The major difference between translation and transcription is that translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from mRNA, while transcription is the process of synthesizing mRNA from DNA.

In this article, we will discuss the main difference between translation and transcription and also give deep insight separately on both of them.

What is Translation?

Translation refers to the process by which genetic information encoded in mRNA is decoded to synthesize proteins. It occurs in the cytoplasm of cells and involves ribosomes, tRNA molecules, and amino acids.

During translation, the ribosome reads the mRNA sequence and matches it with the corresponding tRNA molecules, each carrying a specific amino acid. The ribosome then links these amino acids together in the correct order to form a polypeptide chain, which eventually folds into a functional protein.

Translation is a crucial step in gene expression and is essential for the proper functioning of cells and organisms.

What is Transcription?

Transcription in biology is a fundamental process by which genetic information stored in DNA is converted into RNA molecules. It occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells.

During transcription, the RNA polymerase enzyme binds to the DNA template strand and synthesizes a complementary RNA strand by adding nucleotides in a specific order.

The resulting RNA molecule, known as messenger RNA (mRNA), carries the genetic instructions to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. Transcription is a key step in gene expression and plays a crucial role in cellular functions and organismal development.

Translation vs Transcription

The key difference between translation and transcription is given below:

	Transcription	Translation
Purpose	Make RNA copies of individual genes for cellular biochemistry.	Synthesize proteins for cellular functions.
Products	Post-translational modifications like phosphorylation, SUMOylation, disulfide bridges, and farnesylation.	Proteins.
Processing	Add 5′ cap, 3′ poly A tail, and remove introns.	RNA transcript is released, and polymerase detaches from DNA.
Location	Nucleus	Cytoplasm
Initiation	RNA polymerase binds to the DNA promoter to form an initiation complex.	Ribosome subunits, initiation factors, and tRNA bind mRNA near the start codon (AUG).
Termination	Ribosome encounters stop codon, disassemble, and releases the polypeptide.	Aminoacyl tRNA binds to A-site, peptide bond is formed, peptide moves to next codon.
Elongation	RNA polymerase elongates in the 5′ to 3′ direction.	Inhibited by anisomycin, cycloheximide, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin, erythromycin, and puromycin.
Antibiotics	Inhibited by rifampicin, 8-Hydroxyquinoline.	Inhibited by anisomycin, cycloheximide, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin, erythromycin, puromycin.
Localization	Prokaryotes: cytoplasm Eukaryotes: nucleus.	Prokaryotes: cytoplasm Eukaryotes: ribosomes on endoplasmic reticulum.