translate

verb trans·late \ tran(t)s-ˈlāt , tranz- ; ˈtran(t)s-ˌlāt , ˈtranz- \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of translate

translated; translating

transitive verb

1 a : to turn into one's own or another language

b : to transfer or turn from one set of symbols into another : transcribe

c (1) : to express in different terms and especially different words : paraphrase

(2) : to express in more comprehensible terms : explain, interpret

2 a : to bear, remove, or change from one place, state, form, or appearance to another : transfer, transform

translate ideas into action

b : to convey to heaven or to a nontemporal condition without death

c : to transfer (a bishop) from one see to another

3 : enrapture

4 : to subject to mathematical translation

5 : to subject (genetic information) to translation in protein synthesis

intransitive verb

1 : to practice translation or make a translation; also : to admit of or be adaptable to translation

a word that doesn't translate easily

2 : to undergo a translation

3 : lead, result —usually used with into

believes that tax cuts will translate into economic growth

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translatability

play \(ˌ)tran(t)s-ˌlā-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē, (ˌ)tranz-\ noun

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translatable

play \tran(t)s-ˈlā-tə-bəl, tranz-\ adjective

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translator

play \ˈtran(t)s-ˌlā-tər, ˈtranz-; tran(t)s-ˈlā-tər, tranz-\ noun

See translate defined for English-language learners

See translate defined for kids

Examples of translate in a Sentence

My client speaks only Spanish. Will you translate for me?
The French word “bonjour” translates as “hello” in English.
We need someone who can translate Japanese into English.
We have translated the report.
The book has been translated into 37 languages.
Can you translate this technical jargon?
Seventy million Americans—that translates into one American out of every four—are under the age of 24.

Recent Examples of translate from the Web

So that right there is something: Farhadi wrote the film in Farsi, and it was then translated into Spanish.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "Cannes 2018 Opens with a Middling Movie But a Killer Jury," 9 May 2018
Then, of course, it was translated by Marc Blitzstein, who was both famously gay and a communist, and the English version has since become quite a political anthem.

— john paul brammer, Teen Vogue, "Sasha Velour Gives an Intimate Look at the Making of "Pirate Jenny" and Talks Pushing Drag Into New Directions," 4 May 2018
That outline hasn't been translated into legislation and may not be until after midterm elections later this year.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Shelby: 'Crucial' time ahead for funding ship channel," 1 May 2018
And if the biologists don’t understand those mechanisms, engineers can’t translate them into synthetic systems like robots.

— robbie gonzalez, WIRED, "Nature’s Mechanical Secrets Could Help Build Faster Robots," 26 Apr. 2018
According to an account in the Icelandic newspaper Fréttablaðið, which was translated into English for Ars by a kind redditor, Stefansson may have believed that his detention was, in fact, over.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Icelandic bitcoin heist suspect arrested in Amsterdam after leaving prison," 24 Apr. 2018
The caption was originally written in Spanish and it's been translated.

— heather leighton, Houston Chronicle, "Throwback photo, intimate family photos of Carlos Beltran shared by wife to celebrate his birthday," 24 Apr. 2018
The newsreel was translated into 22 languages and sent to 64 countries.

— lainey seyler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Everything you want to know about Vel Phillips that's probably not in a history book," 18 Apr. 2018
Sartre asked Dolorès Vanetti in New York to be, in effect, the magazine’s liaison officer in the United States, commissioning writers directly, collating pieces, editing, and translating them.

— Longreads, "When Sartre and Beauvoir Started a Magazine," 10 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'translate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of translate

Middle English, from Anglo-French translater, from Latin translatus (past participle of transferre to transfer, translate), from trans- + latus, past participle of ferre to carry — more at tolerate, bear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

See Words from the same year

translate Synonyms

TRANSLATE Defined for English Language Learners

translate

verb

Definition of translate for English Language Learners

: to change words from one language into another language
: to explain (something) in a way that is easier to understand
: to have the same meaning

TRANSLATE Defined for Kids

translate

verb trans·late \ trans-ˈlāt \

Definition of translate for Students

translated; translating

1 : to turn from one language into another

2 : to change from one form to another

Let's translate words into action.

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translator

\-ˈlā-tər\ noun

Medical Dictionary

translate

transitive verb trans·late \ tran(t)s-ˈlāt, tranz- \

medical Definition of translate

translated; translating

: to subject (as genetic information) to translation in protein synthesis

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for translate Spanish Central: Translation of translate Nglish: Translation of translate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of translate for Arabic speakers

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