[4] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Thom Jurek writing that "this is, in many ways, as slick as her MCA records, though it is punchier, rocks a little harder, and feels like it was geared for more open-minded country radio stations" and continues that Chuck Prophet is "a perfect producer for getting what an artist wants out of a tune", summarizing that "it's a winner, a solid, consistently crafted "new country" record that wears rock & roll proudly on its sleeve".

[5] Doug Freeman of The Austin Chronicle gave this album 3 out of 5 stars, writing that the "songs are forged with a more mature fire and relaxed tone" than Willis' previous work.

"[8] Rolling Stone's Robert Christgau rated this work 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "her good taste tethers her to the old homestead".

[9] Jonathan Keefe gave this album 4 out of 5 stars in Slant Magazine, summing up that "While it lacks the thematic focus of its two predecessors (2002’s Easy and 1999’s extraordinary What I Deserve), Translated From Love compensates with its deliberate, measured quirk; it still has the depth her fans have come to expect, but it’s Willis’s coolest record yet".

[11] Catherine P. Lewis of The Washington Post wrote that "Willis's emergence from [a] hiatus feels less than focused, as Translated presents a scattered collection of styles and tempos that never quite jell".