Looking for a way to watch Japanese anime without official English subtitles? This guide explains how to use Windows Live Captions and LiveCaptions-Translator to translate Japanese anime in real time — completely free.
Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could watch the latest Japanese anime with English subtitles in real time?
In this video, I’ll show you how to translate Japanese content in real time using Windows Live Captions and a free tool called LiveCaptions-Translator.
This setup works not only for anime, but also for TV programs, movies, TikTok, Zoom, and many other audio sources.
After installing the app, Japanese audio from TV shows or streaming services can be displayed as English subtitles at the bottom of your screen with almost no delay. Everything we use today is completely free, so if you want to watch and study the latest anime or TV shows with English subtitles, definitely give this a try.
Besides English, this setup also supports around ten languages, including French, Chinese, and Korean. So if you’re interested in watching Japanese anime without official subtitles, stay tuned until the end.
Latest Anime
First, let me briefly introduce TVer, a free Japanese streaming service.TVer offers Japanese TV programs, including the latest anime, which are available for free for about one week after broadcast.
For general information about VPN usage, see this VPN guide .
Setup and System Requirements
For this test, I used an older desktop PC with a Core i7-4790K. Even with this hardware, everything worked smoothly. CPU usage was around 10 percent.
However, memory usage was close to 10 gigabytes, so if you plan to run other apps at the same time, I recommend having at least 16GB of RAM.
Here’s the overall setup process:
- Add a Windows language pack
- Configure Windows Live Captions
- Install LiveCaptions-Translator
- Configure the app
Step 1: Add a Language Pack
First, install the source language pack in Windows.
Open Settings, then go to Time & Language. Select Language & region.
Click Add a language.
Since we’re translating Japanese, select Japanese, then click Next.
As of January 2026, Windows Live Captions supports about 10 languages across 22 regions.
Make sure to install:
- Language pack
- Text-to-speech
- Enhanced speech recognition
- Handwriting
Handwriting isn’t required for subtitles, but the other three are important
Once all features show as installed, you’re ready.
If Enhanced speech recognition fails to download, it’s usually because an older language pack is already installed. In that case, remove the language pack completely and reinstall it from scratch.
Step 2: Windows Live Captions Settings
After installing the language pack, let’s enable Live Captions.
Go to Settings → Accessibility → Captions.
Turn on Live captions.
A caption window will appear at the top of the screen.
At first, English captions will appear when audio is playing.
Next, click the gear icon in the caption window and set Caption language to Japanese.
You’ll see a message saying Japanese is ready.
Then go to Settings → Position → Overlay on screen.
Now captions float over your video. That completes the Windows-side setup.
Step 3: Install LiveCaptions-Translator
Next, install LiveCaptions-Translator. This app translates audio recognized by Windows Live Captions into another language and displays it as an overlay. Go to the LiveCaptions-Translator page on GitHub.
Download LiveCaptionsTranslator-win-x64.exe. If you’re using Windows on ARM, download the arm64 version instead.
I recommend creating a dedicated folder, since configuration files are stored in the same directory.
Step 4: App Configuration
Launch the downloaded file.
On first launch, Windows may warn you about an unknown app. Click Run Anyway to continue.
Press the consent button at the bottom of the window.
Then click the gear icon on the left to open Settings.
If you just want to try it quickly, you can follow the same settings shown on screen.
Here’s what each option does:
(1) LiveCaptions controls Windows captions. Normally set to Hide.
(2) Translation API selects the translation engine. Google or Google2 are common defaults, and Google2 tends to be slightly more accurate. Paid APIs like OpenAI or DeepL are also supported. Using OpenRouter allows LLMs like Gemini.
(3) API Setting is only required for paid APIs or LLMs. Enter your API URL and API key here.
(4) Contexts controls how much previous text is kept. Too low reduces accuracy, too high increases lag. Two to four works well.
(5) Context Aware enables context-based translation and is recommended, especially for LLMs.
(6) API Interval controls how often translation requests are sent. I recommend between 1.5 and 3 seconds.
(7) Target Language should be set to en-US for English.
A total of 12 target languages are supported.
(8) Show Latency displays translation delay. Usually best left off.
(9) Display Sentences controls how many sentences appear at once. For TV viewing, two feels natural.
Once finished, click the Closed Captions (CC) icon in the top right to display subtitles. Even Japanese live streams without English subtitles like this can be understood in English using this setup.
Viewing Test
Let’s try this with a TV program. Here I’m watching Jujutsu Kaisen on TVer. In the top right, you can see Windows Japanese captions.
Press the CC button in LiveCaptions-Translator to show translated subtitles.
Since we no longer need Windows captions, set LiveCaptions to Hide.
You can move and resize the subtitle window with your mouse. Now only the translated subtitles remain.
Hovering over the window reveals options for: Font size
Outline
Bold text
Text color
Background transparency
Background color
Clicking the third icon from the right switches between bilingual mode, English only, and Japanese only.
The next button swaps the positions of captions and translations.
Even if you minimize the app, English subtitles remain on screen.
Click the clock icon on the left to view subtitle history, which is useful for language learning.
You can also reverse the setup to show Japanese subtitles for English programs.
Real-World Translation Test Results
News Programs
Let’s take a look at the actual translation results. For news programs, the translation accuracy is quite high. There are occasional speech recognition errors, but overall, the meaning comes through clearly.
