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Synonyms

translator

American  
[trans-ley-ter, tranz-, trans-ley-ter, tranz-] / trænsˈleɪ tər, trænz-, ˈtræns leɪ tər, ˈtrænz- /

noun

  1. Also translater a person who translates.

  2. Television. a relay station that receives programming on one frequency and rebroadcasts it at another frequency for improved local reception.


translator British  
/ trænz-, trænsˈleɪtə /

noun

  1. a person or machine that translates speech or writing

  2. radio a relay transmitter that retransmits a signal on a carrier frequency different from that on which it was received

  3. computing a computer program that converts a program from one language to another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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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.

They used Google Translator to understand what the other wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024

At worst, which is most of the time, the Translator spells out the obvious, ruining the silences, allusions and, yes, lies that undergird many conversations, and by extension theater.

From New York Times • May 17, 2022

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta introduced a similar concept called the Universal Speech Translator last year.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2022

John Garziglia, part owner of Reston Translator, the company that owns 105.5 FM, told The Washington Post that his deal with Sputnik wasn’t related to politics, but was a “business arrangement.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2017

Artemis opened the ancient languages file on his Power Translator and selected Egyptian.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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