Letting some light through while still scattering it, so objects behind aren't clearly visible — frosted glass is translucent, not transparent.
A translucent material transmits light but scatters it enough that a clear image cannot pass through, unlike a transparent material.
Translucent and transparent are often used interchangeably, but transparent specifically implies a clear, undistorted view through the material.
Frosted glass and some fabric curtains are translucent; clear window glass is transparent.
Translucency affects how light-coloured fabrics and glass read differently from fully opaque or fully clear materials.
Transmitted light is split into two parts: regular transmittance, which passes straight through, and diffuse transmittance, which is scattered on the way. A transparent material is nearly all regular, and a translucent one mostly diffuse. Instruments report total transmittance with an integrating sphere and haze as the scattered share of it. For translucent solids measured by reflection, the reading depends on thickness and on what is behind the sample, so both must be fixed and stated.
A porcelain tile, a thin stone veneer or an acrylic panel is colour-matched from a small sample laid on a desk.
Light passing through the sample reflects off whatever is underneath and returns through it. Installed over a dark adhesive or a void, the same material looks darker and a different colour. Match it over the real backing.
White curtains or a lampshade are chosen for their colour when unlit.
With light behind it the fabric acts as a filter and colours whatever passes through. A cream shade can throw noticeably yellow light into a room.