it does not unlock or copy anything.
Why are official translations slower?
A licence has to be agreed, then the work is translated, lettered and checked. Simulpub series skip most of the wait.
Can I share pages I translated with RuneManga?
Only if you have the right to. Translating a page for your own reading is one thing; publishing someone else's work is up to its rights holders.