translator

English

Alternative forms

• tr., trans., transl. (abbreviations)
• translater (now generally proscribed)
• translatour, translatoure, traunslatour, translacttor, translature, translatar, translatare (obsolete)

Etymology

Directly from Latin trānslātor and French translator, and also from Middle English translatour, from Old French translatour, translateur, etc., from Latin trānslātor, from trānslātus (“carried across”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from trānsferō (“carry across”), from trans (“across”) + ferō (“bear, carry”), q.v. Equivalent to translate +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/, /ˈtɹænsleɪtɚ/, /ˌtɹænzˈleɪtɚ/, [ˌtʰɹænzˈleɪtʰɚ], [ˌtʰɹænzˈleɪɾɚ], /ˌtɹænsˈleɪtɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹanzleɪtə/, /ˈtɹɑːnzleɪtə/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

translator (plural translators)

1. A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
   1. A person or thing that translates various forms of text. [1382]
   2. (inexact, sometimes proscribed) Synonym of interpreter, a person or thing that immediately interprets direct speech. [1850]
      • 1980, Gerald Ford, “Boyhood—and Beyond”, in A Time to Heal‎^[1], New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, page 95:

        "You don't believe the Soviet Union is going to reduce its defense budget, do you?" Boggs asked.
        Premier Chou didn't wait for the translator to finish. "Never, never, never," he replied in perfect English.

   3. (figuratively) A person or thing that expresses an idea or style in a new form or medium. [1855]
      • 1855 June, Gentleman's Magazine, number 657, page 1:

        Mr. C. Blair Leighton... lithographer... was one of the earliest translators of water and oil pictures by the chromatic process.

   4. (computing, chiefly historical) A machine that converts inputs into a pattern of holes on a punch card. [1952]
   5. (chiefly US) A relay station that retransmits incoming television signals after automatically adjusting their frequency to avoid interference. [1956]
   6. (computing) A program that converts commands from one computer language into another. [1957]
2. (chiefly obsolete) Synonym of carrier, a person who transports something, now particularly (Roman Catholicism, rare) holy relics. [1535]
   • 2019, Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Images of Sainthood in Medieval Europe, page 100:

     ... the translator of the life and miracles of the saints, like the translator of the relics, need not have been "literate"; nor did he have to be a clerk.

3. (historical) Synonym of repairer, particularly of leather or cloth goods. [1594]
   • 1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, page 33:

     Boots and Shoes are not to be had, I am told, in sufficient quantity for the demand from the slop-shops, the "translators," and the second-hand dealers. Great quantities of second-hand boots and shoes are sent to Ireland to be "translated" there.

4. (historical, slang) A used and repaired shoe, boot, or other item of clothing. [1851]
5. (obsolete) Synonym of repeater, a thing that automatically retransmits an incoming message along a telegraph line. [1855]
6. (obsolete) A thing that converts energy from one form to another. [1884]
7. (botany) The retinaculum of asclepiads.

Usage notes

In modern professional contexts, a translator specifically deals with text input in contrast to an interpreter who deals with speech or signing input, generally under greater time constraints. Subtitles for videos, games, performances, etc. are generally handled by translators working from transcripts.

Synonyms

• dubash (India, chiefly historical); interpreter (inexact)

Hyponyms

• machine translator

Derived terms

• cotranslator
• fanslator
• Fortran
• machine translator
• piezotranslator
• pretranslator
• scanlator
• translatorese
• translatorial
• translatorship
• translatress

Related terms

• transfer
• translate
• translation
• translatory

Translations

someone or something that translates meaning from one language to another

• Afrikaans: vertaler, vertaalster
• Albanian: përkthyes (sq) m, përkthyese (sq) f
• Amharic: አስተርጓሚ (ʾästärgʷami), አስተርጓሚት f (ʾästärgʷamit)
• Arabic: مُتَرْجِم m (mutarjim), مُتَرْجِمَة f (mutarjima), تُرْجُمَان m (turjumān)
• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܬܲܪܓܡܵܢܵܐ m (targmānā), ܬܲܪܓܡܵܢܬܵܐ f (targmāntā)

