translation

American  

[trans-ley-shuhn, tranz-] / trænsˈleɪ ʃən, trænz- /

noun

1. the rendering of something into another language or into one's own from another language.

2. a version of such a rendering.

   a new translation of Plato.

3. change or conversion to another form, appearance, etc.; transformation.

   a swift translation of thought into action.

4. the act or process of translating.

5. the state of being translated.

6. Mechanics.  motion in which all particles of a body move with the same velocity along parallel paths.

7. Telegraphy.  the retransmitting or forwarding of a message, as by relay.

8. Mathematics.

   1. a function obtained from a given function by adding the same constant to each value of the variable of the given function and moving the graph of the function a constant distance to the right or left.

   2. a transformation in which every point of a geometric figure is moved the same distance in the same direction.

9. Genetics.  the process by which a messenger RNA molecule specifies the linear sequence of amino acids on a ribosome for protein synthesis.

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idioms

1. lose something in translation.  lose in translation.

translation British  

/ trænz-, trænsˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. something that is or has been translated, esp a written text

2. the act of translating or the state of being translated

3. maths a transformation in which the origin of a coordinate system is moved to another position so that each axis retains the same direction or, equivalently, a figure or curve is moved so that it retains the same orientation to the axes

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translation Scientific  

/ trăns-lā′shən /

1. Biochemistry  The process in the ribosomes of a cell by which a strand of messenger RNA directs the assembly of a sequence of amino acids to make a protein.

2. Biochemistry  Compare transcription

3. Physics  Motion of a body in which every point of the body moves parallel to and the same distance as every other point of the body.

4. Mathematics  The changing of the coordinates of points to coordinates that are referred to new axes that are parallel to the old axes.

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Related Words

Translation , paraphrase , version refer to a rewording of something. A translation is a rendering of the same ideas in a different language from the original: a translation from Greek into English. A paraphrase is a free rendering of the sense of a passage in other words, usually in the same language: a paraphrase of a poem. A version is a translation, especially of the Bible, or else an account of something illustrating a particular point of view: the Douay Version.

Other Word Forms

• pretranslation noun
• retranslation noun
• translational adjective
• translationally adverb

Etymology

Origin of translation

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin trānslātiōn- (stem of trānslātiō ) “a transferring,” equivalent to trānslāt(us) ( translate ) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English translacioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

"The translation machinery itself serves here as a surveillance platform from which global stress signals are initiated."

From Science Daily

Australia's government had blocked the release of its own translation of a transcript of the interview, according to local media.

From Barron's

Perhaps the translation is off, or maybe something else needs tinkering; dyeing her hair Nora’s exact shade of brown doesn’t help, nor does attempting to do the film in a Norwegian accent.

From Salon

The posthumous publication of his translations and his letters, in 2023, confirmed his reputation, and now we have the most important book of all.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many translators have approached Thucydides since Thomas Hobbes made the first direct translation into English in 1628.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adaptation
• explanation
• reading
• rendering
• rendition
• transcription
• version