An electronic translator is featured where a particular sentence is accessed from a memory depending on at least one key word entered. The key word is contained in the particular sentence. A subject category may be selected from a plurality of subject categories and only sentences within the selected category may be searched. The translator comprises an input circuit for entering the key word, and subject category an access means for accessing the key word from the subject category within memory so as to specify and access the sentence, and a detection circuit for detecting whether the key word is accessed from the subject category within memory.