Translation requires some specialized equipment. Just as you wouldn't go to play tennis without your racket and ball, so a cell couldn't translate an mRNA into a protein without two pieces of molecular gear: ribosomes and tRNAs.Ribosomes provide a structure in which translation can take place. They also catalyze the reaction that links amino acids to make a new protein.tRNAs (transfer RNAs) carry amino acids to the ribosome. They act as "bridges," matching a codon in an mRNA with the amino acid it codes for.Here, we’ll take a closer look at ribosomes and tRNAs. If you're not yet familiar with RNA (which stands for ribonucleic acid), I highly recommend checking out the nucleic acids section first so you can get the most out of this article!Ribosomes: Where the translation happensTranslation takes place inside structures called ribosomes, which are made of RNA and protein. Ribosomes organize translation and catalyze the reaction that joins amino acids to make a protein chain.