• Armenian: թարգմանիչ (hy) (tʻargmaničʻ)
• Assamese: ভাঙনি কৰোঁতা (bhaṅoni korü̃ta), অনুবাদক (onubadok)
• Asturian: traductor
• Azerbaijani: tərcüməçi (az), mütərcim
• Bashkir: тәржемәсе (tärjimäsi)
• Basque: itzultzaile
• Belarusian: перакла́дчык (be) m (pjerakládčyk), перакла́дчыца f (pjerakládčyca)
• Bengali: অনুবাদক (bn) (onubadok)
• Breton: troour
• Bulgarian: превода́ч (bg) m (prevodáč), превода́чка (bg) f (prevodáčka)
• Burmese: ဘာသာပြန် (my) (bhasa-pran), ဘာသာပြန်သူ (bhasa-pransu)
• Catalan: traductor (ca) m, traductora (ca) f
• Chechen: гочдархо (gočdarxo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 譯者 / 译者 (zh) (yìzhě), 譯員 / 译员 (zh) (yìyuán), 翻譯 / 翻译 (zh) (fānyì), 翻譯員 / 翻译员 (zh) (fānyìyuán), 翻譯者 / 翻译者 (zh) (fānyìzhě), 翻譯家 / 翻译家 (zh) (fānyìjiā), 翻譯官 / 翻译官 (zh) (fānyìguān)

• Comorian:

  Ngazidja Comorian: mtafsiri class 1/2

• Czech: překladatel (cs) m, překladatelka f
• Danish: oversætter c, tolk (da) c (interpreter)
• Dutch: vertaler (nl) m, vertaalster (nl) f
• Elfdalian: yvyrsetter m
• Esperanto: (♂♀, professional) tradukisto, (♂) virtradukisto, (♀) tradukistino, (♂♀) tradukanto, (♂) virtradukanto, (♀) tradukantino, (neut.) tradukilo (eo)
• Estonian: tõlk
• Faroese: týðari m, tolkur m, umsetari m
• Finnish: kääntäjä (fi)
• French: traducteur (fr) m, traductrice (fr) f
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: oersetter m

• Galician: tradutor (gl) m, tradutora f
• Georgian: მთარგმნელი (mtargmneli), თარჯიმანი (tarǯimani)
• German: Übersetzer (de) m, Übersetzerin (de) f
• Greek: μεταφραστής (el) m (metafrastís), μεταφράστρια (el) f (metafrástria); (machine) μηχανικός μεταφραστής m (michanikós metafrastís)

  Ancient Greek: μεταφραστής m (metaphrastḗs)

• Greenlandic: nutserisoq
• Gujarati: અનુવાદક (anuvādak)
• Hawaiian: mea unuhi
• Hebrew: מְתַרְגֵּם (he) m (metargém), מְתַרְגֶּמֶת f (metargémet)
• Hindi: अनुवादक (hi) m (anuvādak), भाषांतरकार m (bhāṣāntarkār), अनुवादिका f (anuvādikā)
• Hungarian: fordító (hu)
• Icelandic: þýðandi (is) m
• Ido: (♂♀, professional) tradukisto (io), (♂) tradukistulo, (♀) tradukistino, (♂♀) tradukanto (io), (♂) tradukantulo, (♀) tradukantino
• Indonesian: penerjemah (id)
• Irish: aistritheoir m
• Italian: traduttore (it) m, traduttrice (it) f
• Japanese: 翻訳者 (ほんやくしゃ, hon'yakusha)
• Kannada: ಅನುವಾದಕ (kn) (anuvādaka)
• Kapampangan: talalikas (person)
• Kazakh: аударушы (awdaruwšı), аудармашы (awdarmašı)
• Khmer: អ្នកបកប្រែ (nĕək bɑɑk prae)
• Korean: 번역자(飜譯者) (beonyeokja), 번역가(飜譯家) (ko) (beonyeokga)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وەرگێڕ (ckb) (wergêrr)

  Northern Kurdish: wergêr (ku), terciman (ku)

• Kyrgyz: котормочу (ky) (kotormocu)
• Ladino: terdjuman m
• Lao: ຜູ້ແປ (phū pǣ), ນາຍພາສາ (nāi phā sā)
• Latin: interpres m or f, trānslātor (la) m
• Latvian: tulkotājs m, tulkotāja f
• Lithuanian: vertėjas m
• Luxembourgish: Iwwersetzer m
• Macedonian: преведувач m (preveduvač), преведувачка f (preveduvačka)
• Malay: penterjemah (ms)
• Malayalam: വിവര്ത്തകന് (vivarttakanŭ)
• Maltese: traduttur m
• Manchu: ᡨᡠᠩᠰᡝ (tungse)
• Mansi:

