translate

tranz-LAYT/tɹænzˈleɪt/trahnz-LAYT/tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/

19 meanings of translate

1
verbtransitive
To change words from one language into another so people can understand them.
Like swapping the words of a story for words in a new language so a different reader can follow it.
She helped translate the menu into English for the tourists.
He translated the letter from French so his mom could read it.
Similarrender, interpret
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2
verbintransitive
To turn words into another language, or to be able to be said in another language.
Like a bridge that lets people on two sides talk to each other.
She translates for a living at the United Nations.
This poem does not translate well into English.
Similarinterpret
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3
verbtransitive
To say something again in a clearer or simpler way in the same language.
Like saying a hard sentence again with easy words so a friend gets it.
Can you translate that legal jargon into plain English for me?
The teacher translated the hard instructions into words the kids could follow.
Similarparaphrase, rephrase, simplify, reword, decode
4
verbtransitive
To turn something from one form into a different one.
Like turning a drawing into a real thing you can build.
The architect translated the rough sketch into a detailed building plan.
We need to translate these ideas into action.
Similarconvert, turn, transform, render, adapt
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5
verbintransitive
To change, or be able to change, from one form into another.
Like a seed that grows into a plant: one thing becomes another.
Her enthusiasm translates into real results.
Hard work does not always translate into success.
Similarlead, turn, result
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6
verbtransitive
To build a chain of amino acids by reading the code carried in a molecule of mRNA.
Like following a recipe step by step, where each code tells the cell which part to add next.
Ribosomes translate the genetic code into proteins.
The cell translated the mRNA into a working protein.
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7
verbtransitive
To rework a song so it fits a different style of music.
Like cooking the same dish in a brand-new style of cooking.
The band translated the folk tune into a heavy rock anthem.
Can you translate this jazz piece into something classical?
Similaradapt, rearrange, arrange, rework
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8
nouncountable
A copy of a set of points, made by sliding them all the same distance in the same direction.
Like sliding a sticker to a new spot without turning it: same shape, new place.
Each translate of the square has the same size and shape as the first one.
We can cover the whole floor using many translates of one tile.
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9
verbarchaictransitive
To move a shape so that every point shifts the same distance in the same direction.
Like sliding a chess piece across the board without turning it.
You can translate the triangle three units to the right.
After translating this plane, parallel to the ground line, to the position n#95;1L#95;1r#95;1, these points appear at n#95;1 and r#95;1.
1868, S[amuel] Edward Warren, “Removal of Practical Difficulties Arising from the Confusion of Projections and Perspectives”Here, translating means sliding a shape the same distance in one direction.
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10
verbarchaictransitive
To shift a coordinate system's axes to parallel ones a set distance away.
Like sliding your map's grid lines over without turning them.
We translate the axes so the origin sits at the center of the circle.
It is convenient at this point to translate the axis of the n dimensional space so that the origin of each axis occurs at its arithmetical mean.
1957, Leo Marcus, “A Mathematical Tool in Industry: An Algorithm for Curve Fitting by the Method of Least Squares”Here, translate means to move the starting point of the axes without turning them.
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11
verbarchaictransitive
To move something from one place to another.
Like carrying a box from one room to another.
They translated the old throne to the new palace.
To find one's self suddenly translated from the wild, flowery prairie into the heart of an aged, moss-grown village, of such foreign aspect, withal, was by no means easy to reconcile with one's notions of reality.
1838, [Edmund Flagg], The Far WestHere, translated means moved to a different place.
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12
verbarchaictransitive
To move an object in a straight line without turning it.
Like pushing a book straight across a table so it never turns.
Engineers translate the heavy block along the rail without spinning it.
You can translate the box sideways while keeping it facing forward.
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13
verbarchaictransitive or intransitive
Of an object, to move in a straight line without turning.
Like a drawer sliding out: it moves straight and never turns.
When pushed, the cart translates straight ahead without spinning.
Let us assume the gas molecule to be a structureless "billiard ball," translating in space and frequently colliding with the neighboring molecules.
2015, Ethirajan Rathakrishnan, “High-temperature Flows”Here, translating means moving in a straight line without spinning.
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14
verbarchaictransitive
To move the body of a dead important person, or a holy relic, to a new place.
Monks translate the saint's bones to a grander tomb.
Not far from hence is the Church and Convent of the Dominicans, where in the Chapel of St. Catherine of Sienna, they shew her head, the rest of her body being translated to Rome.
1644, John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 25 October 1644]”Here, translated means moved, as a holy person's remains taken to another place.
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15
verbarchaictransitive
To move a bishop or other church leader from one job to another.
The church translated the bishop to a larger city.
Leaders translate priests to new parishes when there is a need.
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16
verbarchaictransitive
To carry a holy person to Heaven alive, or to die and go there.
According to the story, God translated the prophet straight to Heaven.
By faith Enoch was tranſlated, that he ſhould not ſee death; and was not found, becauſe God had tranſlated him: For before his tranſlation he had this teſtimonie, that he pleaſed God.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, translated means taken up into heaven without dying.
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17
verbobsoletetransitive
To make a sickness move from one part of the body to another, or rarely from one person to another.
Old healers believed certain herbs could translate the illness from the chest to the limbs.
The doctor tried to translate the fever away from the heart.
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18
verbobsoletetransitive
To put someone into a trance, or make them lose their senses or memory.
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19
verbobsoletetransitive
To fix up old shoes, boots, or clothes so they can be sold again.
The cobbler would translate worn boots and sell them cheaply at the market.
They translated old shoes to sell to poorer customers.
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Practice

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Origin

From Latin translatus, a form of the verb transferre meaning 'to carry across.' It came into English through French.