translator

IPA/trænzˈleɪtə(r)/
KK[trænslˈetɚ]IPA/trænzˈleɪtər/

translator — noun

  • translatorsingular
  • translatorsplural

1. someone who takes written text in one language and produces an equivalent versio

1.nounB1
Definition

someone who takes written text in one language and produces an equivalent version in another language, doing this as a regular paid job

Example

Yumi works as a translator for a Tokyo publishing house, turning English novels into Japanese.

collocation: work as a translator

The United Nations hired several translators to prepare a report in all six official languages.

passive: hired to prepare documents in [languages]

Common collocations
  • professional translator
  • freelance translator
  • certified translator
  • work as a translator
  • hire a translator
  • translator of [language]
Synonyms
  • interpreter

    handles spoken language in real time, not written documents

  • transcriber

    writes down spoken words in the same language, rather than converting between languages

  • localiser

    adapts content for a specific regional market, going beyond word-for-word translation

Grammar Patterns

translator + of + language

work as + a translator

Usage Note

Frequently followed by of + language (a translator of Arabic poetry) or from/into (translator from Italian into English). When the focus is on spoken language, interpreter is the preferred term.

Common Mistakes

She worked as a translator at the UN conference, interpreting the secretary-general's speech.
She worked as an interpreter at the UN conference.
A translator handles written text; an interpreter handles spoken conversation in real time.
He is a Chinese translator.' (ambiguous)
He is a translator of Chinese.' or 'He is a translator who works in Chinese and English.
Adding 'Chinese' alone can mean either the source or the target language.

2. someone who listens to what a person says in one language and immediately says t

2.nounB1
Definition

someone who listens to what a person says in one language and immediately says the same message in another language, helping people who speak different languages understand each other

Example

Karim served as a translator for the trade delegation, helping them talk with local suppliers.

collocation: serve as a translator for [group]

At a medical conference, a translator whispered the speech into Cantonese for the doctors.

Common collocations
  • act as a translator
  • serve as a translator
  • find a translator
  • need a translator
Synonyms
  • interpreter

    the standard professional term for someone who converts spoken language in real time

  • linguist

    broader term; can refer to anyone skilled in languages, not necessarily doing conversion work

Grammar Patterns

act as + a translator

serve as + translator + for + [group]

Usage Note

In modern English, interpreter is more common than translator when referring to spoken language. Translator in this spoken sense is still understood but may sound informal or slightly old-fashioned. Many professional contexts (conferences, courts, hospitals) use interpreter.

Common Mistakes

The hospital hired a translator for the Mandarin-speaking patient.' (if the patient speaks, not writes)
The hospital hired an interpreter for the Mandarin-speaking patient.
Hospitals need real-time spoken help, which is interpretation.

3. a software program that reads instructions written in one computer language and

3.nounB2
Definition

a software program that reads instructions written in one computer language and creates equivalent instructions in a different computer language

Example

The team used a translator to convert the old COBOL banking system into Java code.

collocation: convert [language] into [language]

A good code translator checks the output structure, not just the original program's words.

Common collocations
  • code translator
  • language translator
  • custom translator
  • translator tool
  • build a translator
Synonyms
  • compiler

    a specific type of translator that turns source code into machine code for direct execution

  • transpiler

    a translator that converts between high-level programming languages (e.g., TypeScript to JavaScript)

  • converter

    general term for any tool that changes one format into another, not limited to programming languages

Grammar Patterns

[language] translator

translator + for + [language]

Usage Note

In computing, translator is a broad term that covers compilers (which produce machine code) and transpilers (which produce higher-level code). Not interchangeable with interpreter, which executes code line by line without producing a separate output file.

Common Mistakes

Python uses a translator to run code.
Python uses an interpreter to run code.
An interpreter runs code directly; a translator produces new code in a different language.

Word family

  • translate
    verbB1
  • translation
    nounB1
  • translatable
    adjectiveC1
  • untranslatable
    adjectiveC1
  • translatability
    nounC2
  • translational
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Translator, interpreter, and transcriber all involve working with language, but they differ in medium and timing. A translator works with written text and can take time to refine the output — accuracy and style are both important. An interpreter works with spoken language and must deliver the meaning instantly, often under pressure, with no chance to go back and edit. A transcriber, by contrast, writes down spoken words in the same language; the task is faithful recording rather than conversion between languages. The broader term linguist describes anyone with advanced language skills but does not specify the work they do. For example: 'The Arabic translator spent three weeks on the novel,' but 'The hospital interpreter relayed the patient's symptoms to the doctor within seconds.'

translator ↗interpreter ↗transcriber ↗linguist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • translation agency
  • translation service
  • translation project
  • translation tool

Adverbs

Phrases

  • work as a translator
  • hire a translator
  • become a translator
  • act as a translator

Prepositions

  • from [language] into [language]
  • for [organisation]

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word translator comes from Latin translatus, meaning 'carried across' (the past participle of transferre, 'to carry over'), combined with the agent suffix -or ('one who does'). It entered English through Old French translateur in the 14th century, first referring to a person who rendered texts from one language to another. The computing sense emerged in the mid-20th century as programming languages multiplied and tools were needed to convert between them.