translate

en
en
Change language
Translating...
Find language
العربية الفصحى
Arabic (Standard)
Deutsch
German
Español
Spanish
Français
French
हिन्दी
Hindi
/trænzˈleɪt/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
Expressing meaning across languages, making difficult ideas clear, turning one form into another, and in technical or older uses moving something across.
Practice using translate in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The phrase roughly translates as "good morning."
  • The novel has been translated into more than thirty languages.
  • The charity translated public anger into new legislation.
  • Could you translate this sentence for me?
  • The vector translates each point by the same distance.

Similar words

carry
decode
recode
map
slide
convert
put
explain
move
render

Meanings

Put words into another language

verb
language
neutral
To express speech, writing, or signs in another language while keeping the same meaning.

Examples

  • She translated the report from French into English.
  • The novel has been translated into more than thirty languages.
  • Could you translate this sentence for me?
  • The phrase roughly translates as "good morning."
  • He translates legal documents for a living.

Similar words

render
interpret
localize
transcribe
put

Explain in clearer words

verb
communication
neutral
To restate, explain, or understand something so its meaning is clearer in ordinary words.

Examples

  • The lawyer translated the contract into plain English.
  • Her shrug was translated as quiet disagreement.
  • The teacher translates dense theory into simple examples.
  • Can someone translate these figures for the board?
  • He struggled to translate his grief into words.

Similar words

explain
interpret
paraphrase
clarify
decode
gloss

Turn into another form or result

verb
change
neutral
To change something into a different form, medium, action, or practical result.

Examples

  • The charity translated public anger into new legislation.
  • Extra training should translate into better service.
  • The studio translated the comic into a television series.
  • The compiler translates source code into machine instructions.
  • Ribosomes translate mRNA into chains of amino acids.

Similar words

convert
transform
turn
adapt
render
recode
map

Move without turning or resizing

verb
mathematics
technical
In mathematics and mechanics, to move a shape or body so every point shifts the same distance in the same direction.

Examples

  • The triangle was translated five units to the right.
  • To translate the graph upward, add the same value to every y-coordinate.
  • The vector translates each point by the same distance.
  • A rigid body can translate without rotating.
  • The image is translated, not reflected, across the grid.

Similar words

shift
slide
move
displace
map

Transfer a person, relic, or office

verb
religion
archaic
In older and religious writing, to carry or transfer a person, holy object, bishop, or soul to another place or state.

Examples

  • Medieval writers said the saint was translated to heaven.
  • The bishop was translated to another see.
  • The relics were translated to the new cathedral.
  • The chronicle says his body was translated after the feast day.
  • The old hymn imagines the faithful being translated into glory.

Similar words

transfer
convey
transport
remove
relocate
carry

Etymology

From Middle English translaten, from Anglo-French translater and Latin translatus, the past participle of transferre, meaning "to carry across," from trans- "across" and ferre "to carry."

FAQ

Comments & contributions

Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Posting as a guest · Sign in
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.
Look up word or phrase...