Glossary
Typesetting
Typesetting is placing translated text into a page so that it is readable and looks natural: choosing a font and size, breaking lines to fit the bubble and centering the text. In manga translation it comes after the original lettering has been erased.
What good typesetting does
Good typesetting makes the translated words look as if they were always on the page. They fit the shape of the speech bubble, stay inside it with some padding, break lines at natural points and keep a size that a reader can read without zooming. Professional typesetters also match the font style to the tone of the scene, such as a shout or a whisper.
Typesetting and lettering
In print, lettering is the original artist's or letterer's work on the page. Typesetting is what a translation team does afterwards: it places the new text in the space the original lettering left. The step before it is cleaning, which removes the old text.
Why it is hard
- English is usually longer than Japanese, Korean or Chinese, so the same bubble must hold more letters.
- Bubbles are drawn for the original script. A tall, narrow bubble made for vertical Japanese leaves little room for horizontal English.
- Long words cannot always be broken, and a long word can force a smaller size.
- Some scripts, such as Arabic and Thai, need extra room for their shapes and marks.
How RuneManga handles it
RuneManga starts from the size of the original lettering and shrinks the text until the largest size that fits inside the bubble is found. A long translation in a very small bubble therefore comes out small instead of spilling over the art. Text is set horizontally, even when the original was vertical. Arabic and Thai output is experimental, because their lettering is not verified yet. There is no editor for changing the wording in the WebApp yet.
Common problems and fixes
- Text comes out very small: the bubble is small for the target language. A shorter target language fits better, and a larger scan keeps small text sharp.
- A line breaks in an odd place: long words leave few break points. Download the page and correct it in an image editor if it matters.
- Text runs close to the edge: the bubble outline was found smaller or larger than drawn, often on bubbles without a clear outline.
Related terms
Typesetting depends on speech bubble detection for the space it may use, and on inpainting or cleaning for a clean background to write on.
Can I choose the font?
Not yet. RuneManga picks a comic font that covers the target language and sizes it to the bubble.
Why is my translated text horizontal when the original was vertical?
Most target languages are read horizontally, so the translation is set that way inside the same bubble.