What effect does a translation have on a polygon?

A translation of a polygon involves shifting the entire shape in a specific direction by a certain distance, usually defined by a vector. This movement occurs without altering any of the properties of the polygon, meaning its size, shape, and orientation remain unchanged. The vertices of the polygon simply move to new positions, maintaining the same relative distances and angles as they had before the translation. This characteristic of translations is fundamental, as it distinguishes translations from other transformations like rotations, reflections, or dilations, which do affect the polygon's properties.