Old tales are translated (5)
I believe the answer is:
stale
'old' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'tales are translated' is the wordplay.
'are translated' indicates anagramming the letters.
'tales' is an anagram of 'STALE'.
(Other definitions for stale that I've seen before include "no longer bearing interest?" , "Lacking freshness" , "past the sell-by date" , "Not fresh, being least" , "Musty or hackneyed" .)