interpreter

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See also: interpréter

English

Etymology

From Middle English interpreter, interpretour, from Latin interpretor (“to explain, expound, understand”), from interpres (“agent, translator”).

Displaced native Old English wealhstod.

Pronunciation

Noun

interpreter (plural interpreters)

  1. A person who interprets.
    an interpreter of dreams
    one of the foremost interpreters [i.e. performers] of Beethoven's piano works
    • 1529, Thomas More, Dialogue of Diverse Matters‎, London: J. Rastell, Book 4, Chapter 6:
      the holy fathers interpretours of holy scrypture
    • 1876, George Eliot, Daniel Deronda‎, Leipzig: B. Tauchnitz, Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 30, p. 205:
      A severe interpreter might say that the mere facts of their relation to each other, the melancholy position of this woman who depended on his will, made a standing banquet for his delight in dominating.
    • 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois, chapter 10, in The Souls of Black Folk‎, Chicago: McClurg, page 196:
      […] the Priest or Medicine-man […] early appeared on the plantation and found his function as the healer of the sick, the interpreter of the Unknown […] and the one who rudely but picturesquely expressed the longing, disappointment, and resentment of a stolen and oppressed people.
    1. A person who converts spoken or signed language into a different language for the benefit of one or more others who do not understand the first language being used (especially if in real time or shortly after that person has finished communicating). (Contrasted with translator.)
      A Japanese man who is tried before a German court is assisted by an interpreter in making oral statements.
      • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well‎, Act IV, Scene 1:
        When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will: though you understand it not yourselves, no matter; for we must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us whom we must produce for an interpreter.
      • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Leaves Luggnagg, and Sails to Japan. From thence He Returns in a Dutch Ship to Amsterdam, and from Amsterdam to England.”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. , volume II, London: Benj Motte, , →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 137:
        I had many Acquaintance among Persons of the best Fashion, and being always attended by my Interpreter, the Conversation we had was not disagreeable.
      • 1880, Mark Twain, chapter 14, in A Tramp Abroad‎, volume 1, London: Chatto & Windus, page 115:
        I can understand German as well as the maniac that invented it, but I talk it best through an interpreter.
      • 1991, Jerome Daniel Schein, Enid G. Wolf-Schein, University of Alberta. Western Canadian Centre for Studies in Deafness, Postsecondary Education for Deaf Students:
        Once in the classroom the interpreter might inform the deaf person of various auditory information occurring in the environment such as: The teacher has a strong accent. Your hearing aid is making a noise. The fire alarm has gone off!
      • 2019, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Penguin Random House, Part 1:
        So began my career as our family’s official interpreter. From then on, I would fill in our blanks, our silences, stutters, whenever I could. I code switched. I took off our language and wore my English, like a mask, so that others would see my face, and therefore yours.
    2. A guide who helps people visiting an attraction such as an art exhibit, a nature reserve, etc., understand what they are seeing.
      At the historic site there are costumed interpreters demonstrating ancient crafts.
  2. (figuratively) Something that reveals or clarifies.
    • 1823, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Forget Me Not 1824, The Indian Orphan, page 67:
      Flowers are the interpreters of love in India, painting in the most vivid but in the softest colours speaking in the sweetest sighs: while each blossom that fades is a mournful remembrancer either of blighted hopes or departed pleasures.
    • c. 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale‎, Act V, Scene 1:
      […] these thy offices, / So rarely kind, are as interpreters / Of my behind-hand slackness.
    • 1910, Emma Goldman, “The Modern Drama”, in Anarchism and Other Essays‎, New York: Mother Earth Publishing Association, page 247:
      the modern drama—the strongest and most far-reaching interpreter of our deep-felt dissatisfaction
  3. (computing) A program that executes another program written in a high-level language by reading the instructions in real time rather than by compiling it in advance.
    Programs written in the BASIC language are usually run through an interpreter, though some can be compiled.

Usage notes

In the localization industry, an interpreter deals specifically with speech or signing as the input, while a translator deals with text as the input.

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

interpreter

  1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of interpretor

Middle French

Verb

interpreter

  1. to interpret; to find meaning in something

Conjugation

  • Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
Conjugation of interpreter
infinitive simple interpreter
compound avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2 simple interpretant
compound present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle interpreté
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative ie (i’) tu il, elle nous vous ilz, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present interprete interpretes interprete interpretons interpretez interpretent
imperfect interpretois, interpretoys interpretois, interpretoys interpretoit, interpretoyt interpretions, interpretyons interpretiez, interpretyez interpretoient, interpretoyent
past historic interpreta interpretas interpreta interpretasmes interpretastes interpreterent
future interpreterai, interpreteray interpreteras interpretera interpreterons interpreterez interpreteront
conditional interpreterois, interpreteroys interpreterois, interpreteroys interpreteroit, interpreteroyt interpreterions, interpreteryons interpreteriez, interpreteryez interpreteroient, interpreteroyent
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que ie (i’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present interprete interpretes interprete interpretons interpretez interpretent
imperfect interpretasse interpretasses interpretast interpretassions interpretassiez interpretassent
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — interprete — interpretons interpretez —
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château , Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château , op. cit., p. 180).

Descendants

  • French: interpréter

Polish

Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Borrowed from English interpreter.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /in.tɛrˈprɛ.tɛr/
  • Rhymes: -ɛtɛr
  • Syllabification: in‧ter‧pre‧ter

Noun

interpreter m inan

  1. (computing) interpreter

Declension

Declension of interpreter
singular plural
nominative interpreter interpretery
genitive interpretera interpreterów
dative interpreterowi interpreterom
accusative interpreter interpretery
instrumental interpreterem interpreterami
locative interpreterze interpreterach
vocative interpreterze interpretery

Further reading

  • interpreter in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • interpreter in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from English interpreter.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /intěrpreter/
  • Hyphenation: in‧ter‧pre‧ter

Noun

intèrpreter m (Cyrillic spelling интѐрпретер)

  1. interpreter

Declension

Declension of interpreter
singular plural
nominative interpreter interpreteri
genitive interpretera interpretera
dative interpreteru interpreterima
accusative interpreter interpretere
vocative interpreteru interpreteri
locative interpreteru interpreterima
instrumental interpreterom interpreterima

Synonyms

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia