translator
n. countablen. a person or a computer program that changes written words from one language into another. You use this when you need to understand a text written in a foreign language.
n. a person or software application that converts written text from a source language into a target language. Refers specifically to written media, distinguishing the role from that of an oral interpreter.
She works as a freelance translator for a publishing company.
The online translator struggled with the technical jargon in the manual, so we hired a professional to check it.
A skilled literary translator does more than swap words; they must preserve the tone, rhythm, and cultural nuances of the original manuscript for a new audience.
Directly from Latin trānslātor and French translator, and also from Middle English translatour, from Old French translatour, translateur, etc., from Latin trānslātor, from trānslātus (“carried across”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from trānsferō (“carry across”), from trans (“across”) + ferō (“bear, carry”), q.v. Equivalent to translate + -or.
Commonly followed by 'from' and 'into' to specify the languages involved.
The translator helped the two leaders speak to each other.The interpreter helped the two leaders speak to each other.Learners often confuse 'translator' (written text) with 'interpreter' (spoken word).