I think much of maths is that translation. You learn a lot of mathematics and you recognize powerful, subtle, deep patterns. Then you spend your time looking for those patterns in the world.
It's the same thing with even the most basic "translation problems" that kids in schools learn. They're armed with arithmetic and high-school algebra so they get arithmetic and high-school algebra "real world" scenarios to analyze.
At higher levels its the same. The problems are just harder and the patterns aren't necessarily given to you. Sometimes, oftentimes, nobody even knows what they are.
It's the same thing with even the most basic "translation problems" that kids in schools learn. They're armed with arithmetic and high-school algebra so they get arithmetic and high-school algebra "real world" scenarios to analyze.
At higher levels its the same. The problems are just harder and the patterns aren't necessarily given to you. Sometimes, oftentimes, nobody even knows what they are.