Troubleshooting | RandomTranslator

Each entry below starts with likely causes, then a few checks to try, then where to go if none of them help. Search by symptom rather than the exact wording of an error.

A chapter is still in Chinese#

Usually means you're on the Original tab, the chapter hasn't been translated yet (chapters translate automatically over time, and $5+ tier members can also trigger it on the spot; see How Translation Works), or the source page needs to be fetched again.

Check you're on the Translated tab, not Original.
If it says "This chapter isn't translated yet" or "Not translated yet", log in, upgrade, or select Translate Chapter if you're a patron. See Pricing & Limits.
If the original text itself is missing or wrong, open the Original tab and select Rescrape Chapter to fetch it again from the source.

The chapter title translates separately and retries automatically if it's slow; no action needed there.

Still stuck? Use the Still in Chinese option in the novel's report dialog, or ask on Discord.

The chapter won't load#

Usually a temporary load or streaming failure, not a broken chapter. You may see:

"We couldn't load this chapter right now. Try again, or return to the novel."
A toast reading "Failed to load translation" or "The chapter translation could not be loaded. Please try again."
During high demand: "Translator busy", then "High demand right now — retrying automatically…", followed by "The translator is at capacity. Please try again in a moment." if it happens again.

Select Try again, or wait a moment: the busy state retries on its own.
Refresh the page.
Check your connection.
If it keeps happening across different chapters, it's likely a brief issue on our end; try again in a few minutes.

Still stuck? Tell us on Discord with the chapter link and what the error said.

Read aloud stops or won't start#

Usually a tier limit, a background-tab pause, or one paragraph's audio failing quietly.

If you see "AI narration requires the $12+ tier", switch to Browser voices, or upgrade, from Display Settings → Speech.
If playback just stops, tap play again. Mobile browsers can pause background tabs, and a paragraph that fails to generate audio is skipped rather than freezing playback.
Confirm a device voice is selected in Display Settings → Speech (Browser engine only).
Try switching between the Browser and AI engines if one is behaving oddly.

See Read Aloud. Still stuck? Tell us on Discord with the novel, chapter, and which engine (Browser or AI) you were using.

I was logged out#

Your session is a cookie that lasts up to 30 days and renews while you're active. It isn't tied to your account, so clearing cookies, blocking site data, or switching browsers signs you out.

Log back in with Login with Patreon.
Check your browser isn't set to block or auto-clear cookies for the site.
If you're on a paid tier and this keeps happening, confirm you're logging in with the same Patreon account each time.

See Account and Patreon. Still stuck? Ask on Discord.

My request failed#

Most request failures are quota or tier messages, not bugs. You may see:

"Requesting is only available to $10+ tier patrons": requesting needs the $12 tier or higher.
"Monthly request limit exceeded (…). Your limit will reset at the start of next month.": you've used your monthly requests or previews.
"Daily scraping limit exceeded. Please try again tomorrow.": a short daily cap on top of the monthly one.
"Automatic search is unavailable right now. Try Google and paste a URL above." or "No supported source found for '…'. Try Google and paste a URL above.": the search couldn't find a match.

Read the on-screen message: it usually tells you exactly what's blocking the request.
If it's a tier message, check Pricing & Limits for what's required.
If it's a quota message, wait for the monthly or daily reset.
If search fails, paste the source URL directly instead of searching, and check the Source Uptime panel on the Request page.
Check for an "Already on RandomTranslator" card: it means the novel already exists and links straight to it instead of creating a new request.

See Request a Novel. Still stuck? Tell us on Discord with the URL or search term you used.

A name is wrong#

Usually the glossary's initial extraction picked a bad name, or the name changed partway through the novel.

Tap the highlighted name to open its glossary dialog and see its current translation.
If it's just not to your taste, use Set personal translation, which applies instantly and only for you.
If it's factually wrong, suggest a correction. A moderator's edit applies immediately; anyone else's goes through Discord review, and you'll get a notification either way.
Once a correction is approved, use Retranslate on chapters that still show the old name.

See Editing Terms and Personal Translations for what retranslate and force retranslate each cover. Still stuck? Ask on Discord.

The page looks broken after an update#

Usually your browser is holding onto cached files from before a site update.

Hard refresh the page (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).
If that doesn't help, clear the site's cookies and cache and reload.
Try a private/incognito window. If it looks fine there, it confirms a caching issue on your regular browser.

Still stuck? Tell us on Discord with what looked wrong and which browser you're using.

I can't find a novel I requested#

Check My Uploads (profile menu → My Uploads): every novel you've requested or uploaded is listed there with its current stats.
Check Queue Status / Currently Processing on the Request page: a new request takes time to fetch and translate before it appears.
If you requested a novel that already existed, you were shown an "Already on RandomTranslator" card linking to it rather than creating a new entry. Look there instead of Browse.
Search Browse by title. Duplicate novels are merged into the original, so an old link should still redirect you.

Still stuck? Tell us on Discord with the novel's name or the URL you requested it from.