[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mistranslate/)

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# mistranslate

verb (mistranslate, mistranslates, mistranslated, mistranslating)

«mistranslate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

To translate words from one language into another wrongly, so the meaning changes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#m1)

### In the lessons

In language lessons, pupils see how a word can be mistranslated if you translate word by word, and how false friends trick people (French «librairie» is a bookshop, not a library). In news and history, mistranslated messages have caused confusion. Phrases: mistranslated sign, badly mistranslated.

### Examples

- The sign was mistranslated and said «Please slip carefully». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x1)
- If you mistranslate one word, the whole sentence can change. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x2)
- The online tool mistranslated my French homework. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x3)
- The menu was so mistranslated that «chicken» became «kitchen». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x4)
- Translators check their work so they don't mistranslate anything. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x5)
- Some famous mistakes came from mistranslated words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x6)
- Be careful: French «actuellement» means «currently», and it is often mistranslated as «actually». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: mistranslated, mistranslating. Noun: mistranslation. «Mis-» = wrongly. Translation is from one language to another; interpreting is spoken translation.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mistranslate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mistranslate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mistranslate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mistranslate.html) on Mova free.