About Us

NorseTranslator.com is an independent, self-funded project run by Norse Translator Co. — a single self-taught enthusiast of Old Norse language, runes, and Viking Age history. This site is not affiliated with any university, museum, or academic institution; it started as a personal project to make Old Norse vocabulary and rune resources easier to explore online.

What this site does

We build and maintain a set of free, dictionary-based Old Norse and rune tools — including an Old Norse translator, a rune translator, a Viking name generator, and a set of medieval-language tools — plus reference and educational content on Norse language, runes, and Viking culture.

How the tools work

Our translation and rune tools use a dictionary and rule-based lookup system, not a trained AI model. They work best on individual words and short, simple phrases; Old Norse’s grammar (cases, conjugations, word order) is not fully reconstructed by a dictionary lookup, so longer or more complex sentences can come back incomplete or literal. Full details, including known limitations, are on our Methodology page.

Sources and review

The dictionary primarily draws on Cleasby & Vigfússon’s An Icelandic-English Dictionary (1874), a standard, public-domain historical reference — see Sources & Corpora for the full list. This is currently a single-person project: the same person who writes and maintains the site’s content also reviews it, under the Norse Translator Co. name. There is no separate, independent academic reviewer at this time; see Reviewers for the full disclosure.

Accuracy and limitations

We aim for accuracy, but these are dictionary-based tools maintained by one person, not a peer-reviewed academic resource. Don’t rely on results for tattoos, legal use, or academic work without independent verification. We continuously fix errors as they’re found and log every change on our Changelog.

How this site is funded

NorseTranslator.com is supported by advertising. We have no sponsorship or financial relationship with any dictionary publisher, museum, or academic institution referenced on the site.

Corrections and contact

Found something inaccurate? See our Corrections Policy for how to report it and how reports get reviewed. For anything else — questions, feedback, or partnership inquiries — use our Contact Us page.