þýðandi

þýðandi is an Icelandic term that functions as both the present participle of the verb þýða, meaning “to translate,” and as a noun meaning “a translator” or “one who translates.” As a participle it can describe ongoing translation, as in phrases referring to translating activities. As a noun, it denotes a person who performs translations and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.

Etymology and form: The word derives from the verb þýða and the agent-noun suffix -andi, a productive formation in Icelandic that yields “one who does” from a verb. This pattern is common across the language, giving rise to many occupations and roles such as þýðandi for translators.

Usage and nuance: When used as a noun, þýðandi refers to a translator by profession or function. For example, one might say that a person is a þýðandi or that they work as a þýðandi, often with qualifiers specifying source and target languages or areas of specialization. In this role, the term emphasizes the act of translating rather than simply describing someone who translates in a general sense. In contemporary Icelandic, the word appears in dictionaries, academic contexts, and practical discourse about translation work, sometimes accompanied by additional information about language pairs or domains.

Relation to related terms: The core verb is þýða (to translate). The agent-noun form is widely used to name people who perform the action. The term interacts with other translation-related vocabulary in Icelandic, including expressions for translation direction (from one language to another) and for various specialized fields within translation studies.