translator
Americannoun
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Also translater a person who translates.
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Television. a relay station that receives programming on one frequency and rebroadcasts it at another frequency for improved local reception.
noun
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a person or machine that translates speech or writing
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radio a relay transmitter that retransmits a signal on a carrier frequency different from that on which it was received
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computing a computer program that converts a program from one language to another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of translator
1350–1400; Middle English translatour (< Middle French ) < Late Latin translātor ( Latin: “one who transfers a thing”); see translate, -tor
Explanation
A translator is someone who conveys material communicated in one language such as English into another language — like French, Chinese, or Spanish — without losing the literal meaning or nuances of the original work. Ideally, a translator is fluent in at least two languages, so they can translate what is being said in one language into another language without changing its original meaning. The Latin root of translator is translatus, which means "carried over," and a translator who's good at her job carries the meaning over into a completely different language.
Vocabulary lists containing translator
Inside Out & Back Again
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Unit 19, Lesson 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I think a lot of younger generations experience videogames differently, and it’s just been around them since they were born,” “Exit 8” film director Genki Kawamura said through a translator.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
My translator called the corporate secretary listed in its 2024 filings, but the receptionist there was unable to provide contact information for Sunne.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Taiwan Travelogue, written by Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi and Taiwanese-American translator Lin King, follows two women on their culinary tour across Taiwan in the 1930s, when the island was under Japanese rule.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
"We've gone through so much hardship and suffering, and no achievements for people?" said translator Azadeh, 43.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
"My father worked with American soldiers in Afghanistan. He was a translator."
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
