From its origins in the Germanic dialects of the 5th century, English has evolved into today’s global lingua franca, with its development profoundly shaped by translation practices. This paper analyzes how translation has driven linguistic innovation in English—through mechanisms such as lexical borrowing, grammatical restructuring, and cultural transmission—across five key historical phases: Old English, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and contemporary globalization. The findings suggest that the translation of Latin religious texts laid the foundation for theological discourse in Old English; Anglo-Norman translations after 1066 contributed to the shift toward analytic grammar; vernacular Bible translations democratized and standardized religious vocabulary; classical translations during the Renaissance underpinned the emergence of academic discourse; and modern technological translation and cross-cultural exchange have solidified English’s status as a global language. Translation has functioned as a “cultural gene converter”, shaping the linguistic form of English while enhancing its adaptability to diverse cultural contexts—thus acting as an intrinsic force behind its global proliferation.