Shinkansen Web Translator

Fast web & subtitle translator

Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

Shinkansen is a fast, smooth, privacy-first Safari translation extension for web pages and YouTube subtitles, built for iPhone and iPad. Three things make it different: • Watch the page start turning into your target language within one second of pressing translate (Instant Translation, Gemini engine) • Text is replaced in place — fonts, sizes, colors, and layout are preserved; links, bold, and italics survive untouched • You bring your own API key; every setting lives on your own device; your reading never touches a third-party server [Built for iPhone & iPad] • Four-finger tap any web page to toggle translation (tap again to restore) — no keyboard needed • Hardware keyboard shortcuts when an external keyboard is attached • First-launch onboarding walks you through your Gemini API key and a default translation method [Languages] Translate into 8 target languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German. The extension UI is available in the same 8 languages — pick independently or follow your system language. [Features] • Multiple translation engines: Google Gemini (best-quality AI, requires API key), Google Translate (free, no API key), and any OpenAI-compatible model (OpenRouter, Claude, Ollama, etc.) • Single-language overlay / bilingual side-by-side modes — one-click toggle, with 4 visual treatments for the bilingual layout • Free Chinese variant conversion: built-in OpenCC dictionaries convert between Simplified and Traditional Chinese locally — no API key, no API calls, works offline — with optional auto-convert on page load • YouTube subtitle translation: automatic detection and real-time replacement; styling matches native captions; bilingual subtitles available; youtube.com/live/ stream links supported • YouTube AI smart segmentation: auto-generated captions are re-segmented by AI for natural full sentences • Adjustable YouTube subtitle size, readable even in full screen • Custom translation shortcuts: bind a key to each of the three presets, recorded on the settings page • Auto-translate specific sites: add domains and they translate on load • Cross-tab continuity: opening a link from a translated page auto-translates the new tab with the same preset • Translation cache + live cost report: cached content is free next time; a notification shows token count, cache hit rate, and cost • Custom glossary with CSV import (two columns: source,translation), blocked-word list, and on-page translation editing • Send to Instapaper: save the whole translated article to Instapaper in one click [Bring your own API key] Shinkansen doesn't sell translation as a service — you bring your own Google Gemini API key for AI translation. Gemini's free tier means everyday use is typically free. Prefer no key? The Google Translate engine works free with no setup, and Chinese variant conversion runs entirely offline. Step-by-step setup is in the GitHub repo and the in-app onboarding. [Privacy] Shinkansen has no server, no telemetry, no analytics. Every setting lives only on your device: • Your API key is stored locally in Safari — never synced, never uploaded • Translation content goes directly from your browser to the engine endpoint (Gemini, OpenRouter, Google Translate) • Shinkansen never relays, caches, or logs translation content • The local cache lives on your device only; clearing browser data wipes it [First-install note] After installing, enable the extension in Safari and grant website access: Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions → Shinkansen → turn on, set website access to Allow (The exact path varies slightly by iOS version.) [System requirements] • iOS 15 or later / iPadOS 15 or later • Universal — iPhone and iPad [Open source] Open source under Elastic License 2.0 on GitHub — view, learn from, modify, and use it yourself; you may not repackage it (or a modified version) as a hosted or managed service for third parties.

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Highlights: • Four-finger touch translate is now on by default: tap the page with four fingers to translate, long-press for the secondary preset — ready out of the box; turn it off in settings if it triggers accidentally • Automatic Simplified ↔ Traditional Chinese conversion is now on by default — pages in the opposite variant convert locally on load (free, no API calls, works offline); turn it off in the toolbar icon menu • Gemini model lineup updated: adds the latest gemini-3.7-flash; gemini-3.6-flash is retired and existing settings migrate automatically • Fixed Chinese-variant conversion being skipped on social-media post pages where content loads late • Floating button fix: after the long-press menu opens, a slight finger tremble no longer dismisses it or drags the button away

Version 2.4.0

The developer, Zhimin Su, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

  • Data Not Collected

    The developer does not collect any data from this app.

    Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

    Accessibility

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Information

    Seller
    • Zhimin Su
    Size
    • 22.8 MB
    Category
    • Productivity
    Compatibility
    Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPad
      Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPod touch
      Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
    • Apple Vision
      Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
    Languages
    • English
    Age Rating
    4+
    Copyright
    • © 2026 Jimmy Su
  • Developer Website
  • Privacy Policy