mistranslation

M3I1S1T1R1A1N1S1L1A1T1I1O1N1
/mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/Australia/mɪsˈtɹæːnz.læɪ̯.ʃən/

noun

An incorrect translation.

RareScrabble 16

Meanings

nounmistranslation (countable and uncountable, plural mistranslations)

plural mistranslations

  1. countableuncountableAn incorrect translation.

    MORE mischief has been done to the cause of truth by mistranslations of, and consequent miscomments on the holy scripture, than is at first thought imagined or perceived.

    1824, S H. Jackson, The Jew
    1 more example

    The second stage in the process by which African cultural realities are often mistransformed through mistranslation by ethnographers is associated with the urgent demand for 'theories' to assist the ethnographer in organising his field data and in presenting the conclusions derived from the data.

    2012, Helen Lauer, Kofi Anyidoho, Reclaiming the Human Sciences and Humanities Through African Perspectives, page 87
  2. countableuncountablebiologyThe incorporation of the incorrect amino acid into a peptide sequence.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  3. Proto-Germanic*missaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*missa-
  5. Proto-West Germanic*missa-
  6. Old Englishmis-
  7. Middle Englishmys-
  8. Englishmis-
  9. Englishtranslation
  10. Englishmistranslation

From mis- + translation.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 誤譯 /误译
  • 誤譯 /误译 (wùyì)incorrect translation
Finnish käännösvirhe
  • käännösvirheincorrect translation
French métraduction, trouduction
  • métraductionincorrect translation
  • trouductionincorrect translation
Hungarian félrefordítás, leiterjakab
  • félrefordításincorrect translation
  • leiterjakabincorrect translation
Japanese 誤訳
  • 誤訳 (goyaku)incorrect translation
Korean 오역
  • 오역 (oyeok)incorrect translation
Swedish felöversättning, översättningsfel
  • felöversättningincorrect translation
  • översättningsfelincorrect translation

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with mistranslation

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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