🔍 Language Lens: The Privacy-First Screen Translator

Language Lens is a desktop utility designed to break down language barriers instantly without compromising user privacy. Unlike traditional web translators that require copying, pasting, or uploading screenshots to the cloud, Language Lens works as a visual overlay, translating text directly where it sits on your screen.

Whether you are deciphering a quest in a Japanese RPG, reading a foreign PDF, or troubleshooting a remote server in German, Language Lens provides clarity without leaving your desktop.

Built with a completely offline architecture, Language Lens ensures that your personal data and screen content never leave your computer.

🎮 Perfect for Retro Gaming & Emulation

For gamers playing titles that never received an official English release, Language Lens is a game-changer.

• No ROM Hacking Required: Play Japanese RPGs or exclusive releases without waiting for fan patches.
• Overlay Gameplay: The lens sits on top of your emulator (DuckStation, PCSX2, Dolphin, etc.) or PC game window.
• Click-Through Immersion: Use the "Lock" feature to click through the translation layer, allowing you to control the game naturally while the translation stays visible on screen.

🛠️ The Ultimate Tool for IT Support & Help Desk

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions can be a nightmare when the host system is in a language you don't speak.

• Translate the Un-selectable: Error messages, BIOS screens, and system popups often have text that cannot be copied. Language Lens reads the pixels directly.
• Zero-Footprint: You don't need to install language packs or alter the client's machine settings. Just hover your lens over their screen to understand the UI instantly.
• Security Compliant: Since it is offline and local, you aren't pasting sensitive client error logs into a public web translator.

🌟 Key Capabilities

1. 🖥️ Visual Overlay Technology Language Lens operates as a "transparent window" that floats above your other applications.

• Drag & Translate: Simply drag the lens over any region of your screen.
• Dynamic Resizing: Resize the lens to capture a single sentence or a full dialogue box.

2. 🛡️ 100% Offline & Private Most screen translators send your images to corporate cloud servers. Language Lens is different.

• Local Processing: All Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Translation happen entirely on your computer's CPU.
• Zero Data Leakage: Use this tool safely with confidential documents (NDAs), private chats, or medical records. It works perfectly even on Air-Gapped (offline) computers.

3. 🧠 Smart Scanning Modes

• Single Scan: Captures the text once for a quick translation. Perfect for menus or static documents.
• Continual Mode: The lens watches the screen area and updates automatically every few seconds—ideal for changing dialogue.
• Anti-Flicker Technology: The engine intelligently compares the current screen to the previous frame. If the text hasn't changed, it pauses processing to save CPU power.

4. 🎨 Customization

• Dark & Light Modes: Instantly toggle the app theme to match your system or reduce eye strain.
• Visual Control: Adjust text size, font color, and background opacity to ensure readability against complex game backgrounds.
• Refresh Rate: Control scan frequency (from 0.2s to 2.0s) to balance speed with performance.

🌍 Supported Languages

Language Lens currently supports 31 major global languages, powered by the OpenNMT neural network engine.

Newly Added:

• Portuguese (Brazil) 🇧🇷
• Tagalog (Filipino) 🇵🇭
• Persian (Farsi) 🇮🇷
• Malay 🇲🇾

Full Language List:

• Asian Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese.
• Middle Eastern: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian.
• European: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian.

⚙️ Technical Specifications

• Engine: Python 3.12 + PyQt6
• OCR (Text Recognition): EasyOCR (CPU-Optimized with GPU acceleration where available)
• Translation Model: Argos Translate (OpenNMT)
• Hardware Requirement: Runs efficiently on standard modern CPUs (Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 or equivalent). No dedicated GPU required.
• Internet Requirement: None. (Internet is required only once during the very first launch to download the necessary language dictionaries).

📝 Developer Note

Language Lens is an independent "Basement Build" project developed by Dan Ellement. It was created to provide a low-cost, open, and secure alternative to corporate subscription tools. Your privacy—and your gameplay—belongs to you.