What process does translation refer to?

Translation refers specifically to the process of decoding messenger RNA (mRNA) to synthesize a protein. In this biological process, the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA is read by ribosomes, and corresponding amino acids are linked together to form a polypeptide chain, eventually folding into a functional protein. This process occurs in the cytoplasm of cells and is crucial for gene expression, where the genetic code is translated into functional products that perform various roles within the organism.

The other processes listed, such as the conversion of DNA to RNA, are part of transcription, while the replication of RNA does not accurately describe a standard biological process, as RNA is generally not replicated in the same way DNA is. The formation of ribosomes, while related to translation since ribosomes are the machinery that facilitates the process, does not itself constitute translation. Therefore, the most precise definition of translation pertains exclusively to the decoding of mRNA into a protein.