Green’s Dictionary of Slang

translate the truth v.

(UK society) to lie.

1899

People 9 Mar. in Ware (1909) 249/1: The resources of the French language for putting a polish of politeness on ugly facts are infinite. When M. Delcasse’s mendacity in connection with the Muscat incident was exposed, a leading Paris paper extenuated his offence by the ingenious excuse that, after all, – he merely ‘translated the truth.’.