translate (v.)

  1. restate (words) from one language into another language; I have to translate when my in-laws from Austria visit the U.S.; Can you interpret the speech of the visiting dignitaries?; She rendered the French poem into English; He translates for the U.N.

    [ Syn: interpret , render ]

  2. determine the amino-acid sequence of a protein during its synthesis by using information on the messenger RNA

  3. change from one form or medium into another; Braque translated collage into oil

    [ Syn: transform ]

  4. make sense of a language; She understands French; Can you read Greek?

    [ Syn: understand , read , interpret ]

  5. bring to a certain spiritual state

  6. change the position of (figures or bodies) in space without rotation

  7. be equivalent in effect; the growth in income translates into greater purchasing power'

  8. be translatable, or be translatable in a certain way; poetry often does not translate; Tolstoy's novels translate well into English'

  9. subject to movement in which every part of the body moves parallel to and the same distance as every other point on the body

  10. express, as in simple and less technical language; Can you translate the instructions in this manual for a layman?; Is there a need to translate the psychiatrist's remarks?'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.