Terms of Service
Last updated: 22 June 2026
These terms govern your use of the RuneTranslate desktop app and runetranslate.com. Using either means you accept them. They're written to be readable; if anything is unclear, email us at [email protected].
1. What RuneTranslate is
RuneTranslate is a Windows desktop tool that extracts the user-visible source-language strings (Japanese by default; any supported source language) from certain game engines, batches them through a translation provider that you choose (and pay for, where applicable), and writes the translations back into a working copy of the game. It is a productivity tool for translation work. We do not provide, endorse, or distribute the games it translates.
2. Your responsibility for content
- You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to translate any game you load into RuneTranslate. That includes respecting the game's license, the publisher's policy on fan translations, and any local laws that apply to you.
- You are responsible for the translations you produce, edit, and distribute.
- RuneTranslate does not transmit the source-language content or the translated content to our servers. What you translate is between you and your chosen translation provider.
3. Free vs Supporter / Pro tiers
- Free: every feature is available, but translation throughput is deliberately throttled (~3–4× slower than paid).
- Supporter ($3/mo via Patreon): full-speed translation, beta channel opt-in.
- Pro ($5/mo via Patreon): same features and speed as Supporter — a higher tier for people who want to support the project more.
Tier upgrades happen through Patreon. We do not bill you directly. If you cancel your pledge, you keep the paid tier until the end of your current billing period, then drop to free. We don't lock you out of the app or your past work — you can still open and export every project regardless of tier.
4. Patreon as identity provider
Sign-in uses Patreon's OAuth. By signing in, you authorize us to read your Patreon identity + membership status as described in the Privacy Policy. Your relationship with Patreon (payment, refunds, billing disputes) is governed by Patreon's terms. Refund requests for tier subscriptions should go to Patreon first — we don't hold your money.
5. Third-party translation providers
RuneTranslate sends text to translation providers (DeepL, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Translate) using API keys you supply or services that don't require a key. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms. We don't resell their capacity and we don't see what you send to them.
6. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Use RuneTranslate to facilitate distribution of games or content you don't have the right to distribute.
- Attempt to reverse-engineer the throttle, share or sell auth tokens, or otherwise circumvent the tier model. (If you can't afford a Supporter pledge, please just use the free tier — that's what it's there for.)
- Attempt to interfere with the operation of runetranslate.com or the update channel (denial-of-service, automated abuse, scraping the admin panel, etc.).
- Use the service to translate or produce content that's illegal where you live.
Violation may result in account suspension and forfeiture of an active Patreon pledge for the remainder of the billing period.
7. Auto-updates
The desktop app checks for updates and prompts you to install them. We don't install updates without your confirmation. New versions may add, change, or remove features. If a change materially reduces your tier's capability, we'll communicate it before the release ships.
8. License
RuneTranslate (the binary) is licensed for personal, non-commercial use. You may use it for translation work you're paid for (commercial localization), but you may not repackage, resell, or sublicense the application itself. The source code is private.
9. No warranty
RuneTranslate is provided "as is". We do our best to ship software that works on the engines we claim to support, and we run tests against synthetic fixtures, but games vary wildly and an export that breaks your game is always possible. Always keep a backup of the original game folder. The export flow writes to an output folder you choose; it never modifies the source folder.
10. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent allowed by law, RuneTranslate and its operator are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the software or the site. Direct liability is capped at the total amount you've paid us through Patreon in the 12 months preceding the claim, or USD 0 if you've never had an active pledge.
11. Termination
You can stop using RuneTranslate at any time. We can suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, with notice when reasonable. Termination doesn't entitle you to a refund of any Patreon pledge (those are handled by Patreon).
12. Changes
When we change these terms in a way that affects your rights or obligations, we update the "Last updated" date and notify currently-signed-in users on their next sign-in. Continued use of the service after a material change is acceptance of the new terms.
13. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which RuneTranslate's operator is established. Disputes that can't be resolved by writing to [email protected] should be brought before the competent courts of that jurisdiction.
14. Contact
Anything else: [email protected].