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.

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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

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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

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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

It remains unclear whether the changes observed in the laboratory would occur under normal dietary conditions or whether they would translate into measurable health effects.

From Science Daily ● 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

But that’s changing as investors are demanding clearer proof that capital spending can translate into sustainable revenue growth, StoneX analyst Yi Fu Lee told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Since Pim writes his verses only in German, Margot volunteered to translate it into Dutch.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Tolkien that loosely translates to “tree” and, to the firm’s founders, reflects growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

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

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

“And that translates into greatly reduced pain scales.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

She currently translates Greek and Egyptian writing preserved on ancient papyri at UC Berkeley's Center for the Tebtunis Papyri in the Bancroft Library.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Table 13.1 translates these factors into numbers, by comparing the continents with respect to their areas and their modern human populations.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

That translated into 91 cents per share, compared with expectations for $1.10 per share.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

However, those instructions must be translated into physical molecules before they can carry out biological functions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 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

It transformed into a the book Cityboy that sold more than 400,000 copies and was translated into six languages.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

She glanced at the coded portion of the letter they hadn’t translated yet, the part that required finding a different key to break the code.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Proponents say that the blockchain could accelerate the process of stock transactions by cutting out the middlemen, ultimately translating to lower trading costs and higher returns for investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 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

A Tetum interpreter was present in court and stood beside Soares and Mariano translating the prosecution's account.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

"A new generation of deep-science startups is translating breakthroughs into products and transforming fields such as life sciences, space, robotics and clean energy."

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Yesterday I began by translating a chapter from La Belle Nivernaise and writing down vocabulary words.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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Related Words

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

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