Albeit adaptation is broadly acknowledged by contact linguistics as a notable mechanism of language change, former studies exploring the relationship between translation and language change in the target language normally disregard its role. This inquiry extends the application of the Code-Copying Framework (Johanson, 1993, Johanson, 1999, Johanson, 2002b) to the study of translation as a language contact phenomenon by exploring how the frequential copy of the passive voice reporting verbs in Greek popular science has been combinationally adapted regarding word order. By exploring the role that adaptation plays in translation-caused change, one can gain a full comprehension not only of the intricate mechanisms that govern the relationship between translation and language change, but also elucidate the nature of the translation activity. The article supplies a strong argument that translation can be grasped employing extant concepts of contact linguistics, most notably the Code-Copying Framework.