translation

American  

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

noun

• translations
  plural

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. see lose in translation.

translation British  

/ trænsˈleɪʃən, trænz- /

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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• translations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of translation

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

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Explanation

"C'est un dictionnaire en ligne." Don't understand? Here's a translation for you: "This is an online dictionary." A translation is the written or verbal rewording of something from one language into another that keeps the same meaning. A translation doesn't have to be strictly from one language to another; it can be a rewording that makes something easier to understand or less technical in nature, as suggested by the common phrase, "Can you translate that into plain English?" If what is translated takes a written form, as in a book, for example, then the object itself is called a translation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

translation translations

Maupassant’s plain language crosses over in translation, for one thing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

As for the A.I. translation, most of the booklet was translated accurately, the assessors found.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

And existing A.I. translation metrics aren’t really designed for this task.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

So the medical use of unsanctioned A.I. translation tools is something of an open secret.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Lucretius’s poem On the Nature of Things was lost during the Middle Ages; it was rediscovered in 1417 and first published in 1473 and there was no complete English translation in print until 1682.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

When doctors reviewed translations with high quality scores, they also found small but frequent mistakes in medication instructions, as well as in warnings about when to urgently return to the ER.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

But he had access to the myths of antiquity through the Latin texts he studied in grammar school, and in translations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Oates, who penned the Pulitzer Prize-nominated “Blonde,” said that, within the world of translators, Wilson’s review “seems all the more surprising since all translations are, presumably, subjective & not equivalent to the original text.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Spotify has reported a surge of interest in audiobook translations of "The Odyssey", with Gen Z and millennials leading the demand.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

To find not only that this bedlam of color was true but that the pictures were pale and inaccurate translations, was to me startling.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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Related Words

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

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