How to Read Manga That Isn't Translated Yet

Updated 2026 · ~5 min read

The chapter is out — but only in Japanese, Korean or Chinese. No official version, no scanlation, and you don't want to wait. Here's how to read manga that isn't translated yet, right now, on any site.

Why so much manga is "not translated yet"

The original release is almost always weeks or months ahead of any localization. Official translations take time, and fan scanlation groups can't cover everything — smaller or newer series often have no translation at all. If you're caught up with a series, you frequently hit the wall where the next chapter simply doesn't exist in your language.

Your options (and their downsides)

• Wait for a translation: could be weeks, could be never — especially for niche titles.
• Hunt for scanlations: when they exist they're great, but availability and quality are hit or miss, and updates lag.
• Machine-translate screenshots: it works, but capturing every panel and pasting it into a translator kills the reading experience.

There's a fourth option that's far less painful: translate it yourself, automatically, on the page.

The fix: translate it on the page, as you read

A browser extension with OCR can read the text baked into the comic image and overlay an AI translation on each speech bubble — so you read the raw release in your own language without leaving the site or waiting for anyone. MangaLens does this for manga, manhwa and manhua, into 50+ languages, on Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

Step by step

1. Install the extension for your browser (links above).
2. Sign in with a free account.
3. Open the raw chapter on any site you can already view it on.
4. Enable MangaLens on that site, then click the floating ✨ button.
5. Read the new chapter translated into your language, panel by panel.

Leave the source language on Auto and it detects Japanese, Korean or Chinese for you.

Is this piracy?

No. An on-page translator only translates content you can already view legitimately in your browser. It doesn't bypass paywalls or DRM, and it doesn't host or redistribute anything — it simply overlays a translation on the page you're looking at. You're responsible for respecting the rights of the content you read, just as you would normally.

Is it free?

Yes. After the 7-day Premium trial, you can keep translating for free by earning credits (watching ads), or buy credits only if you want — no subscription required. Premium adds higher-quality AI and a Scanlation mode that erases the original text for a clean, native-looking read.

The bottom line

"Not translated yet" doesn't have to mean "can't read it yet." Install an on-page translator, open the raw chapter, hit ✨, and keep up with your series the day it drops.