source language

noun

1. the language in which a text appears that is to be translated into another language. Compare target language ( def 1 ).
2. a language, usually the learner's native language, that is a source of interference in learning another language. Compare target language ( def 2 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of source language¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

This uniformity strongly suggests this word was found in the languages' early Germanic parent – that is, the source language from which all these Germanic languages descended.

From Salon

“The goal of localization is for users in the target language to have the same experience as users in the source language,” says Kracker.

From The Verge

Davis says people tend to study the “paleographic, forensic, and artistic evidence” to find a country of origin, and with that, a source language, but she adds that computational analysis is also used.

From The Verge

"The main challenges are when there is less explicit information in the source language than what is needed for generating proper target language."

From BBC

And so Lewis followed some stringent, self-imposed rules in composing this long poem, altering nothing about her source language except its punctuation.

From The New Yorker