Final answer:
Translation takes place in the cytoplasm of a cell, where ribosomes synthesize protein from mRNA that has traveled from the nucleus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Translation, the process by which mRNA is decoded into protein, takes place in the cytoplasm of a cell. Specifically, it occurs on ribosomes, the molecular machines that synthesize proteins by linking amino acids together in an order specified by the mRNA's sequence. This fundamental biological process follows transcription, where the DNA sequence is copied into mRNA within the cell's nucleus.
In eukaryotic cells, after transcription, the mRNA must travel from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where ribosomes can engage the mRNA to start the process of translation. Unlike eukaryotes, prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus, and their mRNA is directly translated into protein in the cytoplasm as there is no separation between transcription and translation.