translate

American  

[trans-layt, tranz-, trans-layt, tranz-] / trænsˈleɪt, trænz-, ˈtræns leɪt, ˈtrænz- /

verb (used with object)

• translates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• translated,
  past participle,  past
• translating
  present participle

1. to turn from one language into another or from a foreign language into one's own.

   to translate Spanish.

2. to change the form, condition, nature, etc., of; transform; convert.

   to translate wishes into deeds.

3. to explain in terms that can be more easily understood; interpret.

4. to bear, carry, or move from one place, position, etc., to another; transfer.

5. Mechanics. to cause (a body) to move without rotation or angular displacement; subject to translation.

6. Computers. to convert (a program, data, code, etc.) from one form to another.

   to translate a FORTRAN program into assembly language.

7. Telegraphy. to retransmit or forward (a message), as by a relay.

8. Ecclesiastical.

   1. to move (a bishop) from one see to another.

   2. to move (a see) from one place to another.

   3. to move (relics) from one place to another.

9. to convey or remove to heaven without natural death.

10. Mathematics. to perform a translation on (a set, function, etc.).

11. to express the value of (a currency) in a foreign currency by applying the exchange rate.

12. to exalt in spiritual or emotional ecstasy; enrapture.

---

verb (used without object)

• translates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• translated,
  past participle,  past
• translating
  present participle

1. to provide or make a translation; act as translator.

2. to admit of translation.

   The Greek expression does not translate easily into English.

translate British  

/ trænsˈleɪt, trænz- /

verb

1. to express or be capable of being expressed in another language or dialect

   he translated Shakespeare into Afrikaans

   his books translate well

2. (intr) to act as translator

3. (tr) to express or explain in simple or less technical language

4. (tr) to interpret or infer the significance of (gestures, symbols, etc)

5. (tr) to transform or convert

   to translate hope into reality

6. (tr; usually passive) biochem to transform the molecular structure of (messenger RNA) into a polypeptide chain by means of the information stored in the genetic code See also transcribe

7. to move or carry from one place or position to another

8. (tr)

   1. to transfer (a cleric) from one ecclesiastical office to another

   2. to transfer (a see) from one place to another

9. (tr) RC Church to transfer (the body or the relics of a saint) from one resting place to another

10. (tr) theol to transfer (a person) from one place or plane of existence to another, as from earth to heaven

11. maths physics to move (a figure or body) laterally, without rotation, dilation, or angular displacement

12. (intr) (of an aircraft, missile, etc) to fly or move from one position to another

13. archaic (tr) to bring to a state of spiritual or emotional ecstasy

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• translatability
  noun
• translatableness
  noun
• untranslatability
  noun
• pretranslate
  verb (used with object)
• retranslate
  verb (used with object)
• half-translated
  adjective
• intertranslatable
  adjective
• translatable
  adjective
• untranslatable
  adjective
• untranslated
  adjective
• well-translated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• translating
  present
• translated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• translate
  simple
• translates
  simple
• have translated
  perfect
• has translated
  perfect
• am translating
  progressive
• are translating
  progressive
• is translating
  progressive
• have been translating
  perfect progressive
• has been translating
  perfect progressive

Past

• translated
  simple
• had translated
  perfect
• was translating
  progressive
• were translating
  progressive
• had been translating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will translate
  simple
• will have translated
  perfect
• will be translating
  progressive
• will have been translating
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of translate

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English translaten, from Latin trānslātus “borne across,” past participle of trānsferre “to bear across,” from trāns- trans- + ferre “to bear, bring, carry” ( see also bear ¹); for the suppletive element -lātus, earlier tlātus (unrecorded), see also thole ², tolerate

---

Explanation

To translate is to put into a different language or interpret. If your brother says, "Gee, Mom, all of my friends have really cool pets, like snakes and stuff," you can translate that statement to mean "I want a snake." Translate comes from the Latin translates, which means "carry across." The word isn't limited to talking about language. You can translate sales into dollars, or a play into a movie. When used that way, translate means changing something from one form to another.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

translate translates translated translating

WSJ: Do social-media views of a marketing event translate into significant sales of Lego sets tied to these campaigns?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Trying to explain the device, and how her claims of its efficacy were misread by investors and the public, Holmes once again can’t translate her thoughts into words that make sense to Fielder.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Its work aims to improve understanding of common diseases and translate laboratory discoveries into new approaches to treatment, benefiting patients in Singapore and internationally.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Animal studies make up a good portion of this kind of research, and without more high-quality studies in people, we can’t say whether the findings translate to humans.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The question she sent Jeremy seemed to translate as "Friend or foe?"

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

"When we do our best, it translates into better lives for people."

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

For example, higher rates mean fewer new mortgages, which translates into less demand for facilities where clients park loans before securitizing them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Its name translates to "unconquered female warrior," a reference to the powerful predators that later emerged from this evolutionary lineage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Cannot wait for this," another said while another fan commented "anghygoel", which translates to amazing.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The transmitter then processes and translates those digitized, electronically coded words or data into equivalently coded light pulses.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

The top-selling author has been accused of using AI to write his breakthrough French-language novel about migration titled "C'etait ca ou mourir," which was set to be translated in more than 20 countries.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

With more than 10,000 published pieces, mostly into Spanish, Portuguese and English, OKA is, Zimmerman says, the single largest contributor of translated articles to the collaborative online encyclopedia.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

If the approach can be translated to people, it could remove much of the manufacturing, expense, and delay that currently limits access to CAR-T therapy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

His earlier paintings often seem hard-won, made with a heavy hand, but as Hans Namuth’s well-known film of Pollock at work reveals, delicate gestures and dance-like movements translated into fluent drawing in the drip paintings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

“As rapidly as the systems were broken, each day’s traffic was translated by me into plain text.”

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

The biggest challenge will be translating an exciting lab finding into a real-world solution.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Because revenue bonds, which would be used to fund this program, are riskier than other bonds, investors might demand a higher return, translating to a higher interest rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

In a note last month, JPMorgan analysts said there are concerns about how quickly Oracle is translating orders into revenue, given the backdrop of data-center delays.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Importantly, we are acting on our previously outlined priorities including restoring margins, increasing investment, reducing complexity, and rebalancing capital allocation, which are translating into measurable progress across the business,” Brase said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

I’d done only a page and I started to hurry through the rest in impatient and slightly dishonest fashion, writing out the English and translating word by word.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• convert
• decipher
• put
• render
• spell out
• transcribe
• turn

---