  Northern Mansi: толмась (tolmasʹ)

• Māori: kaiwhiringa reo, kaiwhakamāori
• Marathi: अनुवादक (mr) (anuvādak)
• Middle English: translatour
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: орчуулагч (mn) (orčuulagč), хөрвүүлэгч (xörvüülegč)

• Norman: traducteux m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: oversetter m

  Nynorsk: omsetjar m, omsettar m

• Occitan: traductor (oc)
• Odia: ଅନୁବାଦକ (anubādaka)
• Old English: wealhstod m
• Pashto: ترجمان (ps) m (tarjomãn), مترجم m (motarajém), ژباړن (ps) m (žbāṛán), ژباړونکی (ps) m (žbāṛúnkay)
• Pennsylvania German: Iwwersetzer m
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: تَرْجُمان (fa) (tarjomân), تَرْگُمان (targomân), مُتَرْجِم (fa) (motarjem), ^{(please verify)} تَرْجُمَنْدِه (tarjomande), تَرْجُمال (tarjomâl) (machine)

• Plautdietsch: Äwasata m
• Polish: tłumacz (pl) m, tłumaczka (pl) f, translator (pl) m, translatorka f, przekładacz
• Portuguese: tradutor (pt) m, tradutora f
• Romanian: traducător (ro) m, traducătoare (ro) f, translator (ro) m, translatoare (ro) f
• Romansh: translatur m, translatura f
• Russian: перево́дчик (ru) m (perevódčik), перево́дчица (ru) f (perevódčica)
• Sami:

  Northern Sami: jorgaleaddji

  Skolt Sami: ǩiõlljåårǥlõʹtti

• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-theangair m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: прево̀дилац m, прево̀дитељ m

  Latin: prevòdilac (sh) m, prevòditelj (sh) m

• Sinhalese: පරිවර්තක (pariwartaka)
• Slovak: prekladateľ m, prekladateľka f
• Slovene: prevajalec (sl) m, prevajalka f
• Somali: turjume
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: pśełožowaŕ m

  Upper Sorbian: přełožowar m, přełožer m

• Sotho: mofetoledi
• Southern Altai: тилмеш (tilmeš)
• Spanish: traductor (es) m, traductora (es) f
• Swahili: mfasiri (nc 1/2), mfumbua (nc 1/2), mtapta (nc 1/2)
• Swedish: översättare (sv) c
• Tajik: тарҷумон (tarjumon), мутарҷим (mutarjim)
• Tamil: மொழிபெயர்ப்பாளர் (moḻipeyarppāḷar)
• Tatar: тәрҗемәче (tt) (tärcemäçe)
• Telugu: అనువాదకుడు (te) (anuvādakuḍu)
• Thai: ผู้แปล (pûu-bplɛɛ), นักแปล (nák-bplɛɛ), ล่าม (th) (lâam)
• Tibetan: སྐད་སྒྱུར (skad sgyur)
• Tigrinya: ተርጓሚ (ti) m (tärgʷami), ተርጓሚት f (tärgʷamit)
• Turkish: çevirmen (tr), tercüman (tr)
• Turkmen: terjimeçi
• Ukrainian: переклада́ч (uk) m (perekladáč), переклада́чка f (perekladáčka)
• Urdu: مُتَرْجِم m (mutarjim), تَرْجُمان m (tarjumān), اَنُوَادَک m (anūādak)
• Uyghur: تەرجىمان (terjiman)
• Uzbek: tarjimon (uz)
• Vietnamese: thông dịch viên (vi), dịch gỉa
• Volapük: (♂♀) tradutan (vo), (♂) hitradutan, (♀) jitradutan
• Walloon: ratourneu (wa) m, tradujheu m, ratourneuse (wa) f, tradujheuse f
• Welsh: cyfieithydd (cy)
• Yiddish: איבערזעצער m (iberzetser), איבערזעצערין f (iberzetserin)

