Translate
Encarta Sat 22 Jan 2011 03:03 AM
translate [ transs láyt ] (3rd person present singular translates, present participle translating, past and past participle translated) verb
Definition: 1. transitive and intransitive verb turn words into different language: to reproduce a written or spoken text in a different language while retaining the original meaning Can you translate that phrase? 2. intransitive verb be capable of being translated: to be capable of being translated, or have an equivalent in another language The idiom doesn't translate well. 3. transitive verb convert code: to convert computer data to a different form according to an algorithm translate the program into machine code 4. transitive verb say something in understandable terms: to say or explain something in terms that are easier to understand The attendant muttered something vague, which, when translated, meant 'We don't know what happened to your car'. 5. transitive verb interpret meaning: to explain the meaning of something not expressed in words, e.g. an action, gesture, or look I translated his silence as approval. 6. transitive and intransitive verb change form of something: to change something from one form or effect into another, or be changed from one form or effect into another 7. transitive verb move somebody or something: to move or carry somebody or something from one place to another, usually with a complete change of condition or scene She was translated from her small country home to a high-rise city apartment. 8. transitive verb Christianity transfer clergy: to transfer a member of the clergy to another office, especially a bishop to another see 9. transitive verb Christianity move remains of saint: to move the remains or relics of a saint from one place to another 10. transitive verb religion convey somebody to heaven: to convey somebody to heaven, especially in a way that is believed not to involve death 11. transitive verb genetics decipher genetic instructions for making protein: to decipher the genetic message carried by a molecule of messenger RNA and assemble the amino acids of a protein chain according to the instructions 12. transitive verb physics move body sideways in straight line: to move a body sideways through space in a direct straight line without rotation
[14th century. < Latin translatus, used as past participle of transferre 'carry across' < ferre 'carry']
translatability [ transs láytə bílləti ] noun
translatable [ transs láytəb'l ] adjective