Sports programs
Sports programs also work well, especially when the announcer has clear pronunciation.
However, there were noticeable misrecognitions of snowboard trick names such as Melon Grab.
Here’s an example where “silver medal” was recognized as “gold medal.” This isn’t a translation error — it’s a speech recognition issue. In Japanese, GIN and KIN sound very similar, so the audio was misrecognized. There are some errors with proper nouns, but overall, the translation quality is still solid.
Talk Show
Let's also check the translation accuracy for talk shows. Casual conversational speech is also translated accurately. There are no major breakdowns in the translation.still
Let's also check out the interview video on YouTube.
The accuracy is pretty good, but since Japanese often drops the subject, the translation sometimes gets who is doing what wrong.
when dialog isn't clearly separated, translations can get pretty long and fill the screen. Tweaking display sentences or lowering the font size usually fixes this.
Watch Girl's Barking Night on TVer
You can also display the subtitle history during real time translation. The translated text appears line by line, so if you're watching on a large screen like a PC monitor, this view is easier to read.
Anime (Jujutsu Kaisen / Tatami Galaxy)
How's the translation quality for the anime? It's Jujutsu Kaisen.
Here’s another example with a proper noun recognition error, but the meaning is still understandable. It seems Windows speech recognition struggles with Japanese proper nouns. In this case, the word SEIZA (constellations) was misrecognized as SEIZA meaning “sitting upright,” so it was translated as “sitting upright.” Japanese speech recognition seems to struggle with homophones. Interestingly, the second time seiza appears, it’s correctly recognized as “constellations.”
This is an anime called the Tatami Galaxy, which is available on Amazon, Japan. It's also streamed overseas, but it doesn't come with official English subtitles.
The dialog is very fast paced Japanese, but the system still manages to keep up with the story. There are some speech recognition errors here and there, but considering how fast the dialog is, the results are surprisingly good.
Anime is more challenging due to casual dialogue. In my experience, accuracy feels around seventy to eighty percent. Some shows end up with strange translations and in some scenes it can be hard to fully understand what's going on. Overall, accuracy feels around 70 to 80%. Google's translation itself is fine, but Windows speech recognition sometimes struggles with Japanese proper nouns and homophones.
Live Streams (TikTok)
You can also translate Japanese live streams in real time, like TikTok. The speaker is talking very fast here, but most of the content is still picked up. Again, the proper noun “APEX” isn’t recognized correctly.
Zoom / Online Meetings
Online meetings, like Zoom calls, can also be translated.
You can save both the Japanese text from voice recognition and its English translation.
Files are saved in CSV format, making them easy to open in Excel or other spreadsheet apps. This is useful for recording lessons or meetings and reviewing them later.
LiveStream
Even Japanese-only live streaming platforms can be translated in real time.
Summary
So, that’s today’s setup. Using the free LiveCaptions-Translator, we translated Japanese TV programs into English subtitles in real time. Even content without official subtitles becomes watchable.
Initial setup takes a bit of effort, but it’s impressive for a completely free solution.
Translation quality is excellent for news and documentaries.
For anime and dramas, expect around 70 to 80 percent comprehension. Using LLM-based APIs like Gemini may further improve accuracy.
One limitation is that all voices appear in a single caption stream, so it’s hard to tell who is speaking in multi-person scenes. Color-coded speakers would be nice, but that’s currently a Windows limitation.
Although this test focused on Japanese anime, many other languages like Chinese and Spanish are supported.
You can display original text and translations side by side, making this a powerful tool for language learning. If you enjoy foreign dramas or international news, I highly recommend trying this.
Thank you for watching. Download links for the app are in the video description. Additional details are available on my blog. I’ve also uploaded extra test videos there. If you found this helpful, please like the video and subscribe to the channel.
How to Use TVer Outside Japan
You can watch Japanese TV programs for one week after broadcast on the free streaming site TVer. Here’s a simple guide on how to use it.
The website is displayed in Japanese, so use your browser to translate it into English.
Select “Anime” from the menu on the left to watch various titles currently airing in Japan.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is available for one week from its broadcast date.
Simply click the play button in the center of the screen. In Chrome, ads will appear before and during playback, but with the Brave browser (Windows version), you can watch without ads. Download the Brave browser
By creating an account, you can add your favorite programs to your My Page.
Here’s how to register. Enter your email address and click “Next.”
A confirmation email will be sent to the registered address.
Enter the six-digit code from the email to access the account information registration screen.
Register your username, user ID, and password.
Enter your date of birth, gender, and postal code. If accessing from overseas, enter a valid Japanese postal code such as 100-0001.
After logging in with your registered email address and password, your registered name will appear in the top right corner. Click the heart icon below a program title.
The program will be added to my favorites.
FAQ
Can I watch anime without official subtitles?
Yes, using Windows Live Captions and LiveCaptions-Translator, you can generate real-time English subtitles.
Is it free?
Yes, both Windows Live Captions and the translator tool are free.
Does it work for Netflix or Amazon Prime?
It works with any audio source played on your PC.
Whether you're watching anime, live streams, or online meetings, real-time subtitle translation on Windows opens up a completely new way to understand foreign content.
Explore our other guides below to optimize your setup.
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