What does translating mean?
Translating is the process of expressing the meaning of words, text, or speech in another language. It is used when someone converts a book, speech, document, or conversation from one language into another, and it may involve difficult choices about idiom, tone, culture, and style. The word also has broader uses: a person may be said to be translating jargon into ordinary language, or to be translating an idea into a visual form. Translating is therefore not limited to a literal exchange of languages; it often means carrying meaning accurately from one context into another. The activity requires sensitivity to both the source expression and the expectations of the new audience. In contemporary use, translating can also refer to interpretation in fields such as diplomacy, literature, law, and business, where precision and clarity are especially important. Its familiar use in language learning has made it a common term for the careful transfer of meaning across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
verbTranslating is expressing the meaning of words, text, or speech in another language. More broadly, it can mean making something understandable or carrying it from one form, place, or condition to another.
- Expressing the meaning of words, text, or speech in another language.
- Explaining or rendering something understandable, especially by using simpler words or a different form.
- Transferring or causing something to move from one place, form, or condition to another.
"She spent the evening translating an important speech into French."
"The publisher hired a skilled translator for translating the manuscript into English."
"Good teachers are skilled at translating difficult ideas into language that students can understand."
To translate literally means to carry something across: the word comes from Latin roots meaning “across” and “to carry.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does translating come from?
Translating comes from the English verb translate, which derives from Latin transferre, meaning “to carry across.” The Latin word was formed from trans-, meaning “across,” and ferre, meaning “to carry.” From this root developed related English words such as translation, translator, translatable, and transfer. The modern form refers broadly to carrying language or meaning from one language, context, or form into another.
How translating is actually used
Translating is most commonly used for language conversion, but it can also describe making an abstract idea accessible or transferring something from one form or place to another.
Easily confused with translating
Translating is the activity of expressing something in another language, whereas a translation is the resulting version or interpretation.