Who Translates The Official Solo Leveling Scan Releases?

I get excited whenever this topic comes up because naming translators feels like giving a tiny bow to a hidden craft. For 'Solo Leveling' the straightforward point is: official English translations are handled by the companies that licensed it — the manhwa’s English chapters are published through licensed platforms (look to Tappytoon for the digital manhwa releases) and the light novel has been picked up and translated by a licensed English publisher. Translation teams are usually a mix of translators, editors, proofreaders, and letterers, and their credits appear on the official chapter pages or inside the print volume’s acknowledgments. I tend to prefer reading these versions because the localization choices are deliberate and the creators receive proper compensation — that matters to me as a fan.

Whenever I flip through a legal chapter of 'Solo Leveling' on a legit platform, I look for the tiny credits because the people who actually render the Korean into readable, punchy English are almost always part of the licensed publisher's team. For the webtoon (the manhwa) most English readers will have seen official releases on Tappytoon — they license and publish the translated chapters, and those pages are produced by translators, editors, and letterers either in-house or hired as freelancers. For the original novel that inspired the comic, English publishing was picked up by a company that handles light novels and web novel localizations, so the prose translation there is done by that publisher’s translation and editorial staff rather than fan groups.

From my experience it helps to skim the chapter footer or the physical book’s colophon: official releases usually list translator names, an editor, and sometimes a localization note. Translation work isn’t just about swapping words; it involves cultural notes, choice of honorifics, action pacing, and even sound-effect lettering — so teams will include proofreaders and letterers who adapt SFX into English while trying to preserve the energy of the original artwork. That’s why official translations often feel cleaner and more consistent than a random scanlation, and why publishers prefer to credit whole teams rather than a single anonymous handle.

I’ll always cheer for the pros doing the licensed versions because they keep the creators paid and the series alive in other languages. If you ever want to know the exact people who translated a specific chapter, check the chapter’s page on the publisher’s site or the book’s credits — you’ll often see names or staff handles. Personally, seeing a translator credited makes me appreciate the craft even more; feels good to know the work is respected and supported.