translator

[ trans-ley-ter, tranz-, trans-ley-ter, tranz- ]

noun

1. Also trans·lat·er. a person who translates.
2. Television. a relay station that receives programming on one frequency and rebroadcasts it at another frequency for improved local reception.

Word History and Origins

Origin of translator¹

1350–1400; Middle English translatour (< Middle French ) < Late Latin translātor ( Latin: “one who transfers a thing”); translate, -tor

Example Sentences

At first she took jobs as a translator and as a BBC secretary, before attending Ulster University where she qualified to begin work as a social worker.

From BBC

Referring to the viral video, they said, “the able-bodied voters returned to the back of the line, elderly and disabled voters were permitted to sit and wait their turn, and those who needed the assistance of a translator were able to use their translator to help them through the process”.

From BBC

“If I needed, I had people who could translate,” he says over Zoom from across town with the help of a translator himself.

From Los Angeles Times

Beyond that, we speak almost exclusively through a Vietnamese translator.

From BBC

But then Fred Claire, who was the public relations director for the Dodgers, came up to me and said, “Jaime, it’s not fair that we are bothering the ballplayers and the coaches to help Fernando as his translator. Since you work with the team and you are with the team everywhere, we would like you to help Fernando as his interpreter.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• linguist