A word-for-word interpretation is called

• A. Paraphrase
• B. Literal
• C. Summarization
• D. Free translation

Answer: (B)

Literal translation is the approach that aims to render the original text word-for-word, preserving each term and the surface word order as closely as possible. This is why the term fits a word-for-word interpretation—the goal is to stay as faithful to the exact wording as possible.

Paraphrase, by contrast, changes the wording while keeping the meaning, so it’s about restating in different words rather than exactly matching the original. Summarization narrows the content to its essentials, reducing length. Free translation focuses on conveying meaning and natural-sounding sense in the target language, even if the wording and structure differ from the source.

So, when the question describes a word-for-word rendering, the literal translation best describes that approach.