Final answer:
Translation is the process by which the information encoded in mRNA is used to direct the sequencing of amino acids to synthesize a protein. It involves initiation, elongation, and termination and should not be confused with transcription, replication, or reverse transcription.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of turning information encoded as mRNA into a polypeptide chain is known as translation. This process involves taking the information transcribed from DNA into mRNA and translating that into the sequence of amino acids that will form a protein. It occurs in three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination. During initiation, the ribosome binds to the mRNA transcript. Elongation occurs as tRNA molecules carrying amino acids recognize and pair their anticodons with the codons on the mRNA, and the ribosome catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds between amino acids. Finally, termination happens when a stop codon is reached, causing the release of the complete polypeptide chain.
It's important not to confuse translation with transcription, which is the process that creates mRNA from DNA. In contrast, replication refers to the process by which DNA is copied, and reverse transcription is the creation of DNA from an RNA template.