Nurse translating symbols (5)
I believe the answer is:
runes
'symbols' is the definition.
(rune is a kind of symbol)
'nurse translating' is the wordplay.
'translating' indicates anagramming the letters (I've seen 'translate' mean this).
'nurse' with letters rearranged gives 'RUNES'.
(Other definitions for runes that I've seen before include "Small stones bearing symbols with magic significance" , "Old letters" , "marks on old tablets" , "old characters" , "Mysterious letters" .)