interpreter

American  

[in-tur-pri-ter] / ɪnˈtɜr prɪ tər /

noun

1. a person who interprets.

2. a person who provides an oral translation between speakers who speak different languages.

3. Computers.

   1. hardware or software that transforms one statement at a time of a program written in a high-level language into a sequence of machine actions and executes the statement immediately before going on to transform the next statement.

   2. an electromechanical device that reads the patterns of holes in punched cards and prints the same data on the cards, so that they can be read more conveniently by people.

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interpreter British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːprɪtə /

noun

1. a person who translates orally from one language into another

2. a person who interprets the work of others

3. computing

   1. a program that translates a second program to machine code one statement at a time and causes the execution of the resulting code as soon as the translation is completed

   2. a machine that interprets the holes in a punched card and prints the corresponding characters on that card

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Other Word Forms

• interpretership
  noun
• interpretress
  noun

Etymology

Origin of interpreter

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English interpretour, from Anglo-French; equivalent to interpret + -er ²

Explanation

An interpreter is someone who translates something to make it understandable, usually spoken language. When your class takes a trip to Russia, you’ll likely have an interpreter to translate Russian to English so you can understand what people are saying to you. Need to talk to someone who doesn't speak your language? You'll need an interpreter. Say you're interviewing a Bulgarian diplomat, but you don't speak Bulgarian. The interpreter would listen to a few sentences in Bulgarian and then repeat them in English, and then listen to your English response and repeat that in Bulgarian. We also use interpreter for artists who represent ideas or places in their work. If you paint industrial cityscapes, you're an interpreter of urban life.

Example Sentences

It traces Chizuko's travels and gastronomic adventures across the colonial outpost, and the intimate relationship she develops with her Taiwanese interpreter Chizuru.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

"Some predict that in this century, humans may live up to 150 years old," Xi's interpreter was heard responding.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

With his blooming warmth and engaging rapport with the audience, Mr. Jackman is a perfect interpreter of his character.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Moving to Los Angeles at 23, she initially served as a clinical interpreter and court interpreter.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

The interpreter at the hospital, a woman about my age with a wide, round face, cried as she delivered the news.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Related Words

• artist
• commentator
• editor
• exponent
• linguist
• philosopher
• scholar
• writer