(inexact) interpreter — see also interpreter

• Bulgarian: превода́ч (bg) m (prevodáč)
• Catalan: traductor (ca) m, traductora (ca) f (proscribed)
• Galician: tradutor (gl) m, tradutora f (proscribed)
• Greek: μεταφραστής (el) m (metafrastís)
• Italian: interprete (it) m or f
• Latin: interpres m or f, trānslātor (la) m
• Macedonian: толкувач m (tolkuvač)
• Māori: kaiwhakawhiti reo
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: تَرْجُمان (fa) (tarjomân), تَرْگُمان (targomân), تیلْماچی (tilmâči), مُتَرْجِم (fa) (motarjem)

• Portuguese: tradutor (pt) m, tradutora f (proscribed)
• Romanian: interpret (ro) m
• Russian: перево́дчик (ru) m (perevódčik), перево́дчица (ru) f (perevódčica)
• Spanish: traductor (es) m, traductora (es) f
• Tagalog: tagapagsalinwika
• Tigrinya: ተርጓሚ (ti) m (tärgʷami), ተርጓሚት f (tärgʷamit)
• Ukrainian: переклада́ч (uk) m (perekladáč)
• Volapük: nätäpretan (vo)

References

• “translator, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Further reading

• “translator”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Latin

Etymology

From trānslātus + -tor.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [trãːsˈɫaː.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [tranzˈlaː.tor]
• Hyphenation: trāns‧lā‧tor

Noun

trānslātor m (genitive trānslātōris, feminine trānslātrīx); third declension

1. transferrer (one who carries over)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	trānslātor	trānslātōrēs
genitive	trānslātōris	trānslātōrum
dative	trānslātōrī	trānslātōribus
accusative	trānslātōrem	trānslātōrēs
ablative	trānslātōre	trānslātōribus
vocative	trānslātor	trānslātōrēs

Further reading

• “translātor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• trānslātor in Georges, Karl Ernst; Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 2, Hahnsche Buchhandlung, column 3192
• R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “translator”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources‎^[2], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC
• “translator”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1594, column 3.
• Harm Pinkster, editor (2018), “trānslātor”, in Woordenboek Latijn/Nederlands‎^[3], 7th revised edition, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, →ISBN, →OCLC
• Latino-Sinicum [translated as: 移過者／移过者]
• "TRANSLATOR", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “trānslātor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English translator, from Middle English translatour, from Old French translator, translatour, translateur, from Latin trānslātor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /transˈla.tɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -atɔr
• Syllabification: trans‧la‧tor

Noun

translator m pers (female equivalent translatorka)

1. (literary, translation studies) translator (someone who translates)

   Synonym: tłumacz

Declension

Declension of translator

	singular	plural
nominative	translator	translatorzy/translatory (deprecative)
genitive	translatora	translatorów
dative	translatorowi	translatorom
accusative	translatora	translatorów
instrumental	translatorem	translatorami
locative	translatorze	translatorach
vocative	translatorze	translatorzy

Noun

translator m inan

1. (computing) translator (computer program that translates something from one language to another using machine translation)

Declension

Declension of translator

	singular	plural
nominative	translator	translatory
genitive	translatora	translatorów
dative	translatorowi	translatorom
accusative	translator	translatory
instrumental	translatorem	translatorami
locative	translatorze	translatorach
vocative	translatorze	translatory

Derived terms

adjective

• translatorski

Related terms

adjective

• translacyjny

nouns

• translacja
• translatorium

verbs

• translatować impf

Further reading

• “translator”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[4] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “translator”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “translator”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861, volume II, page 1714
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1919), “translator”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 7, Warsaw, page 98
• Zygmunt Saloni, et al., editors (2020), “translator rz. m1”, in Słownik gramatyczny języka polskiego [Grammatical Dictionary of Polish]‎^[6], 4. online edition, Warszawa
• Zygmunt Saloni, et al., editors (2020), “translator rz. m3”, in Słownik gramatyczny języka polskiego [Grammatical Dictionary of Polish]‎^[7], 4. online edition, Warszawa

Romanian

Alternative forms

• транслатор (translator) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling

Etymology

Borrowed from French translateur, from Latin translator, translatoris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /transˈla.tor/, /trans.laˈtor/
• Rhymes: -ator, -or
• Hyphenation: trans‧la‧tor

Noun

translator m (plural translatori, feminine equivalent translatoare)

1. translator (someone or something that translates meaning from one language to another)

   Synonym: traducător

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	translator	translatorul	translatori	translatorii
genitive-dative	translator	translatorului	translatori	translatorilor
vocative	translatorule		translatorilor

Further reading

• “translator”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026