* ribosomes bind to the MRNA in the cytoplasm, move along the molecule in a 5’ to 3’3 direction until it reaches a start codon (AUG)
* anticodon on tRNA molecules align opposite appropriate codons according to complementary base pairing (e.g AUG = UAC)
* each tRNA molecule carries a specific amino acid (according to genetic code)
* ribosomes catalyze the formation of peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids (via condensation reactions)
* ribosome moves along mRNA molecule synthesizing a polypeptide chain until it reaches a stop codon
* at this point translation ceases, polypeptide chain is released