autotranslation

A1U1T1O1T1R1A1N1S1L1A1T1I1O1N1

noun

Translation of a work into another language by its original author.

OriginEnglish translation ← Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounautotranslation (countable and uncountable, plural autotranslations)

plural autotranslations · alternative auto-translation

  1. countableuncountableTranslation of a work into another language by its original author.

    Beckett produced autotranslations of the first two works, but gave up on Worstward Ho, deeming it 'untranslatable'...

    2006, Neil Cornwell, The absurd in literature, page 247
  2. countableuncountableTranslation of a web page or document into another language, as done by artificial intelligence.

Origin

  1. Proto-Hellenic*autós
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  3. Ancient Greekαὖ (aû)
  4. Ancient Greekτόν (tón)
  5. Ancient Greekαὐτός (autós)
  6. Ancient Greekαὐτο- (auto-)
  7. Englishauto-
  8. Englishtranslation
  9. Englishautotranslation

From auto- + translation. In sense 2, auto- is short for automatic.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

autotranslation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autotranslation

MLA

“autotranslation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autotranslation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autotranslation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autotranslation.

Source: autotranslation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.