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translate

verb

Simple meaning

To change spoken words or written text from one language to another.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tranzlayt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

tɹænzˈleɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another.

  2. intransitive

    To provide a translation of spoken words or written text in another language; to be, or be capable of being, rendered in another language.

  3. transitive

    To express spoken words or written text in a different (often clearer or simpler) way in the same language; to paraphrase, to rephrase, to restate.

  4. Restate (words) from one language into another language

    “I have to translate when my in-laws from Austria visit the U.S.”

  5. Change from one form or medium into another

  6. Change the position of (figures or bodies) in space without rotation

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another.

Used this way, translate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use translate

  • “I have to translate when my in-laws from Austria visit the U.S.”verb
  • “Can you translate the instructions in this manual for a layman?”verb
  • “The growth in income translates into greater purchasing power.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

necessarily translate

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • translatornounPerson or profession

    A person who translates written messages from one language to another.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • translating programnounCompound term

    A program that translates one programming language into another.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to change spoken words

interpret

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.