translate

American  

[trans-leyt, tranz-, trans-leyt, 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.

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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

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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

“Those higher costs are going to translate into these commodity prices when they’re harvested in the fall and into the early winter and 2027,” Volpe said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We know more today than ever before about what drives dementia risk, and these guidelines translate that knowledge into action," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Because scientists still cannot fully explain how tacit knowledge works in humans, they also cannot translate it into a form machines can use.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

They didn’t speak much English, so their three kids helped translate household bills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Washington would translate that first line as “Setauket August 15th 1779.”

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Energy experts see a general pattern in prices for crude oil and gasoline in which a $10 increase in crude usually translates into an increase of about 25 cents at the pump.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

For those not in the know, that translates as "Up the Villa" and "Villa Till I Die."

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The company has begun selling a two-seat, fully-electric compact car in the U.S.—the Topolino, which translates to “little mouse” in Italian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

A viral phrase that translates to “What if we do?” in English is being used by Mexican soccer fans and players dreaming about seemingly impossible wins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Everyone in my family called him Pedar Joon, which translates to "Father Dear."

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

The unprecedented interest was so powerful that it translated to actual sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The award-winning children's cartoon series Bluey has been translated into Australian Indigenous language for the first time.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The researchers note that additional work will be needed before these ideas can be translated into practical devices.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian,” translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith, is the shocking story of what happens next.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

From time to time a few mortals were translated to Olympus, but once they had been brought to heaven they vanished from literature.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

They already have useful applications in reading, translating and making signage easier to read, as well as offering hands-free audio and visual assistance to people with any level of vision or hearing loss.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

The challenge is "translating the South African legal system to the online space", he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the announcement, saying in a statement that he looked forward to the understandings translating into "practical steps that will put a definitive end to the cycle of violence".

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

The report found that we are in a phase of significant personal productivity gains, but few companies are translating these gains into revenue and business growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Speaking it, writing it down, translating, and responding.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Related Words

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