Shogakukan Plans to Release Light Novel App in U.S., Canada Using AI Translation – News

The Nikkei newspaper reported on Wednesday that Shogakukan will release a new app in the United States and Canada titled “Novelus” (spelling not confirmed) that will use AI translation to release light novel series in English. The app is slated to launch this year.

Nikkei stated the app will allegedly cut translation costs in half while also increasing the output of light novels in English.

The app will utilize Mantra’s AI-assisted translation system. Mantra is the service that is providing AI translation for the simultaneous English releases of Kore Yamazaki‘s The Ancient Magus’ Bride and Ghost and Witch manga. Shogakukan invested in Mantra in June.

The app will feature vertical scrolling for reading, and will allow users to comment with their impressions on the works. The releases will also include word balloons with icons of the characters to display characters’ lines, as Shogakukan told Nikkei it has received feedback that “Japanese names are hard to remember.”

Shogakukan‘s aim with the app is to release 400 works within two years (it is unclear if this means 400 different works or 400 novel volumes), including a Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End spinoff novel and Kazami Sawatari and illustrator Aitiki’s Shiotaiō no Satō-san ga Ore ni Dake Amai novel series (pictured at right). Shogakukan aims to have 1 million users of the app by the end of the fiscal year in 2027, with sales in several billions of yen (1 billion yen is approximately US$6.66 million). Shogakukan stated it will also release other publishers’ works if publishers request it.

Several other Japanese companies have recently started translating manga into English using AI or machine translation.

TO Books launched an English version of its Corona EX manga website in April as a paid subscription service, featuring both previous translations of its works from various English publishers (such as Seven Seas Entertainment or J-Novel Club), as well as works machine-translated through Google Translate, which the site admits may possibly contain errors. The service has a US$4.50 monthly subscription cost.

The AI localization company Orange Inc. plans to release an e-bookstore service titled “emaqi” in the United States this summer. The service will feature works translated using Orange Inc.‘s technology, and will also include “recommendations, curations by manga influencers, and manga trailers.” emaqi will be both a website and an app, with the former launching first in summer.

Source: Nikkei (西岡杏) via @MangaAlerts