[EricH]

Originally Posted by rsisk

Can someone explain in simple terms what you mean by translation and rotation?

Rotation: Turning about a single point, usually (but not always) the center of the robot, or somewhere close to that area.
Translation: Motion in a single direction (either front/back or side-side, or in the case of an omnidirectional drivetrain, some line in between).

If the point of rotation happens to be translating as you rotate, you are pulling off a very tricky move--that sort of motion is usually reserved for things like frisbees, not stuff that stays on the ground.