translator
Americannoun
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Also translater a person who translates.
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Television. a relay station that receives programming on one frequency and rebroadcasts it at another frequency for improved local reception.
noun
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a person or machine that translates speech or writing
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radio a relay transmitter that retransmits a signal on a carrier frequency different from that on which it was received
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computing a computer program that converts a program from one language to another
Other Word Forms
- translatorial adjective
Etymology
Origin of translator
1350–1400; Middle English translatour (< Middle French ) < Late Latin translātor ( Latin: “one who transfers a thing”); translate, -tor
Explanation
A translator is someone who conveys material communicated in one language such as English into another language — like French, Chinese, or Spanish — without losing the literal meaning or nuances of the original work. Ideally, a translator is fluent in at least two languages, so they can translate what is being said in one language into another language without changing its original meaning. The Latin root of translator is translatus, which means "carried over," and a translator who's good at her job carries the meaning over into a completely different language.
Vocabulary lists containing translator
Inside Out & Back Again
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Unit 19, Lesson 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Prosecutors believe he played a supporting role in the operation, acting primarily as a translator.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
The translator said no and asked what kind of “stuff,” to no reply, Deep said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
To a devoted friend, such as Edward FitzGerald, the translator of the “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám,” who supported him for years, Tennyson could be rude, cold and ungrateful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
"It was a great day," Matsuyama said through a translator.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
The Koechers moved to Washington in 1975, and Karl landed a job as a translator for the CIA, where he was allowed to listen in on top secret recordings.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
