translator

American  

[trans-lay-ter, tranz-, trans-lay-ter, tranz-] / trænsˈleɪ tər, trænz-, ˈtræns leɪ tər, ˈtrænz- /

noun

• translators
  plural

1. Also translater a person who translates.

2. Television. a relay station that receives programming on one frequency and rebroadcasts it at another frequency for improved local reception.

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translator British  

/ trænsˈleɪtə, trænz- /

noun

1. a person or machine that translates speech or writing

2. radio a relay transmitter that retransmits a signal on a carrier frequency different from that on which it was received

3. computing a computer program that converts a program from one language to another

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• translatorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• translators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of translator

1350–1400; Middle English translatour (< Middle French ) < Late Latin translātor ( Latin: “one who transfers a thing”); see translate, -tor

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

translator translators

"I am completely innocent. I am not guilty," Flores said through a translator.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The former translator has been deeply impacted by AI.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The book shows Edgeworth as a gifted translator of economic ideas, carrying the arguments of Smith, Malthus and Ricardo to readers young and old who would never open a treatise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Anne Carson, the Canadian poet, essayist, professor of classics and translator, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in literature.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

A doctor was summoned to the Hotel Toplice, and one of the Yugoslavian players served as translator.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Bondi’s memo also threw shade by implication at the use of human translators, while boosting A.I.:

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

The men, wearing grey tracksuits, stood in the dock of court five and spoke through translators only to confirm their name, date of birth and addresses.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 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

France, Netherlands and the U.S. that were able to enter in the early days found themselves scrambling from neighborhood to neighborhood with no phone service or translators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

But most people couldn’t afford that, and the translators had reputations for being fast-talkers.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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Related Words

• linguist

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