mistranslate

IPA/ˌmɪs.trænzˈleɪt/
IPA/ˌmɪsˈtrænz.leɪt/

mistranslate — verb

  • mistranslatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • mistranslates3rd person singular
  • mistranslating-ing form
  • mistranslatedpast simple

1. to express spoken or written language in another language wrongly, so the new ve

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to express spoken or written language in another language wrongly, so the new version does not keep the original meaning accurate

Example

The app mistranslated Roya's text message and started an unnecessary argument.

pattern: mistranslate + message/text

Aarav accidentally mistranslated the doctor's warning during the video call.

collocation: mistranslate a warning

Common collocations
  • mistranslate a message
  • mistranslate a warning
  • mistranslate a sign
  • mistranslate a joke
  • mistranslate subtitles
Synonyms
  • misinterpret

    Broader — can mean understanding something wrongly even when no language change is involved

  • garble

    Stronger and less precise — suggests making the wording confused, not specifically translating between languages

  • misrender

    More formal and literary — often used for a mistaken wording choice in translation

Antonyms
  • translate

    Carries the meaning into another language correctly

  • render faithfully

    Emphasises keeping the original meaning and tone accurate

Grammar Patterns

mistranslate + noun phrase

be mistranslated into + language

Usage Note

The object is usually speech, writing, subtitles, signs, or another piece of language being moved into a new language. The verb often appears in the passive when the wrong translated version itself is the focus.

Common Mistakes

She mistranslated what he meant.
She misunderstood what he meant.
'mistranslate' is only for changing language, not for reading someone's intention wrongly.
The editor mistranslated the report from English for Spanish readers.
The editor mistranslated the report from English into Spanish.
Use 'into' before the target language, not 'for'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Mistranslate' is specifically about carrying meaning from one language into another wrongly. 'Misinterpret' is broader and can happen without any language change, when someone simply understands a remark, action, or intention in the wrong way. 'Garble' focuses on making wording confused, broken, or hard to follow, and it does not have to involve translation. 'Translate' is the neutral verb for putting something into another language, while 'mistranslate' says that the result is wrong. Use 'mistranslate' when the key idea is an incorrect cross-language version, not a general misunderstanding.

misinterpret ↗garble ↗translate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be mistranslated into
  • mistranslate a sign
  • mistranslate a joke

Prepositions

Etymology

English

'Mistranslate' combines the English prefix 'mis-', meaning 'wrongly' or 'badly', with 'translate'. The literal idea is therefore 'translate in the wrong way'.

First known use

1532

1532, in the meaning defined above