Translatory

Translatory Translatory Translatory By Maeve Maddox This reader’s question relates to the word translatory. Before writing, he looked it up:    Merriam-Webster definition: â€Å"of, relating to, or involving uniform motion in one direction.† Nothing about its clear parallel, translate. The Free Dictionary lists â€Å"translatory as an adjective under its entry for translation. Oxford does not appear to list it as a word at all – at least via online search. Translational is likely the correct adjective to use when discussing a translation, although translatory has been used to mean translational (e.g., ‘the translatory pen of William Tyndale’).    Ah, the ongoing battle of the dictionaries. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged I pay for has an entry for translatory, but no definition, just a link to translational. The OED I use via subscription does have an entry for translatory: â€Å"of or pertaining to physical translation† and offers this example from 1849: â€Å"The negative tension of an insulated metal is sensibly augmented by giving a translatory motion to the gas which attacks its surface.† M-W has a separate entry for â€Å"translatory motion†: â€Å"motion in which all points of a moving body move uniformly in the same line or direction.† No example of usage is offered. The short answer to the reader’s question is that some speakers may use translatory in reference to translating languages, but translational is the more common adjective in that context. A cursory search of the Web brought up two uses of translatory in reference to the translation of language, both from non-native English-speaking sources: The  master’s programmeprovides in-depth knowledge of (foreign) languages and translatory skills acquired in the bachelor’s programme.- University of Graz (Austria). [Some translators] failing to see the larger context or the  translatory  action at work.- Literary Translation in Modern Iran: A sociological study, by Esmaeil Haddadian-Moghaddam. A search for â€Å"translatory† on Google brings up the admonitory message: â€Å"Did you mean translator?† and Word flags the word translatory with a squiggly red line. The words translate, translator and translation have different meanings in different contexts. For me, a translation is a text written in a language other than the original, and a translator is someone who renders a work written in one language into another. In another context, a translator is a transmitter that rebroadcasts the signals of a distant TV station to rural areas: In 1973, the construction of a network of transmitters and translators connected by microwave relay was approved by the state legislature. Another meaning of translate is â€Å"To change in form, appearance, or substance.† Peter Quince uses the word with this meaning in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when, like Snount, he reacts to the sight of Bottom with an ass’s head: SNOUT: O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee? BOTTOM: What do you see? You see an ass head of your own, do you? QUINCE: Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee. Thou art translated. Translatory has its uses, but it is not the conventional choice in the context of language translation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesDeck the HallsHow to Style Legislative Terms